Review of Historical Accuracy - Johnny Tremain PDF

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A review of the historical accuracy of the Disney film Johnny Tremain...

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American History by Hollywood

Dr. David Eldridge

Student ID: 201504853

Evaluation of Johnny Tremain (1957)

Disney has a long history of adapting historical events and folklore onto the big screen. However, as a family-focused company, it is widely acknowledged that Disney often embellish, exaggerate or otherwise alter details of events in the pursuit of making the content appropriate for parents with children. The 1957 feature Johnny Tremain, directed by Robert Stevenson, is no different. It tells the story of a young silversmith who, working in Boston during the revolutionary period, becomes embroiled in the activities of the patriots. The film boasts a number of famous faces from the period including Sam Adams and Paul Revere, and it also dramatises several famous events such as the Boston Tea Party, Revere's Midnight Ride and the skirmishes that occurred in and around Lexington and Concord. This essay will conduct an analysis on the historical accuracy of Johnny Tremain and the famous events that the film depicts. One of the most prominent issues to address is the film's rose-tinted portrayal of colonial Boston, and the first major historical event that occurs in it, the Boston Tea Party. In Disney's depiction of events, Griffin's Wharf, where the three ships transporting the tea were moored, is considerably scaled down and contains a reconstruction of only one ship instead of the three ships that were actually boarded on December 16th 1773, "the Dartmouth, [...] the Eleanor, [...] and the Beaver." (Carp, 2010.) This is largely put down to the "good deal of trouble and expense [that] went into recreating a section of Boston." (Stokes, 2013.) during production of the feature, but does detract from the impact that the "bold, defiant act of political mobilization" (Carp, 2010.) had in terms of the revolution as a whole. In his book, American historian Benjamin Carp goes on to state that "the Boston Tea Party had revolutionary significance.", and it was "an expression of political ideology [as well as] a window onto American culture and society of the time." (Carp, 2010.) instead of the cheerful, whimsical evening of mischief that Johnny Tremain makes it out to be. Regarding the same incident, the film presents another jarring juxtaposition to historical fact when the protestors dress as Native Americans. Although this was entirely true, a number of the rioters who dumped more than 40 tons of tea into the harbour that night did dress as 'Indians', it was more a matter of cultural significance than disguise. Historian Sam Forman; in his book about the life of Dr. Joseph Warren, a prominent figurehead in the Sons of Liberty, reveals particular details from the "rare, credible firsthand account of the Destruction of the Tea." (Forman, 2011.) through the recollections of William Dawes, a revolutionary who took part in the Tea Party as well as multiple other significant operations executed by the patriots. Dawes, during an in-depth interview later in life, stated that the actions he undertook whilst "crudely dressed as a Mohawk Indian [...] were sworn to secrecy." and none of the "Tea Party Indians [could] reveal their participation [or the identities] of their co-conspirators." (Forman, 2011.)

Final Word Count: 1444

American History by Hollywood

Dr. David Eldridge

Student ID: 201504853

Benjamin Carp elaborates on this in his book, stating that "prevailing views of American Indians in colonial society" (Carp, 2010.) influenced the Sons' choice to don such a manner of dress whilst committing crimes against the British. However, in the film Johnny Tremain, the protestors adopt the likeness of Indians to avoid being recognised. There are also fully aware of each others' identities which contradicts the firsthand account of William Dawes and leave the harbour as a crowd, bidding farewell to the governor and bursting into song as a show of solidarity. These embellishments on the part of Disney cloud the significance of the revolutionaries' actions and detract from "the quintessential rejection of authority" (Carp, 2010.) that the destruction of the Tea represented. Following on from this, Johnny Tremain visualises the historic ride of Paul Revere as a dramatic race against the time in order to muster the militia before the arrival of the British troops. In this, as a considerably less-violent event, Disney can be awarded a certain amount of credit for historical accuracy but still lacks complete synchronicity with what it widely acknowledged as historical truth. Aligned with the truth is Revere's crossing of the Charles river, which he executed in a rowboat under the cover of darkness as to avoid being spotted by HMS Somerset, a British Warship at anchor. In his book regarding the famous night, David Beckett Fischer details a study made by American astronomers Donald W. Olsen and Russell L. Doescher, from which they calculated the exact position of the moon that night and, plotting the route Revere took across the river, determined that "his boat would have been shrouded in the dark moonshadow of the town's skyline, and very difficult to see from the deck of the HMS Somerset." (Fischer, 1995.) In the film, this is commented on by the patriot Paul Revere rendezvous with, along with the signal that had been pre-arranged by Revere himself to indicate how the British would mobilise. Immortalised in the famous quote; 'one if by land, two if by sea', this is another detail that the film portrays with some accuracy, the sexton Robert Newman placing two lanterns in the church steeple to signify the British movement would be by sea. However, the film continues on and incorrectly chronicles several details of his iconic ride. For one; it is a common misconception, and a pitfall that the film fails to avoid, that Paul Revere was the only rider that night. There were in fact several riders, amongst them was William Dawes. Historian Sam Forman sympathises with this, stating that "[William Dawes was] lesser known to history, but as prominent [as Paul Revere]." (Forman, 2011.) in the actions he took that night in order to warn of the British approach. Another incorrect detail, that is perhaps an even more famous misconception, is the words that Revere shouts as he rides past houses and through towns. From first-person accounts of the night, we know that Paul Revere issued his warning by shouting; 'the regulars are coming out', whereas in the film, he hollers "Turn out your militia, the redcoats are coming!" (Stevenson, 1957.) which would have alerted any British patrols in the area that night. These inconsistencies are what makes Johnny Tremain vulnerable to criticism, as Disney are distributing misinformation regarding the history of the United States of America.

Final Word Count: 1444

American History by Hollywood

Dr. David Eldridge

Student ID: 201504853

The film also presents an interpretation of the skirmishes between the patriots and British at Lexington and Concord in 1775. In this scene, Johnny and a local militia stand firm against a British detachment in Lexington Green before one of them is shot by an unknown shooter. This causes them to disperse and retreat before the film transitions to another sequence where we see Johnny and the patriots dogging the British soldiers all the way back to Boston, picking them off with sporadic gunfire, and "using guerrilla tactics the colonist beat back the British." (Österberg, 2009.) However, historian Melvyn Stokes implies that Disney's family-friendly image, "[along] with all the strengths and weaknesses of the brand." (Stokes, 2013.) cheapens the action and makes it appear hollow. A point of interest is that Johnny Tremain vaguely acknowledges the significance of the violence on Lexington Green when the British general in command inquires as to who fired the first shot, and implies it could have come from either group or a third-party shooter. In some cases, this first outbreak of violence is cited as 'the shot heard 'round the world' whereas other accounts classify the scene of American revolutionaries, acting under orders, firing on the British at North Bridge the true 'shot'. Benjamin Carp cites both events as the beginning of the Revolutionary War, stating that; "[the] militia exchanged fire with the redcoats at Lexington Green and Concord's North Bridge [and] raised a new and fatal tempest." (Carp, 2010.) Overall, Johnny Tremain gives us a conflicting representation of the key events leading up to the American Revolutionary War, nor does it remain faithful to its' source material. By inserting a fictional character into the events throughout the film, multiple important details are mishandled and inaccurate. However, quoting Disney historian Leonard Martin, Bertil Österberg presents a more liberal evaluation of Johnny Tremain, stating that; "It takes some dramatic liberty with the facts, but what is more important, it makes real and threedimensional what most history books put down in a flat, hackneyed prose." (Österberg, 2009.) This fact is undeniable, and with the American Revolution being so rarely represented in film form, Disney does a amicable job of bringing to life the story of the birth of the United States of America.

Bibliography Österberg, Bertil; Colonial America on Film and Television; 2009, Mcfarland. Stokes, Melvyn; American History through Hollywood Film: From the Revolution to the 1960s; 2013, A&C Black. Carp, Benjamin; Defiance of the Patriots; 2010, Yale University Press. Forman, Sam; Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill and the Birth of American Liberty; 2011, Pelican Publishing Company Inc. Fischer, David Hackett; Paul Revere's Ride; 1995, Oxford University Press. Filmography Stevenson, Robert; Johnny Tremain; 1957, Walt Disney Productions

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