I am a big fan of the John Jakes series and enjoyed the made for tv version of the Bastard. This follow up film unfortunately plays as a bad episodic that doesn't follow the novel. The two main characters played by Stevens and Johnson never even meet in the book yet 50% of this mini series has them together as revolutionary Starsky and Hutch. No apparent reason for not following the novel that I can tell other than Hollywood mucking up a good story. Celebrity appearances are fun. Great to see Tom Bosley as Ben Franklin and Peter Graves and Washington. This one you can pass on.
5 Reviews
Well Done TV Movie
rhoward-1422 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Although I have seen and heard much criticism of this made-for-TV movie and the other John Jakes, "Kent Family Chronicles" made into film, I think this one is undoubtedly the best. Andrew Stevens, whose acting career later declined, plays a very earnest, somewhat naive Philip Kent, and seemingly symbolizes the perceived idealism of many Americans at the time of Revolutionary War. The characters of Judson Fletcher and Eph Tait, were finely portrayed by Don Johnson and Doug McClure, who give the Movie a rousing, period Revolutionary flavor to it. Other fine TV Actors, such as Peter Graves as George Washington, and Tom Bosley as Bejamin Franklin, do a more credible job than you might anticipate. The film was made on a modest budget, as there are no major battles shown, but rather a few small action scenes in the form of smaller skirmishes, intrigues and a duel. As a spoiler, I can tell you that the movie is entirely different from the book. As one example, Kent and Fletcher become best friends in the film, whereas they never even meet one another in the novel. The movie script in my opinion, was an improvement over the book, although I still very much admire John Jakes, having read all his Kent Family Chronicles Books and North and South Series. I wish they would make more films of the former (the latter already having been memorialized into Movies).
Like They Didn't Even Try
tortply8 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Not only do I recognize that historical fiction is fiction, and TV movies aren't Hollywood blockbusters, but I also quite liked Jakes's "North and South" series. Unfortunately, so much about "The Rebels" just lacks effort.
The narrator describes the Knox expedition setting out in November (across Massachusetts / far northern New York) as they march across lush grassy fields under green leafy trees, hoping it will snow for the return journey - which then IS appropriately wintry. Did autumn go on strike?
Some plot twists are farcical: Don Johnson's character, a barfighting drunken playboy - who (by his own admission) has never believed in or accomplished anything - needs something to do after an injury, so he's elected to Congress. This is attributed to the influence of Jefferson (who didn't meet him until afterward) and Washington (who'd given him a five-minute mission briefing). Andrew Stevens was sidelined with a fever even earlier in the journey, resulting in his unanimous election as commander of a militia company (of which he was not even a member).
The dialogue alternates between common modern speech and pretentious, bombastic attempts at historical idiom - as though a 9th grade English class patched together a 1775 script after finishing their unit on Shakespeare.
Costumes are sometimes accurate, and sometimes stereotypical 70s used-car-salesman fabrics. Most of the famous historical figures look OK (except for Lafayette, who's straight out of Mme. Tussaud's), but the hairdressers put a great deal of effort into spraying and blowdrying the fictional heroes into giant 1979 coiffures.
A writer of historical fiction can get creative with dialogue using a fictional character or lesser-known real person, or make the effort to find a historical figure appropriate to the style or sentiment. Any number of characters could believably refer to the British commander as "Billy Howe" or tell Congress they "don't give a damn" - practically anyone BUT the well known gentleman planter, George Washington, who gets these lines. John Hancock - a rebel before there was a rebellion, famous for first (and most ostentatiously) signing the Declaration of Independence - is depicted as a waffler who dismisses Johnson's desire for independence as youthful impulsiveness.
Just a creepy aside, but Johnson has a bed scene with an actress who (according to this website) was 15 at the time.
The narrator describes the Knox expedition setting out in November (across Massachusetts / far northern New York) as they march across lush grassy fields under green leafy trees, hoping it will snow for the return journey - which then IS appropriately wintry. Did autumn go on strike?
Some plot twists are farcical: Don Johnson's character, a barfighting drunken playboy - who (by his own admission) has never believed in or accomplished anything - needs something to do after an injury, so he's elected to Congress. This is attributed to the influence of Jefferson (who didn't meet him until afterward) and Washington (who'd given him a five-minute mission briefing). Andrew Stevens was sidelined with a fever even earlier in the journey, resulting in his unanimous election as commander of a militia company (of which he was not even a member).
The dialogue alternates between common modern speech and pretentious, bombastic attempts at historical idiom - as though a 9th grade English class patched together a 1775 script after finishing their unit on Shakespeare.
Costumes are sometimes accurate, and sometimes stereotypical 70s used-car-salesman fabrics. Most of the famous historical figures look OK (except for Lafayette, who's straight out of Mme. Tussaud's), but the hairdressers put a great deal of effort into spraying and blowdrying the fictional heroes into giant 1979 coiffures.
A writer of historical fiction can get creative with dialogue using a fictional character or lesser-known real person, or make the effort to find a historical figure appropriate to the style or sentiment. Any number of characters could believably refer to the British commander as "Billy Howe" or tell Congress they "don't give a damn" - practically anyone BUT the well known gentleman planter, George Washington, who gets these lines. John Hancock - a rebel before there was a rebellion, famous for first (and most ostentatiously) signing the Declaration of Independence - is depicted as a waffler who dismisses Johnson's desire for independence as youthful impulsiveness.
Just a creepy aside, but Johnson has a bed scene with an actress who (according to this website) was 15 at the time.
This One's Even Better Than the First
ldeangelis-757085 July 2023
I liked "The Rebels" better than its predecessor, as the story expanded to include more characters, like Judson Fletcher (played to perfection by Don Johnson) and there was more focus on the Revolution rather than Philip's quest for his inheritance. (Andrew Stevens does a great job, once again.)
And once again, we're loaded with stars and familiar faces: Joan Blondell, Doug McClure, Jim Backus, Richard Basehart, Rory Calhoun, MacDonald Carey, William Daniels, Peter Graves, Forrest Tucker, Tanya Tucker (no relation, I don't think), Robert Vaughan, William Windom, the list seems endless!
Shouldn't miss this one!
And once again, we're loaded with stars and familiar faces: Joan Blondell, Doug McClure, Jim Backus, Richard Basehart, Rory Calhoun, MacDonald Carey, William Daniels, Peter Graves, Forrest Tucker, Tanya Tucker (no relation, I don't think), Robert Vaughan, William Windom, the list seems endless!
Shouldn't miss this one!
Washington, Jefferson, Adams and the rest
aramis-112-8048806 January 2024
This follow-up to "The Bastard" has Philip Kent ("Andrew Stevens") deeply involved in the American Revolutionary War.
This installment of John Jakes best-selling novels about the Kent family diverges from the source novel.
It's also not as rollicking as "The Bastard." While part of the fun of "The Bastard" was watching big TV stars playing historical figures, "The Rebels" has less of that. In the expedition on Fort Ticonderoga neither Ethan Allen nor Benedict Arnold are depicted. Peter Graves makes a George Washington with gravitas, but Robert Vaughn handles the period dialogue better. William Daniels, who played a great Sam Adams in "The Bastard" here gets to be Sam's brother John, a role he played on stage and in the movies in "1776."
One surprise is singer Tanya Tucker, who acquits herself well.
It still might be useful as a crash course in understanding the creation of the United States, in this day of worful ignorance of the US and its founding, though "The Bastard" did the more important job of showing why a colonized people fought for its separation from Great Britain. It's also increasingly soap operaish.
Philip Kent still sleeps with every pretty woman who crosses his path. They throw themselves at him. Nice work if you can get it.
BTW, what happened to Philip Kent's French accent?
This installment of John Jakes best-selling novels about the Kent family diverges from the source novel.
It's also not as rollicking as "The Bastard." While part of the fun of "The Bastard" was watching big TV stars playing historical figures, "The Rebels" has less of that. In the expedition on Fort Ticonderoga neither Ethan Allen nor Benedict Arnold are depicted. Peter Graves makes a George Washington with gravitas, but Robert Vaughn handles the period dialogue better. William Daniels, who played a great Sam Adams in "The Bastard" here gets to be Sam's brother John, a role he played on stage and in the movies in "1776."
One surprise is singer Tanya Tucker, who acquits herself well.
It still might be useful as a crash course in understanding the creation of the United States, in this day of worful ignorance of the US and its founding, though "The Bastard" did the more important job of showing why a colonized people fought for its separation from Great Britain. It's also increasingly soap operaish.
Philip Kent still sleeps with every pretty woman who crosses his path. They throw themselves at him. Nice work if you can get it.
BTW, what happened to Philip Kent's French accent?
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