Last month the good folks over at WETA/PBS asked me if I would be interested in reviewing their upcoming documentary The War of 1812. Not knowing half of what I think I should know about this particular conflict, I eagerly accepted the opportunity and received a preview DVD along with a media kit. As a historian and documentary film producer, I feel that I have a broad understanding of what goes on in front of – and behind the camera. No doubt the biggest challenge when making historical films like this is finding a balance between education and entertainment. Great filmmakers can do this without compromising either side and I am pleased to say that the folks who produced this film exemplified this concept.

A production of WNED (Toronto), Florentine Films/HOTT Productions, in association with WETA, Washington DC, The War of 1812 is a 2-hour documentary that not only presents a historical look at the War of 1812, but also how it has been remembered and forgotten today. The film includes interviews with 26 leading American, British, Canadian and Native historians, first-hand accounts, battle re-enactments and period artwork which all help to define this war. In addition to battlefield exploits, the experiences of civilians and politicians are included. This includes familiar characters such as the Indian warrior Tecumseh and first lady Dolley Madison.

Of all the wars participated in by America, the War of 1812 is clearly the most overlooked one. According the film’s overview author and noted scholar Donald Hickey, the War of 1812 was “a futile and costly struggle in which the United States barely escaped dismemberment and disunion.” In other words, the Revolutionary War may have granted us independence but this conflict showed what we would do with it. Our friends in the Great White North see it differently. According to the film’s website:

Some would forget the war, and some would remember.  If in time Americans largely forgot a war that had gone only sporadically well, and the British forgot a small war that was a distraction to the main event, the Canadian colonists were happy to remember the War of 1812, and Canadians still do.  They remained British colonies, but many Canadians today see the war as the time when a disparate group – British, transplanted Americans, and French-Canadians – banded together to protect their land from invasion.  The war united Canada in spirit.  It's not only historians, but average Canadians, who often see the War of 1812 as a critical event in Canadian history.

From a producer’s point of view, I must say that The War of 1812 is a stellar example of what happens when intelligent and creative people come together to create what I call “smart art.” Visually the film is very pleasing to the eye, the re-enactments and character performances are not overly dramatic and the talking heads (albeit a bunch of them), add useful commentary. From a historian’s point of view I think the filmmakers did a great job of outlining what the War of 1812 was, obviously acknowledging that this subject matter is relatively neglected by the general public, and that most of us have no clue what we got out of it. Once again, the film’s website summarizes this beautifully:

The greatest myth about the war, for Americans, was who won it.  For much of the war, the United States failed badly on the battlefield; but the final battle of the war, at New Orleans, gave Americans a false but powerful feeling that they had actually won.  With the Treaty, they really lost nothing; and they had gained a sense of confidence, pride, and nationalism for the decades to come.

I highly recommend this documentary for anyone who wishes to learn about America’s forgotten war in an educational and entertaining way. After watching The War of 1812 I feel that I have a much better grasp on this event, and more importantly, a broader understanding of how American-British-and Canadian history intersects. For more information, visit the film’s website.