When
The Forest Ran Red
Washington, Braddock & a Doomed
Army
Honors
Reviews
Scholarship is deep, structure is interesting and engaging. Nice mix of reenactments, paintings, sketches and drawings. Good job of presenting a seldom studied part of our past.
MUSE Award Judges
American Association of Museums
2002
...This well presented program carefully examines the horror that unfolded when an Anglo-American army was ambushed by the French and Indians south of Fort Duquesne. American History
April 2002
...The standard by which any effort to chronicle the French & Indian War will be measured.
McKeesport Daily News
October 4, 2002
...Engagingly tells the story of this military disaster, a defeat which did much to precipitate the French and Indian War.
Video Librarian
July-August 2002
...Vivid narration and reenactments tell the story. A highlight is the commentary from expert historians such as Fred Anderson (Crucible of War) and R. David Edmunds.
School Library Journal
April 2002
...Fast moving...an ever-changing pallet...When the Forest Ran Red gets its job done handily.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
September 25, 2001
 When the Forest Ran Red: Washington, Braddock & a Doomed Army and its sequel, George Washington's First War, represent the world's first and best film documentaries about George Washington in the French & Indian War.
When
the Forest Ran Red, available on Special Edition DVD and VHS, tells of the opening
days of the wilderness
war that erupted between three empires for control of the Ohio Country in America. It begins with George Washington's involvement in the murder of a French military officer. It escalates as the French officer's brother leads a revenge attack that defeats Washington at Fort Necessity. The story culminates in the march of British General Braddock
over hundreds of miles of virgin wilderness, and then the Battle of the Monongahela,
a brutal forest encounter in which Braddock's army
is overwhelmed by a bold French-Indian allied force.
George Washington rallies the troops after the battle
and personally tends to the mortally wounded Gen. Braddock. Washington's experience in these years, through these battles, forms the foundation of his military career. Watching Braddock, Washington learns how to be an officer men will respect and revere. From Braddock he also learns how to administer and lead an army on a difficult march. And then, in defeat, Washington learns how to keep an army together under awful conditions -- a skill he will employ again and again in the American Revolution. When the Forest Ran Red has
been syndicated by American Public Television to PBS
affiliates across the United States. It regularly appears in 7 of the top-10 major U.S. television
markets. It has also been broadcast in Canada.
Paladin Communications
conceived, wrote, produced, and directed When the
Forest Ran Red. It was our first feature-length documentary and it was shot on film for a timeless and classic look. It premiered on PBS affiliate
WQED-TV Pittsburgh on September 26, 2001 to a strong
audience share in its prime time slot. It also appeared
as a feature presentation of Pittsburgh's
Three Rivers Film Festival.
 The original 2001 documentary had a run time of 59 minutes. In 2004 it underwent a complete restoration and remastering for DVD that added 9 minutes to the run time for a total of 68, including new action scenes with Bryan C. Cunning (left) as George Washington and important new historical content. This Special Edition includes many special features, such as the Making When the Forest Ran Red featurette, a rare interview with the author of Braddock at the Monongahela (the definitive book about Braddock's Defeat), deleted scenes, and tips for educators to enhance the classroom experience of When the Forest Ran Red. This Special Edition DVD immediately earned a Platinum Aurora Award for Educational DVD upon its release in the spring of 2004.
Featuring an award-winning cast and
crew, the production of When the Forest Ran Red involved
shooting at numerous significant historic locations
and features some of the nation's top scholars. They include:
Fred Anderson, Ph.D., author of the New York Times bestseller Crucible of War
R. David Edmunds, Ph.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Shawnee Prophet
Stephen Brumwell, Ph.D., author of the bestselling Redcoats: The British Soldier and the War in the Americas, 1755-1763 and White Devil (January 2005) Paul Kopperman, Ph.D., author of the classic Braddock at the Monongahela
...and many other important colonial-era historians. But shooting a documentary involves
more than interviews. The Paladin crew followed entire armies
of French & Indian War reenactors on forest tactical
maneuvers and captured the action combat-photography
style over the course of 15 months, covering 4 states. Paladin staged additional action scenes on authentic
battlefields to bring the audience close to the look
and feel of 18th century warfare.
 The
team brought maps of battlefields and entire continents
to life via full-motion 3-D animation. And Paladin secured the services
of outstanding musicians -- the Colonial Williamsburg
Fifes & Drums, the Philadelphia folk
band Broadside Electric, and historical fiddler Chuck Krepley -- to lend atmosphere and authenticity
to the production. Renowned Eastern Frontier artist
Robert Griffing has endorsed the film and permitted
the use of his impressive gallery of work to provide
audiences of all ages a unique Native American point
of view.
Award-winning Hollywood and stage
actor Michael Rothhaar narrates When the Forest
Ran Red. Director of photography was Richard K.
Schutte, a veteran of national PBS broadcast documentaries
as well as work airing on Discovery Networks and A&E.
Tom Wilson, who literally grew up at the site of Braddock's
Defeat, edited the program while also helping to shape
the creative vision and supervising the development
of the musical score.
Recognition for the documentary has come from museum and historical organizations as well as filmmaking competitions.
Portions of When the Forest Ran Red were seen
by thousands at the George Washington: The Man Behind
the Myths exhibition at the Senator John Heinz Regional
History Center in Pittsburgh.
The DVD and home video versions of When the Forest Ran Red Special Edition are available
through Paladin Communications, Amazon.com, Colonial
Williamsburg, the Smithsonian Institution, Mount Vernon, and many National Park Service sites.
Learn about the 2004 Special Edition DVD
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