Charging Into History | Journeyman Pictures

Transcript

Cut vers. 4a	Script vers. 6
Date: 18/05/02	Producer/Director: Simon Kennedy
Writer: Michael Jones	V/O:

Part 1

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00:00:00

Fade up

00:00:04

Every summer, for the past five years, a quiet corner of Northamptonshire, has been invaded. The woods and fields reverberate with the sound of fife, drum, and battle.

“Fire!”

“...was the most effective way.”

00:01:29

Tudor troops crossing bridge

Thousands of people now make a hobby of re-enacting the past. Calling themselves living historians they re-create the military and domestic aspects of virtually every era of the past two thousand years. Their approach to history throws up more than one challenge to the academics.

“If you read about...”

“...and bring it to life.”

Telephoto view of tents

Each August three thousand military re-enactors and living historians take over the grounds of Kirby Hall for the largest historical event of its kind in Europe - History In Action. Sponsored by English Heritage, it attracts over 40,000 visitors in two days.

“We first ran it in 1996...”

“...individual re-enactment events.”

Civil war pikemen in purple

Having grown dramatically over the last three decades, historical re-creation now attracts not only tens of thousands of participants, but over a million spectators every year.

History In Action, though the largest event of its type, is only one of hundreds of these held annually throughout Britain.

“Last year about a million...”

“...such enormous appeal.”

Napoleonic troops march into shot

These bangs and crashes may be popular, but can they help our understanding of the past?

“I think re-enactors can...”

“...never going to be the past.”

Father and son drilling with rifle

A casual visitor to History In Action may view this as nothing more than grown-men playing at soldiers. However, many academics and educators see a great deal of merit in these events.

“Walking around today...”

“...they’ll learn from a book.”

Man chops block of wood

Participants fall into two camps – living historians and battle re-enactors -

“Re-enactment is going...”

“...easier to notice.”

German soldier and Georgian people

The research that re-enactors embark on, and the level of detail they uncover, easily matches the efforts made by academic scholars.

“I was talking to someone...”

“...get it as accurate as we can.”

Two older soldiers talking to each other

Like conventional historians re-enactors make of point of using primary sources and contemporary records -

“Our research is done from...”

“...with a limited temper.”

Man in checked shirt standing by jeep

Chip Guarente has a background that allows him a unique insight into the accuracy of living history -

“As a pimply faced...”

“...of an M60 tank.”

Sherman tank in field

When he returned to England he became involved in World War Two re-enactment.

“One of the first things...”

“audience to these events.”

Medieval man drinks from cup

Unlike academic historians, re-enactors don’t think of the past in terms of causes and trends, but in terms of individuals, and personal stories.

“We try and take on...”

“...his story is just fascinating.”

Part 2

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Re-enacting battles is not a modern phenomenon. It has become a leisure pursuit in the past 40 years, but its origins go back to Man’s earliest days.

Cave painting

In Neolithic societies, all over the globe, tribal groups celebrated their victories in battle and in the hunt with stylised dance and ritual.

Carved Roman soldier

It was the Roman who turned this into an entertainment – on a massive and violent scale. Besides re-creating land battles, often featuring genuine combatants, they went to extraordinary lengths to re-create sea battles, called naumachia. In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar had a lake specially dug for a battle featuring 2000 marines and 6000 oarsman. The Emperor Domitian even had the Coliseum waterproofed and flooded to accommodate these popular events. During the reign of Nero, to celebrate the completion of a water conduit, 19,000 troops staged a sea battle on Lake Fucine to the east of Rome. Many of the participants were killed in the spectacle.

Engraving of battle

During the English Civil War re-enactment became a tool for propaganda and recruitment. Parliamentarian colonel Thomas Blount [pr. Blunt] re-staged Roundhead victories for the London public on Blackheath, using his two regiments “of foot”.

Engraving of American Civil War

In modern times former soldiers began to re-live their own conflicts for public consumption. Fifty years after the Battle of Gettysburg American Civil War veterans marched across the battlefield again. This time the conflict ended with a brotherly shaking of hands.

Recruiting poster

It was in the prosperous 1960’s that battle re-enactment moved from bring a platform for commemoration and propaganda, to being a popular pastime.

The inspiration for Britain’s re-enactors came from the U.S.A., and the American’s re-enactment of their own civil war. A founding member of the American Civil War Re-enactment and Living History Society here in England was Bill Hayward -

“Back in ’68...”

“...colour jacket.” + laugh

Cromwell still

Interest in re-enacting Britain’s own history was spurred on by the release in 1970 of the film Cromwell.

“And that had an amazing...”

Part 3

Time	Vision	V/O

00:00:00	Fade in

		“...as a typical re-enactor.”

	Romans meet Yankees	And there’s no typical reason for becoming a re-enactor in the first place -

		“A very good friend...”


		“...reflecting it on ourselves.”

	Line of Confederate soldiers	But to what extent does the re-enactor’s personality guide his choice of historical period?

		“My particular interest...”


		“...try and re-create that.”

	Line of Roman soldiers	For some the attraction is being a soldier – for others it’s being a warrior.

		“There’s no rigid structure...”


		“...go and clean up.”

	Large American flag by tent	The American Civil War is the largest single group in British re-enacting – so what is the attraction in this period, and in the history of another nation?

		“It’s extraordinary that here...”


		Shots

	Norman camp	Re-enacting at first appears to be a male preserve, but there are many female re-enactors as well -

		“You get quite a buzz...”


		“...or maybe less.”

	Saxon camp	For some women the hearth of “living history” is a far more attractive place than the battlefield of re-enactment.

		“And I mean...”


		“...there’s no politics.”

	Roman camp	And this comradeship on the field is as strong for the men as it is for the women -

		“I got a really...”


		“...go and get on with it.”

	Roman man and women by alter	Most re-enactors take a more realistic view of their particular eras -

		“We don’t have here...”


		“...we no longer have.”

		These re-creations of history illuminate not only the past, but our times as well. In a twist to the old axiom, it seems that if we do remember the past we are compelled to act it out again.

		“This is not a bad hobby...”


00:16:14	End of part 3

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Film: Charging Into History

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Transcript

Part 1

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Part 2

Time

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Part 3

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