Give Me Liberty

Give Me Liberty

19/12/1936 0h 22m 6.3/10

Overview

Patrick Henry's rousing speech before the Virginia legislature argues for colonial independence.

Director

B. Reeves Eason

Top Billed Cast

John Litel

John Litel

Patrick Henry

Robert Warwick

Robert Warwick

George Washington

Boyd Irwin

Boyd Irwin

British Commissioner

George Irving

George Irving

Thomas Jefferson

Carlyle Moore Jr.

Carlyle Moore Jr.

Capt. Milton

Nedda Harrigan

Nedda Harrigan

Doxie Henry

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6/28/2025

5/10

Despite an half-decent effort from John Litel as he takes to a church in Virginia as Patrick Henry to espouse liberty from British colonial rule, the rest of this is all a rather lacklustre and overly theatrical costume drama with some serious over-acting. The presence of neatly suited and booted characters like “Moses” isn’t deemed relevant as these privileged white folks pontificate about liberty and freedom whilst just about every manual function in their lives is carried out by slaves. It’s that hypocrisy that becomes a little harder to stomach as this sets about illustrating, albeit inadvertently, that for the vast majority of women and for just about everyone of colour in Virginia, and elsewhere, all this would result in is a change from wigged and proud gents in London to equally wigged and proud gents closer to home. Had they just stuck to allowing Litel to deliver a complete version of Henry’s rousing and impassioned speech as if it were a monologue, then it might have worked. They didn’t, and what we have here is a borderline and nauseatingly simplistic critique on the glories of the as yet unformed USA versus the supposed and exaggerated tyrannies of the Old World. I found this to be annoying, sorry!

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