Product Description

Twenty years before the Revolutionary War, the British, French, and Native American empires fight for control of the American wilderness. Here George Washington begins his military career at the center of a murder mystery, and suffers defeat at Fort Necessity. In response, British General Edward Braddock leads an army to America and marches on the French, leading to a surprise battle that will change American history.

Shot at major battlefields with armies of living historians, When the Forest Ran Red earned six awards, including a MUSE Award from the American Association of Museums and recognition by the American Association of State and Local History. The film continues to air on PBS stations across the country.

When the Forest Ran Red features commentary by the world's top experts, including Fred Anderson (author of Crucible of War), Stephen Brumwell (author of Redcoats and Paths of Glory), Paul Kopperman (author of Braddock at the Monongahela), and R. David Edmunds (author of The Shawnee Prophet).

Remastered in 2007, the Ultimate Edition features the mini-documentary, Making When the Forest Ran Red, the 50-minute video, A Fast and Dangerous Game that deepens the historical presentation, a 20-minute fireside chat with historian Paul Kopperman about Braddock's Defeat, deleted scenes, trailers, and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15433 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-04-16
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 68 minutes

Review
The struggle between the British and French to control the land beyond the Appalachian Mountains triggered the French and Indian War in 1754. When the French built a chain of forts south from Lake Erie to what is now western Pennsylvania, a young George Washington served with British General Edward Braddock's army to repel them. This well-presented film carefully examines the horror that unfolded when the Anglo-American army was ambushed by the French and Indians south of Fort Duquesne. --American History, April 2002

Review
Scholarship is deep, structure is interesting and engaging. Nice mix of reenactments, paintings, sketches and drawings. Good job of presenting a seldom-studied part of our past. --MUSE Award Committee, The American Association of Museums

Review
In the summer of 1755, British General Edward Braddock set out from Williamsburg with an army of over 2,000 regulars and Virginia militia to expel the French from Fort Duquesne, strategically located at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers converge to form the Ohio River (the site of present-day Pittsburgh, PA). Braddock's great accomplishment was to blaze a road through dense forest, and subsequently move his troops, wagons, and artillery to within 40 miles of Fort Duquesne. Braddock then split his force (on the advice of his aide-de-camp, a young George Washington), and sent a flying column ahead, which after fording the Monongahela above Fort Duquesne, was ambushed and virtually annihilated by a much smaller force of French and Indian fighters. Robert Matzen's When the Forest Ran Red engagingly tells the story of this military disaster, a defeat that did much to precipitate the French and Indian War. Rich in detail and primary source information, this would make an excellent addition to any social studies curriculum dealing with Colonial America, and would be of interest to general history buffs. Highly recommended. --Video Librarian, July-August 2002

Customer Reviews

You Are There
A thrilling, vivid history feast--the dark forest, pleas of the wounded, shrieks of the Shawnees, the roar of muskets--"You Are There" as a very young George Washington surrenders at Fort Necessity and Braddock's Army marches to disastrous defeat, when victory seemed at hand.

This gripping, taut drama of the frontier clash of English, French, native Americans, and provincials, is told by a masterful blend of the words of eyewitnesses, military reenactments, modern historians, colonial music, paintings, artifacts, and onsite filming.

The DVD includes several extras, especially detailed comments by historian Paul Kopperman.

Huzzahs to Robert and Mary Matzen, Tom Wilson, their staff, and all participants.

Tom O'Connor, Bowie, MD

Fantastic DVD on French and Indian War!
This is a special release of the video of the same name (see my review of _When the Forest Ran Red_ VHS). However, this version has about 10 minutes of extra footage. The DVD focuses on the early part of the French and Indian War, most specifically on little-known, but important, Braddock's Defeat. Within this time frame, we follow George Washington and learn of his many mistakes and watch him grow as a leader. We see how Washington gained valuable experience in leadership and warfare that would serve him as leader of the Revolutionary forces. I was also interested to hear of the various native tribes as participants in the war with their own geo-political goals and aspirations and not just as pawns of the British or French.
The presentation is great and the information is interesting and important for an understanding of early American history. There are pictures, reenactments, and comments from scholars and historians. I was happy to see that a British historian was included. I give this documentary my highest recommendation.

THIS DVD SPECIAL EDITION IS EVEN BETTER THAN THE VHS VERSION
THIS MOVIE IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC -- ANYONE INTERESTED IN AMERICAN,COLONIAL, MILITARY, OR BRITISH HISTORY OR IF YOU LOVE A GOOD STORY WELL TOLD--THIS IS A FILM YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIEW ABOUT BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT AND THE BEGINNING OF BOTH THE FRENCH & INDIAN WAR AND THE CAREER OF YOUNG GEORGE WASHINGTON. (HE WAS JUST 24 YEARS OLD WHEN HIS FORCE WAS DEFEATED AT FORT NECESSITY). I SAW THE VHS VERSION AND NOW THE DVD. I MUST SAY THIS SPECIAL EDITION IS A COLLECTORS ITEM--THE NEW ACTION SCENES, THE DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE AND THE EDUCATION TIPS REALLY m,AKE THIS GREAT FILM EVEN BETTER. I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF THIS FILM EVEN THOUGH, I SAW THE VHS RELEASE 6 TIMES. THIS IS HISTORY AND FILM MAKING AT IT'S VERY BEST.

I ONLY WISH THAT THEY WILL COME OUT WITH A SEQUEL TO THE FIRST TWO FILMS--THE BATTLE OF QUEBEC WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO THIS GREAT SET.