There is something particular and moving in an unexpected way about the commitment the players have to the moment and the role they take on. Looking into their faces, plumbing their serious expressions for a sense of what they were experiencing was engaging; a bit like watching a historical soap opera in 3-D. There were women dressed up as soldiers marching along with the men, all faces sombre and focussed. A very young man in a line of soldiers blushed when he caught himself momentarily confused between his right and left while wheeling an about-turn at the barked orders of their company leader (a handsome, swaggering man who fussed with this men's uniform and enquired as to their well-being often). The woman standing next to the blushing young man nudged him encouragingly saying, "you did good." 1500 troops were mobilized that December night in 1776, crossing the river in freezing conditions,delivering the surprise to the Hessians. Looking at the women (double-takes in some cases, so like men did they appear) and the young girls and boys flouncing about in their 18th Century duds, I wondered if any females hid their gender and took up sharp sticks to join rebellion and whether there were any children among them.
Washington's men captured 1000 Hessians and much booty in the form of rum casks and provisions, making their return journey even more difficult, since a few of the men sought to lighten the load by consuming some of the rum. It is hard to imagine how they and the unfortunate prisoners withstood the debilitating conditions, which included great chunks of ice moving with the current and threatening their passage at every minute, for such extended periods of time......
Washington edit c-desktop from julie murray on Vimeo.
