We Fight to Be Free (2006) User Reviews

introductory film shown at Mount Vernon new visitors center and museum

[ffrannytk · 9/10 · 31 October 2006]

Saw this on the third day of opening of the new Mount Vernon visitors and education center. This is an attempt to educate people who come to Mount Vernon with little knowledge of our first president (some surveys showed people thought he fought in the Civil War, etc.) It was extremely well done and shows how museums are providing top-flight productions. I know a passable bit about the era, living in Alexandria, Virgina and serving as a docent and history buff. It is well worth seeing, as are all the new (and old) possibilities at this historic site. Sebastian Roche does a great job, portraying Washington -- the attempt here is to show visitors that Washington didn't always look like the old man on the dollar bill. He was a vigorous soldier, fighter and loving husband, a handsome young man who could go for days on the frontier without faltering. He was known to have been able to ride all day without fatigue, etc. This shows in the film and I think it does what the Mount Vernon historical association wanted to accomplish.

Well done!

[trinity729 · 10/10 · 13 November 2006]

As a history buff, I've visited many historical sites and battlefields and watched many short documentary museum films. This film was without qualification, the best I've seen yet.

I saw this film during my recent visit to Mt. Vernon. Beginning the visit with such a great film sets the perfect tone for the rest of the tour. Very high production values, excellent writing, and beautiful acting all come together to create a wonderful introduction to the life of George Washington.

The film highlights the events surrounding Washington's decision to cross the Delaware River and attack the Hessian force on Christmas. Demonstrating the type of man Washington was off the battlefield and away from the political arena, the film also shows how Washington met Martha Custis.

Overall, the film gives the viewer new perspective into the type of man Washington was, what his motivations were and how he came to be unanimously chosen as the first president of the United States.

Excellent Film about George Washington

[dqmwartist · 10/10 · 8 November 2006]

This film is one that I've been waiting to see for a while now and finally got the chance to see it today. We Fight To Be Free is the film shown in the Ford Orientation Center at Mount Vernon Estate 7 Gardens. Pat Sajak's introduction was nicely done and the rest of the film was very nicely done. Dr. Craik started off the film speaking about Washington, while he was writing. He narrated the film throughout, telling the audience about various times in George Washington's life. George Washington's Courtship of Martha Washington was touching & sweet. They certainly showed in the film how they had eyes for each other before anything progressed. Showing Washington's private life showed to me the human side of Washington that we don't often see, as we may have placed him high up on a pedestal. Scenes of battle were violent with the French and Indian War, along with the harshness of winter during the Revolution. Other scenery in the film was just beautiful with sunsets, etc. I came out of the movie in a fog, it gripped me in places with the human George Washington & the leader and hero.

Origin of the Racist State

[cinemarx · 1/10 · 19 January 2010]

This film, which was sponsored by one of the representative motor companies in US, shows a terrible picture depicting satanization of colored people in America. I was shocked how staffs in Mount Vernon could so confidently recommend such a racist movie. The first moment, when Washington meets his future wife and a boy asks him "Have you ever killed Indians?", was not so repulsive because Washington hesitated to answer to that question so that I understood it was just a detailed description of those days. Yet I still can never understand why the producers chose that battle scene among lots of historical resources. Yes, there were Orcs and Urk-hais fighting barbarously against Washington's army. As far as I know, Washington's military achievement was at the American Revolution which was a war against colonial army. But why did they choose the battle against aboriginal Americans, not against English troops? I guess they preferred to describe beating Urk-hais to death, rather than making whites bleeding.