The Patriot

Question: Why was Susan so upset with Benjamin after he left, and why is it she suddenly breaks down, cries, and pleads for him not to go away before he leaves again?

Question: At the end of the movie, Martin stabs Tavington in the stomach, and then in the throat. How does he know Tavington is really dead this time? Earlier in the film, Tavington pretended to be dead twice after Martin's sons shot him.

Answer: Guns were less powerful during Revolutionary times and the wounds were more survivable. Deep and ripping knife stabs to areas like the abdomen and the neck area are more likely to be fatal. Tavington may not die instantly, but he would probably bleed out and/or bleed internally fairly quickly.

raywest

Would being stabbed in the stomach, and in the throat have been enough to kill a person as tough as Tavington?

Absolutely. A deep stab to the stomach/intestinal area would be very deadly even today. Being stabbed directly in the throat would kill someone very fast due to a lack of air and inhaling blood into the lungs.

LorgSkyegon

Question: Who was the baby in Charlotte's arms in the closing scene? Why was the baby not alluded to previously?

Answer: At the end of the film, it is implied that Charlotte and Benjamin Martin have married and had a child together. It wasn't alluded to earlier because it is meant to show that a person's life can start over, even after tragedy and loss.

raywest

Answer: Additionally, in the film Charlotte says to Benjamin "I am not my sister," alluding that they were different people as Benjamin gets closer to her. As colonials were religious given the time, in the Bible in Leviticus 18:18 it says "do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living." Since his wife was dead, this no longer applied and they believed in starting over, as the above post states.

Question: Whats the name of the theme when the trailer shows the tagline 'before they were soldiers, they were family'?

Answer: I think the one you want is 'Unseen' - By Craig Armstrong which is track 2 on the Plunkett and Macleane soundtrack.

Question: Why isn't Tavington ever arrested for the war crimes he commits? Cornwallis, as well as the rest of the British, obviously don't want him to do what he does.

Answer: Sure they do; they just make a token show of disapproval for his "ungentlemanly" (or "brutal") strategies, but then turn a blind eye because he gets results. Tavington explicitly states this, and Cornwallis sheepishly acknowledges it, then allows Tavington do whatever it takes to end Martin's rebellious activities. Tavington, knowing this, strongarms Cornwallis into sanitising his actions (like burning the church) in the official record so that Tavington can return to England after the war with honour (and fortune and property). As in all armed conflicts, "rules" exist but are routinely broken at all levels if that's what it takes to win.

Question: Tavington says he can never go back to England. Why?

Answer: Because he would be viewed as a dishonorable, brutal, un-British man for the extremely immoral things he is about to do (e.g., burn a church filled with women and children), and would be shunned by society. He's willing to do this in exchange for a manor and land in America when (as he believes will happen) the British win the war.

Question: Kind of a weird and random question, but is there any significance to when Colonel Tavington takes off his helmet in the church?

Answer: It's unknown, but even though he enters the church on horseback to intimidate the people inside, he may believe it's respecting God. It may also be something that a military officer automatically does when indoors. Also, men usually remove their hats once inside a building, mostly as a curtesy. A hat is protection for the outdoors, so once inside, no real reason to keep it on. He may be more comfortable talking without the chin strap, or he wants to be seen by the people he is threatening. It could be any number of reasons.

raywest

I've done a bit of research about the "not wearing a hat/helmet indoors" rule, since I've been curious about it before. People actually can't agree on single original meaning of this. One popular belief is that keeping your hat on makes it seem like you don't want to stay there long. It's polite to act like you are in no hurry and would love to stay a while. Or, keeping a hat on might create a feeling of distance, as if you want to be emotionally/mentally separated from the others.

Question: Does anybody know the name of the theme that was playing at the last part of the trailer?

Answer: That is Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story composed by Randy Edelman.

hannisen

Question: Benjamin and Gabriel both agree that moving Charlotte and the children to the Gullah encampment would be a safe place to hide. How is living out in the open by the ocean a safe place to hide?

Answer: It's the idea of hiding in plain sight, somewhere your enemy is unlikely to look. Tavington and Cornwallis are both upper class Brits and would not likely think of a village of slaves/ex-slaves as somewhere a gentleman would go. Nor would they likely know of any connection they would have there.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: A colonial named James Wilkins who was loyal to the American Colonies defected to join the British Army. When Benjamin Martin's guerrilla campaign against the British starts to have a disastrous effect on their supply lines, Colonel Tavington goes to speak to Captain Wilkins and asks about Martin. He says "where would he hid his family?" Wilkins responds with "his wife's sister owns a plantation." While it is not mentioned, Martin was probably tipped off that Tavington was looking for his family. Also, it could be that given the success of the guerrilla campaign against the British, he knew his family would be in danger and went to move them to a safer location as seen later in the film.

Question: When the men are at the statehouse, what are they arguing about?

Answer: They are debating whether or not to pass a levy (tax) to fund an army the American Revolution.

LorgSkyegon

Factual error: In one scene Lord Cornwallis' adjutant announces to Lord Cornwallis that a messenger (Benjamin Martin) has arrived. After initially dismissing the message, Lord C. pays attention on the mention of two "Great Danes" in Martin's company. The Great Dane as we know it today had many names over the centuries, but the Danish connection only became common use in the 19th century (Comte de Buffon - l'Histoire Naturelle - 1811). Until then the British would have called them Mastiffs (English or German), English Dogges, or perhaps even Boarhounds. Actually - the English Kennel Club of Britain didn't officially recognize the term/breed "Great Dane" until 1884.

More mistakes in The Patriot

Benjamin Martin: Before this war is over, I'm going to kill you.
Colonel William Tavington: Why wait?

More quotes from The Patriot

Trivia: The character Benjamin Martin was based very strongly on the real life militia leader Gen. Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox". In the original drafts of the script even the character's name was to be Francis Marion. However, during filming certain historical sources revealed that Francis Marion was perhaps a very dubious character who was accused of hunting Native Americans for sport and raping his female slaves. Historical debate rages over the veracity of these accusations; but Sony Pictures changed the name of the character to Benjamin Martin to avoid any potential controversy around the film.

More trivia for The Patriot

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