Patrick Henry's rousing speech before the Virginia legislature argues for colonial independence.Patrick Henry's rousing speech before the Virginia legislature argues for colonial independence.Patrick Henry's rousing speech before the Virginia legislature argues for colonial independence.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win total
Photos
Ted Osborne
- Randolph Peyton
- (as Theodore Osborne)
Ralph Brooks
- Delegate
- (uncredited)
Carrie Daumery
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Jesse Graves
- Moses - Washington's Servant
- (uncredited)
Charles Frederick Lindsley
- Narrator
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Jack Mower
- Gentleman
- (uncredited)
Bancroft Owen
- Tom
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaVitaphone production reels #7766-7767.
- GoofsThe guests at General Washington's house are shown dancing to Ludwig van Beethoven's "Minuet in G", which was not composed until 1796. In fact, Beethoven was born in 1770; i.e., five years before the events shown at the beginning of the film.
- Quotes
Patrick Henry: If this be treason, make the most of it!
- Crazy credits[Prelude] Our country's struggle for independence brought forth many great men. Some who earned their greatness by sword ~ others by pen.
One there was, whose name is immortal because he had a gift of oratory and the courage to use it. This is the story of that man ~ Patrick Henry.
Virginia 1765
- ConnectionsEdited into The Bill of Rights (1939)
- SoundtracksLiberty Rules Our Land
(uncredited)
Music by M.K. Jerome
Lyrics by Jack Scholl
Sung by Bancroft Owen (dubbed by Dick Foran) at Patrick Henry's house
Played as background music often
Featured review
these guys never envisioned Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton"
It's going to be harder to take the Academy Award-winning "Give Me Liberty" seriously in the 21st century, since the characters declare that they don't want to live under slavery, even though many of them owned slaves. Patrick Henry's GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH sounds good until you learn that he tried to stop slaves from joining the British army (since the British promised the slaves freedom). Sure enough, the only black person in the movie is George Washington's servant who always obeys his master.
If the short has any upside, it's the focus on democracy.* I guess that nowadays we're used to learning about the Founding Fathers from Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" (I haven't seen it but I've heard a lot about it). Obviously, there was a lot more to the US's early history than what the Founding Fathers did. I guess that the movie's worth seeing, even though we're going to interpret it differently than how it got intended.
*Occasional, people will try to talk about what's legal as a form of appeal to authority, but don't forget that the anti-monarchy, pro-democracy pronouncements from Washington, Jefferson, etc, were illegal.
If the short has any upside, it's the focus on democracy.* I guess that nowadays we're used to learning about the Founding Fathers from Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" (I haven't seen it but I've heard a lot about it). Obviously, there was a lot more to the US's early history than what the Founding Fathers did. I guess that the movie's worth seeing, even though we're going to interpret it differently than how it got intended.
*Occasional, people will try to talk about what's legal as a form of appeal to authority, but don't forget that the anti-monarchy, pro-democracy pronouncements from Washington, Jefferson, etc, were illegal.
helpful•25
- lee_eisenberg
- Jun 28, 2018
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Broadway Brevities (1936-1937 season) #12: Give Me Liberty
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime22 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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