Watch First Invasion: The War of 1812 For Free

Purely Joyful Movie!

Just what I expected

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I cannot understand why the current rating for this is so mediocre. Perhaps it's because the war itself wasn't much of a war--but this is all the more reason to love and appreciate this long and extremely rich documentary. That's because VERY FEW films have ever talked about this war--so few that I would venture to say that a huge percentage of Americans know absolutely nothing about it.Using the usual great narration, photos, recreations and music, the film spins a fine tale. It also re-frames the story as not just a war between an upstart America and a world-class super-power (Britain), but goes so far as to say it was like a second war for independence. I loved this film from start to finish but particularly admired how one long gunman (whose identity is cloaked with the ages) who actually turned the tide after the horrible loss of Washinton, DC to the Brits. Well worth seeing--and well worth seeing again.

This "documentary" is so ridiculous it's laughable.I don't need to go over what other people obviously already did but I just have to say I agree with them 100% I literally thought at one point while watching this documentary early on (I tuned it after it already started) that I was watching some kind of a comedy sketch.The U.S. was acting in self defense when it invaded another country? On top of that, they were outnumbered and out-muscled by a small British expeditionary force and Canadian volunteer farmers with no military experience? And then on top of THAT, they won the war? (It's true that after Britain wrapped up their major war in Europe they sent battle-hardened troops to North America to fight this war, but that was already well after war broke out with the U.S. invading Canada - not to defend themselves but to try to take it over.) How do you have your capitol burnt, some of your territory occupied, so many of your troops captured, your country blockaded and only one major victory - occurring AFTER the war was over - and consider yourself the winner? It makes no sense at all. I guess you have to be American to understand it.

I agree with you on a couple of the points you had made, and am very disappointed that the History Channel would make something of such a poor-quality. However I do think that you are a little over-zealous in your patriotic nitpicking of this movie. You may not have meant to do that, but to a uneducated on the subject reader you may come across as a zany Canadien (which isn't all bad). The video states that America is the underdog. You disagree and we must agree to disagree. The War is divided into two sections commonly; the first phase, in which Britain sent a few blockades now and gain but nothing special, and the second phase after the war with he French in which they concentrated all attention on America. Now remember at the time Britain's Navy was the greatest in the world, had the arguably best Army as well. (After defeating one of the greatest military minds of his time in Napolean I agree) Now, because Britain is overseas from the United States, there must have been naval battles out there. Now take in mind that America's Navy at the time consisted of 15 rickety old ships already not in the best of shape after a brief war with Tripoli (spelling?) was all that was mustered, and that the U.S. army was cut by Thomas Jefferson, while the Embargo Act was drastically cutting funds, and Britain had allies in and Native American tribes, so almost it was like 1 on 2 how can you even consider the U.S. to not be underdogs. The country we were attacking was, Canada yes, but it wasn't the only country attacking, and also the British could, and did, reinforce after the war with the French. (Napoleonic Wars) Now your notion that the History Channel claims that America won the war is true, it does, and not at all subtly. But most historians do not agree on the victor. For one, the purposes of the war were expansion into Canada, which failed, so chalk one up for the British. But also it was because of the impressment of American soldiers into British service (By the way, your point on the fact that the British merely requested soldiers be returned to them is somewhat ridiculous, why would British soldiers fight in American armies for one?) Which ceased after the war, chalk one up for America. Also the war was a result of Britain attacking U.S. merchant, which stopped. Chalk one up for America. In my opinion though your best point by far was the one about the Canadians fighting off American forces, and because of this Briain won the War. Props for that. Chalk one up for Britain. So as you see it is undecided. Overall good movie. Also in response to that last paragraph of yours, I do not think that young viewers will think of America being invincible because of the current war in which 1-4 men can destroy cities. (Super-Terrorism is a horrible thing) But also this movie can't be that horrible as you say (in my opinion it was tasteful yet lacking in some areas, mainly informational areas), because it was nominated for a Emmy.

I am not a regular viewer of the History Channel, and I can only hope that the jingoist bias and chauvinistic pandering which deface this production are not representative of what that network presents to Americans as their "history". This video might work as a documentary to viewers in the U.S.; to Canadians, it is effective only as comedy. Imagine watching a German documentary which claims that Hitler invaded Poland only because he was provoked, and you'll understand how a Canadian reacts to this nonsense.This video's production values are fine, but a documentary needs to do more than just look good. It has an ethical responsibility. It needs to meet a certain standard of documentary credibility; otherwise, it cannot claim membership in the genre. On that score, this work fails miserably.This piece manages to misinterpret or skew virtually every historical detail concerning the reasons for and conduct of the war. Some assertions are more idiotic than others:1) The video asserts that Britain kidnapped American sailors on the high seas. In fact, Britain merely claimed the right to search American ships for Royal Navy deserters, many of whom ended up serving on American ships. In fact, the American Navy freely admitted that many British deserters served in its crews.2) The video describes the war as a British "invasion" of the U.S. This is absolute rubbish. The Americans were the belligerents. The U.S. Congress declared war on Great Britain, and the first hostility occurred when an American force invaded Canada. After it was thrown back across the border, Isaac Brock decided to take the initiative and, with his tiny force of Canadian militia and British regulars, decided to make a retaliatory strike into the U.S. For Britain and Canada, the war was always purely defensive. This video inverts the morality of the war entirely.3) The video speaks of America as the "underdog", whose amateur army took on the might of Great Britain's "battle-hardened" soldiers. In fact, for most of the war, Canada had only a minuscule force at her disposal, much of it made up of militia (i.e.Canadian farmers), many of whom were unfamiliar with basic military tactics. These inexperienced militia faced American regulars in battles that were always absurdly lopsided, with the Canadians outnumbered by ratios approaching ten to one. The notion that it was the Americans who were at a military disadvantage is sheer idiocy.4) The video claims that the Americans won the war and uses the Battle of New Orleans to punctuate this point. Two problems. First, the Battle of New Orleans occurred AFTER the war was over. Secondly, when you attempt to invade a country and are repulsed, you lose. America's attempt to invade and occupy Canada failed; America lost.I had not realised that the American myth of invincibility is strong enough to lead to this kind of Stalinist distortion. It's a little sad, and it's regrettable that so many, especially the young, will swallow this pap as if it were real history. What next? Are we going to begin seeing documentaries celebrating the American "victory" in Vietnam?