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Customer Reviews of Culloden

The Battle for Culloden, filmed by Peter Watkins.
Culloden was a film Peter Watkins made for the BBC. His prior short film "The Forgotten Faces" (a film about the short lived Hungarian uprising against it's totalitarian Soviet puppet goverment and the lack of Western support casued it to failed) received critical acclaimed. The heads at the BBC were impressed and hired him to make several made-for-television films. The first project was a film about the Scottish rebellion during the 1700's led by Bonnie Prince Charlie (the last hope for the House of Stuart), It was a revolt that was doomed to fail. <
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>Peter Watkins was given a very small budget to work with. He had use of some horses, a hundred volunteers, a cannon and a stock of 18th century weapons and costumes. <
>Using trick photography and editing, Watkins made it look like a large battle was taking place. He also made the film into another faux documentary. It was like a modern day news crew was documenting the battle. Not only was the battle filmed but it's bloody and dark aftermath as well. <
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>Culloden not only showed the last wide spread rebellion to ever take place within Great Britian but Watkins also makes parellels to events that were occuring at the time. Watching the English soldiers commit atrocites towards the Scots and using new weapons and tatics against an antiquated army was similar to what was going on in Indochina. The media was documenting it all. <
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>The BBC was shocked by the violent content that was shown. One of their biggest tiffs was showing people suffering and dying on camera (Watkins second BBC film The War Game suffered the same fate). They decided to let him shoot another film but that pushed the limits of decency to the breaking point Even the U.S. military shows this film to their young officers. It was that correct, well studied and executed. <
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>Highly recommended.

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"Punishment Park" (1971)
I just thought that some of you may be interested to know that Peter Watkins' following film, Punishment Park, is made in the same style- pseudo-documentary- and is about the socio-political divide in the USA @ the early 1970s. This movie is an absolute must-see...and it's incredible that it is nearly impossible to find in the US- even Amazon doesn't carry it...search in the UK or France (or your statewide public library server).

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Breathtaking!
This film is losely based on John Prebble's book Culloden. It was made using a revolutionary documentary technique - they make it appear as if it is a direct news report. It was probably here that the US army got its idea of embedded reporters! The filmcrew brings us in direct contact with the soldiers; they are wet, hungry, dispirited - they want to go home, but there is no retreat. The soldiers appear as human beings, not just chess pieces. High and low are interviewed, some refuse! <
>Their leaders quarrel, Bonnie Prince Charles has taken refuge in the bottle. <
>We see the battle through smoke, and here the officers giving orders above the thunder from the artillery. Everything accompanied by the narrator that sounds like a newsreader. <
>I do not know any other drama documentary that so captures the despair and futility of battle. The ultimate betrayal of the clans by the Jacobite leaders, who leave their men to the tender mercies of 'Butcher' Cumberland is sure to bring tears to any wathcer's eyes.