MartinHafer 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.

jonez68 I watched this documentary precisely because of the negative reviews written by the ignorant Canadians on this site. When I read their commentaries, I knew that this documentary would be a valid, compelling, and above all, factual account of the War of 1812. Why? Have you ever heard the idiom, "The truth hurts?" I'd surmise that for the Canadians that watched this documentary, it was the very first time that they came in contact with the facts relating to the War of 1812.Canadian mythos and historical fact are diametrically opposed to one another. During a Canadian child's formative years, he or she mustn't learn that Canada is a feckless, irrelevant, parasitic, kvetching, British colony. To learn this truth would cause unrest in the minds of Canadian society. Who would want to learn that the land they live in is a gross underachiever and a cowardly fence sitter? Nobody would. So the social engineers within Canada have constructed an alternative history that is disseminated to the masses. Agitprops, like the CBC and other media and entertainment outlets, must conform to Canadian content (CanCon) laws. These laws facilitate and encourage purposefully deceitful content to reach the minds of Canadians.What is this alternative history? In a nutshell, anything that would suppress the troublesome truths about Canada. Counterfactual history and historical revisionism related to the War of 1812 is just one of many topics that gets CanCon treatment.The War of 1812 occurred nearly 60 years BEFORE Canada was confederated. Canada was not a belligerent nation during the conflict. The nations that warred with one another were the United States of America and Great Britain. The local populace living in what is now known as Canada were British subjects. Any Canadian militia that fought during the War of 1812 had done so under the Union Jack flag and under British leadership.But what about these local "Canadians?" What was their contribution during the war? Simply put, they had surrendered to the Americans in 1813 during the Battle of York. York had been the capital of the province known as Upper Canada. During that battle, American soldiers had ransacked and burned down Parliament and the Governor's house. Private homes had also been pillaged. After the town razing, the Canadian, colonial government surrendered to the Americans. Canadian militia had surrendered to the Americans, practically without firing a defensive shot. For more information on Canada's specious militia history, google "the Militia Myth." In order to create and bolster Canadian self-esteem, Canadians are taught that Canada did not suffer abysmally during the war, as history informs us. They are even taught to, absurdly, take credit for British victories during the conflict.The United States of America met all of their stated goals during the War of 1812. Great Britain stopped impressing Americans into the British Navy, Great Britain agreed to stop the trade restrictions they had tried to place on America and Great Britain stopped its support of American Indians. For these reasons, the War of 1812 was fought and won by the Americans.This documentary accurately describes this monumental American achievement with clarity. I highly recommend that you watch it. If you're a typical Canadian suffering from Canada's main malady (inferiority complexity), you may squirm in your seat as you watch this documentary. You'll likely get upset at hearing the truth and decide to write a negative review on IMDb. It's the only therapy you'll have because at the end of the day, you still live in a feckless, irrelevant, parasitic, kvetching, British colony.

gideonlp I enjoyed this docudrama. I am now 80 and went to universities for my degrees back in the 1940/50 era. At that time we had more class coverage in history of the early days of the US. I do remember the War of 1812 being covered, but not as much as given in this presentation. Now as I read the comments of the Canadian, it is apparent that his emotions are getting the best of his judgment and feelings for understanding the realities. Of note is the attrition of the forces in the line charging and slaughter of the front rows as they advance. Modern armies would never do that sort of charging, at least not since the British tried charging the German lines that way, almost, in the Great War (known today as World War I). Historical events are now past, emotions for the most part are healed. Taking sides to belittle any part in the events past is ridiculous and will never change what happened.

jcp-9 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?