Movie Review: Courage, New Hampshire

It is a truth universally acknowledged that there aren't nearly enough series set in the 18th century.  Well, maybe it isn't universally acknowledged, but it is certainly acknowledged by me!  That is why I was pretty excited when I received a kind email from a producer from the Colony Bay Productions asking if I wanted to check out an independent historical film that they had made, Courage, New Hampshire.

Courage, New Hampshire is the chronicle of a small colonial town in the years leading up to the revolution beginning with the first episode, The Travail of Sarah Pine.  As with most small towns, everyone knows each other, a secret is seldom a secret, and dashing redcoats moving through the town will certainly cause a stir.  When one of those dashing redcoats finds himself in Courage he is greeted with an accusation of fathering a child out of wedlock.

The production company's goal in making Courage, New Hampshire was to create a historically accurate series that could engage its audience and give viewers a renewed interest in this great time in history.  Uhoh, that's almost like an open invite for historians to nit-pick at it!  I did find though, for the most part, the movie was very accurate despite some strange wording every once in a while.  The story was not a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat sort of tale, but it was enough to make me curious about the next part of the series (not to mention blog production stills add to the curiosity!).  What I really enjoyed the most about Courage, New Hampshire was the gorgeous filming.  There were so many beautiful shots of notoriously beautiful New England and the sets and lighting also gave a lovely sense of the time period.  The production was also very impressive given the independent nature of the company: high quality sets, costuming, music, and editing.  However, you won't find me swooning over the acting which wasn't as impressive as I hoped.  Still, I am curious as to where this series will take us as it continues.

So how does one check out this series?  You can order the episode here or you have the very cool option of renting it from their site for $2.95.