Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor

Though I myself am I woman, if I were Arnold I would have bitch smacked Peggy for shoving the idea of being a traitor into mind. This A & E special about the question of Honor of Benedict Arnold still makes us ponder that very thought. The acting was so-so, but the dialogue was great. 7 out of 10.

I really like this movie being from saratoga. However, it does have some flaws that are disappointing but are expected with a low budget film.

Like it says, the battle for quebec was fought at night during the winter. Arnolds force fought in the city while montgomery fought outside and got stalled at the gate. Also in the saratoga battle, arnold was riding a horse, not on foot. In addition, I believe major generals at the time had two purple strips on each arm on their uniform in addition to the pink sash seen the movie.

I thought the battle scenes could have been a lot better. First off, the battle of quebec could have been at least placed during the correct season and shown inside the city where it occurred. I would have also liked a few scenes of arnolds forces traveling to quebec. The battle of valcour island also was not great because they didn't show anything about the battle except arnold escaping in a row boat. I would have liked them having at least one large ship that took place in the battle instead of this small row boat. I would have also liked them to at least have a scene showing fort ticonderoga. I also think having him on the horse would have made for a much better scene.

However, I understand that it was a low budget film so these types of flaws are expected. I think the story of benedict arnold is perfect for future movies. Think of it, you have the battle of quebec, valcour island, saratoga, friendship with washington and his treason at west point. You cant have any better true stories then this, with a high budget, this could become an incredible film.

This was a cleanly filmed background story of Benedict Arnold, trapped by conflicting circumstances, and judged harshly by history. The photography was simple, colorful and crisp, although some of the direction gave the characters an overly terse feel. The made for TV movie aspect contributed to its choppiness. Simply told, it helps us to ponder the complexities in early American history.

I learned a lot about one of history's most notorious people and enjoyed the experience. Aidan Quinn as Benedict and Kelsey Grammer as George Washington were great in their roles and the production values (photography, sets, script, direction and so forth) were very good. Many TV movies are more enjoyable to watch than current theatrical movies and this was certainly one of them. Applause should go to A&E for this work.

"Benedict Arnold" is a typical made-for-tv historical melodrama about a small portion of the life of the American Revolutionary War General whose name has become synonymous with "traitor". This A&E production takes a squinty look at the man's life, showing only the most historically significant portions which flank his defection to the British loyalists. The film shows spit and polish costuming where no such luxury was available while portraying Arnold as a man of poetic eloquence when he was more well known to be profane if not drunk or both. Etc. Etc. Melodramatic for entertainment value while taking liberties with history and providing only a piecemeal bio of the man, this film is marginal at best. Better entertainment is easy to find and there's plenty of solid historical info on B.A. right here on the Internet. (C+)