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[1986; U.S.; Written and directed by Alan Alda]

Michael Caine (left) as Elliott James, in costume for his role as Tarleton in Sweet Liberty's movie-within-a-movie.

I found the best-to-date on-screen representation of Banastre Tarleton in the oddest place imaginable: Sweet Liberty, a quirky comedy about the filming of an historically inaccurate Revolutionary War movie. Let me add quickly that I'm not talking about either the version of Ban who appears in that movie-within-a-movie, nor the version of him which author Michael Burgess (Alan Alda) would like to appear in it. I'm talking about Elliott James (Michael Caine), the actor hired to play Tarleton. Elliott, an irresponsible darling who cavorts through life like a loveable and infuriating express train, is thoroughly Banastre-like.

Somehow, I managed to miss this film entirely when it came out, and only heard of it after the release of The Patriot. Various people have commented that Sweet Liberty could have served as a template for the filming of that higher-budget epic, and now that I've seen the film, I heartily agree!

Michael Burgess, a historian and professor at the University of Sayeville, is the author of a book entitled Sweet Liberty which is being turned into a film. Within hours of the arrival of the Hollywood film crew in Sayeville, Burgess realizes that the movie script has essentially nothing in common with his original work. Stanley Gould (Bob Hoskins), the scriptwriter, unintentionally sums up the problem in an early scene, while he's trying to convince Burgess that he has kept the essence of Burgess's book in his script:

Stanley: "That great line of Washington's... Of course I had to give that to the girl."

Burgess's reaction to what has been done to his work is a heartfelt, "The American Revolution was not a goddamned vaudeville show!" but in this film, it definitely is. Bo Hodges (Saul Rubinek), director of the movie-within-a-movie, intends to make a youth-oriented film. He tells Burgess that to please a youthful audience, a movie must follow three rules: 1) defy authority, 2) blow things up, and 3) take people's clothes off. Historical accuracy is an optional extra, because the audience just doesn't care.

We catch glimpses of Bo's Hollywood extravaganza within the framing story of Burgess's attempts to cajole, sneak or battering-ram some history back into its script. The movie takes place during the Carolinas campaign, and features a love story between Colonel Tarleton (no first name specified) and Mary Slocumb, the wife of a planter who is away fighting with the rebels. To play Tarleton, Bo has hired Elliott James (Michael Caine), a popular matinee idol who is reckless, likeable and a full-time womanizer. Michelle Pfeiffer is Faith Healy, the actress hired to play Mary.

Within the body of the film, two versions of Banastre Tarleton are represented -- Bo's and Burgess's -- and they are equally inaccurate. The "onscreen" incarnation seems to spent most of the movie pursuing Mary Slocumb like a love-struck teenager, but Burgess's "historical" vision is drawn purely from the "Bloody Ban" legends. "Tarleton was a vicious, ruthless beast. Why would she fall in love with him?" he demands of Bo, whose response is, "If she doesn't fall in love with him, people will set fire to the ushers." [This, of course, is a response to Ban which some of us can well understand -- though not for the reasons given in Sweet Liberty.]

But, as I say, Banastre's spirit is alive and well in the film, he's just answering to the name of Elliott James. Over the course of his summer stay in Sayeville, the ebullient Elliott steals the governor's helicopter for a joyride, practices fencing with live steel (and is every bit as good at it as he egotistically claims), chases women galore (and even catches a few), insists on doing his own stunts (including a head-first unscheduled dismount of which Jason Isaacs would be proud), and merrily exchanges seats with Burgess on a moving roller coaster in order to share a moment with his girlfriend without his wife finding out. If that isn't in the spirit of Ban, what is?

Oddly enough, the film gives evidence that someone actually did some historical research, even if they used it to stage a spoof. I vehemently disagree with their conclusions on Banastre -- I'm assuming they would claim Burgess's version is historically accurate -- but I appreciate a variety of little touches which amount to in-jokes. For his final interlude with Mary Slocumb, for instance, Tarleton shows up with a bloody bandage around his right hand. It serves no purpose in the script, it's just there for those of us who care to notice it. Even his first meeting with Mary Slocumb, as rewritten on the sly by Burgess, is taken essentially word-for-word from a Revolutionary War legend.

And then, of course, there is one of my favorite exchanges:

Elliott: "Tarleton would never force himself on a woman."
Burgess: "He would never force himself on a woman? He bragged about it. He said he ravished more women than any man in America."
Elliott: "Oh, I very much doubt it. Not our Tarleton. Why don't you have another go at it?"

Way to go, Elliott! [For the story behind this so-often-misquoted line, check out our Banecdotes page.]

Overall, Sweet Liberty is quite uneven. I don't think the story thread of Burgess's neurotic relationship with his fellow-professor/girlfriend worked very well, though it does have its moments. But whenever the film focuses on the making of Bo's movie, it truly shines. [Aside: You know, talking about a movie about the making of a movie gets linguistically complicated.] Echoes of The Patriot's view of history are everywhere -- from the annoyance of the local re-enactors group when they are asked to stage a slapstick version of the Battle of Cowpens to the inaccuracy of the costumes:

Burgess: [on first seeing Elliott in his Tarleton costume] "Why is he wearing a red coat?"
Stanley: "Because he's British."

And that sort of says it all. If you gritted your teeth at The Patriot's view of history, if you're a Michael Caine fan, or if you just enjoy seeing Hollywood make fun of itself, rent this movie!