“We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it,” said William Faulkner
Independence Day is the annual celebration of our nation’s unique legacy and its paramount principal of freedom. While many are firmly resolute in unquestioning loyalty to our country, others feel that we, as a nation, have fallen short of our original ideals and promises.
Wherever you find yourself on the political spectrum, the following films examine these ever-relevant topics, offering one facet to the complex rare gem that is the U.S. of A. The themes considered on this Independence Day are immigration, the wars we have fought in the name of freedom, and the American experience.
The documentary, The Statue of Liberty (1985), uses the history of the Statue of Liberty to recount and explore our country’s extraordinary relationship with liberty. We are also reminded in the film that something as precious as liberty cannot be taken for granted.
In the words of President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower, “Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed—else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”
We must be vigilant in our commitment to liberty, if we are ever to truly embody the ideals of the benevolent values of our country’s founding.
Golden Door takes the unique perspective of the immigrant experience prior to stepping foot in America. With beautiful images, memorable characters, and eloquent detail, the film specifically focuses on the arduous boat ride here from Europe and then the processing through Ellis Island.
The beloved Charlie Chaplin with humor and poignancy gives his version of immigration at the turn of the century, in the 1917 silent film The Immigrant. The little tramp, as we would expect, runs into a myriad of mishaps and misfortunes on his way to obtaining the American Dream.
Director of In America (2003), Jim Sheridan, was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1949, and moved to America in 1982. His movie, nominated for three Academy Awards, is the tender story of a modern-day Irish family who make their way illegally into New York where the father hopes to pursue an acting career. There they are met with unexpected tribulations and unexpected gifts from a reclusive neighbor.
Thomas Paine once said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” Perhaps Paine could foresee that sometimes we would need a good inspirational movie to revive the fatigued soul, motivating and encouraging it to carry on with the vital and fundamental work of “with liberty and justice for all.”
Additional patriotic themed films:
Avalon (1990)
Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
An American Tale (1986)
Coming to America (1988)
Birth of a Nation (1973)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
1776 (1972)
The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
The Stars and Stripes Forever (1952)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
The Visitor (2008)
Election Day (2007)
The Patriot (2000)
Independence Day (1996)
Independence Day is the annual celebration of our nation’s unique legacy and its paramount principal of freedom. While many are firmly resolute in unquestioning loyalty to our country, others feel that we, as a nation, have fallen short of our original ideals and promises.
Wherever you find yourself on the political spectrum, the following films examine these ever-relevant topics, offering one facet to the complex rare gem that is the U.S. of A. The themes considered on this Independence Day are immigration, the wars we have fought in the name of freedom, and the American experience.
The documentary, The Statue of Liberty (1985), uses the history of the Statue of Liberty to recount and explore our country’s extraordinary relationship with liberty. We are also reminded in the film that something as precious as liberty cannot be taken for granted.
In the words of President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower, “Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed—else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”
We must be vigilant in our commitment to liberty, if we are ever to truly embody the ideals of the benevolent values of our country’s founding.
Golden Door takes the unique perspective of the immigrant experience prior to stepping foot in America. With beautiful images, memorable characters, and eloquent detail, the film specifically focuses on the arduous boat ride here from Europe and then the processing through Ellis Island.
The beloved Charlie Chaplin with humor and poignancy gives his version of immigration at the turn of the century, in the 1917 silent film The Immigrant. The little tramp, as we would expect, runs into a myriad of mishaps and misfortunes on his way to obtaining the American Dream.
Director of In America (2003), Jim Sheridan, was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1949, and moved to America in 1982. His movie, nominated for three Academy Awards, is the tender story of a modern-day Irish family who make their way illegally into New York where the father hopes to pursue an acting career. There they are met with unexpected tribulations and unexpected gifts from a reclusive neighbor.
Thomas Paine once said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” Perhaps Paine could foresee that sometimes we would need a good inspirational movie to revive the fatigued soul, motivating and encouraging it to carry on with the vital and fundamental work of “with liberty and justice for all.”
Additional patriotic themed films:
Avalon (1990)
Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
An American Tale (1986)
Coming to America (1988)
Birth of a Nation (1973)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
1776 (1972)
The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
The Stars and Stripes Forever (1952)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
The Visitor (2008)
Election Day (2007)
The Patriot (2000)
Independence Day (1996)
