Revolution | 80's Movie Guide

Revolution movie storyline. New York trapper Tom Dobb becomes an unwilling participant in the American Revolution after his son Ned is drafted into the Army by the villainous Sergeant Major Peasy. Tom attempts to find his son, and eventually becomes convinced that he must take a stand and fight for the freedom of the Colonies, alongside the aristocratic rebel Daisy McConnahay. As Tom undergoes his change of heart, the events of the war unfold in large-scale grandeur. Revolution is a 1985 British historical drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Robert Dillon and starring Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland and Nastassja Kinski. The film stars Pacino as a New York fur trapper who involuntarily gets enrolled in the Revolutionary forces during the American Revolutionary War. The film was produced by the British company Goldcrest, and was filmed largely in the old dock area of the English port town of King's Lynn, Norfolk. The main battles scenes were filmed at Burrator Reservoir on Dartmoor in Devon and on the coastal cliff top near Challaborough Bay, South Devon where a wooden fort was built. Military extras were recruited from ex-servicemen mainly from the Plymouth area. Revolution cost $28 million to make, and proved to be a box-office disaster, only grossing $346,761 in the United States. The film was also a critical letdown, with many criticizing the performances (especially the accents), writing, and choice to shoot a story of American history in England. It currently holds a critical approval rating of a mere 10% at Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews. Due to the disappointment, Pacino took a four-year hiatus from films until 1989's Sea of Love. Revolution (1985) Directed by: Hugh Hudson Starring: Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Nastassja Kinski, Joan Plowright, Steven Berkoff, Annie Lennox, Dexter Fletcher Screenplay by: Robert Dillon Production Design by: Assheton Gorton Cinematography by: Bernard Lutic Film Editing by: Stuart Baird Costume Design by: John Mollo Set Decoration by: Ann Mollo Art Direction by: Jon Bunker, Malcolm Middleton Music by: John Corigliano Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures Release Date: December 25, 1985