Courage, New Hampshire

Stilted dialog, incomprehensible plot and wildly-varying, inconsistent accents combine to fuse inaccurate historical matter with inchoate political viewpoints. Contrast this with the Emmy-nominated miniseries of "The Kennedy's" which was also made from a non-Hollywood viewpoint but without the underlying vitriol and a stellar script.

John Waters would love the amateurish élan of this Corky St. Clair-lacking production. About on par with "Red, White, and Blaine" "I'ma... I'm going to fight for my country! To fight... and yes, perhaps die... so that young men from here to Timbuktu can feel the wind of freedom blowing' through their hair!"

The photography was excellent, the locations quite charming, the music fitting, the storyline a bit contrived but all right. What spoiled it for me was the dull, quiet, uninvolved delivery of the Squire, who is also the director! He needs to make himself speak up, show some passion! He's being overshadowed by his other actors!

Historically, so much of the American Revolution and the lead-up to it is shown in films as having happened only in the cities of Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, etc., leaving out the more rural people and their involvement and fears. I applaud "Courage, New Hampshire" for helping to fill that hole! Keep the episodes coming!

Our early history as a nation is so ripe with stories to be told and "Courage, New Hampshire: The Travail of Sarah Pine" does not disappoint. The characters are vividly brought to "candlelight" by a gifted group of actors and a script that immediately draws us in and holds our interest. The costuming and sets are true to the period and cinematography is remarkable. The musical score is extraordinary for an independent film.

It is a story of a time gone by and of the simple trusting faith of Sarah and the redemption brought by her faith. The political intrigue of the story also offers a powerful missive… Human behavior has not changed in the last 240 years. Individuals and governments still use and abuse power to gain their own ends and desires without thought of the consequence to others.

Sarah Pine teaches us, that in spite of this fallen estate, a simple humble faith, held resolutely in the face of adversity and travail, has the power to lift us and deliver us.

I viewed "The Travail of Sarah Pine" streaming on the web, so am including some comments on how it streams as well. (They are planning on releasing webisodes, so it is important.) The technical as follows:

1) The show played well, with no glitches or buffering (cable internet connection) 2) There was a slight offset of sound/lip sync, but not as much as I have noticed when watching shows from the networks online. 3) It was viewed best in the little window, which is also common when viewing episodes of other shows on the networks. It is likely due to our computer's resolution. Our Television has a computer port & the ability to carry wifi, though we have not used it (do not own the correct cables), I would guess playing it through there would remove this limitation.

Storyline and acting were wonderful. I especially appreciated the natural way they interacted. As I get older, and am now faced with the homeschooling of our children, I look for ways to learn our American History in a realistic way, viewing the people of whatever time period as more similar to us than different, having hopes & dreams, emotions, and a world view. At the same time, it is vital to recognize the differences within those areas, especially in their world view. While we focus today on allowing people to 'go to hell in a hand basket' if they so choose, they focused on holding people to standards and morals.

Watching this episode, I was delighted to find a way to discuss this topic (irresponsible sexual behavior) with my modern day children, who are surrounded by easy sexual references unclear understandings of where to draw the line. Being a Christian myself, I desire to teach them the way God wants them to go, and yet know that just as I made mistakes prior to marriage, they may, unfortunately do the same. Through this show we can address the repercussions of 'fornication', the difficulty of being a 'king's man' (being held captive to something in your life), how each path we choose in life will have pros & cons, and how sometimes the law's intent interferes with the best course of action. These are just the initial ideas that come to me, outside of learning the history itself. I am strongly considering the 'teaching' option you offer, though at this point I only have one child in the age range. We are actually studying American History this year, so will be purchasing soon.

I am looking forward to the next episode from Courage, and hopefully many, many more to come. From the attention to detail on the clothing and homes, to the engaging storyline and full characters, "The Travail of Sarah Pine" takes me directly to the turbulent beginnings of our nation. It will be a vital piece to the way our family enjoys American History.

Colony Bay Productions, an independent acting group, is taking up the story of early America with a passion some well-known commentators might think no longer exists. Lead by James Riley, a reenactor of Patrick Henry and owner of Riley's Farm, this group is producing an ambitious DVD series called Courage, New Hampshire. It's goal is to tell the story leading up to our independence, season by season for the remainder of the decade. They started in the winter of 1770 with the story Sarah Pine, an unmarried, young woman who gave birth to a child she claims to be by a British soldier named Bob Wheedle. The story primarily introduces the characters and the small town of Courage. No appearances from Ben Franklin or Paul Revere. The Boston Massacre occurs during the time of this story (March 5, 1770) and is the only reference given to the world beyond their border.

There are two episodes available today; the third is coming in several weeks. My wife and I watched the first one, "The Travail of Sarah Pine," and loved it. The music by Rotem Moav is perfect. I love the authentic sound of the many references to the Bible in the dialogue. Costuming and setting all look beautiful and genuine, though at one point I thought they should have aged a man's clothing to take the straight from the catalog look away.

There is a community theater aspect to Courage. Some of the acting isn't as polished as I'd like, because in the end, viewers want to enjoy the story and not think about the last few lines sounding off a bit. Some of the actors are fairly new or untrained in their art, but many of the cast have experience with Shakespearean plays, movies and TV, and some famous people play a part here and there, like Andrew Breitbart in episode two.

I can't discern a political agenda in this story, unless stories about colonial America without touching on select hot spots makes a story politically incorrect. I look forward to seeing the big historical names, if they ever get out to Courage or if the story ever goes to Boston. I see that episode three has a much lesser-known figure, a black soldier named Caesar, who fought in the continental army.

You can buy a DVD or steam the episodes through their site. If you like period drama, this is worth your time.