Museum Films

Revolution

Where it plays: Lenfest Myer Theater (first floor)
Run time: 15 minutes
Frequency of showings: Shown throughout the day. The last showing is at 3 p.m. 

Begin your visit with our orientation film, Revolution. This sweeping film explores the origins, experiences, and ongoing legacy of the American Revolution — setting the stage for your exploration of our core exhibition. Available in Chinese (Mandarin) upon request!

Washington's War Tent

Where it plays: Alan B. Miller Theater (second floor)
Run time: 12 minutes
Frequency of showings: This film plays every hour on the hour starting at 11 a.m. Final showing is at 4:40 p.m.

Cap your exploration of the Museum and the story of the American Revolution in the moving and immersive film, Washington's War Tent. Follow the remarkable journey of General George Washington's headquarters tent, the cornerstone of the Museum's collection, from the Revolutionary War to the present.

People of the Standing Stone: The Oneida Nation, The War of Independence and the Making of America 

Where it plays: Lenfest Myer Theater (first floor)
Run time: 25 minutes
Frequency of showings: Shown once a day at 3:30 p.m.

People of the Standing Stone: The Oneida Nation, The War of Independence and the Making of America explores the crucial but little known history of the extraordinary contributions of one Native American people who chose to commit themselves to the Patriot cause when nearly all other tribes fought on the side of the British during America’s War for Independence. Through close analysis of primary sources, engaging scholarly commentary, and the piecing together of archival research, Emmy Award-winning director Ric Burns and Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner weave a moving, unique, cinematic documentary film.

By contextualizing the American Revolution within the larger economic realities of English, French and eventually American land speculation, the film helps to explain how the contemporaneous praise bestowed on the Oneida Nation by George Washington and other founding fathers and the treaties by the US Government with the Oneida Nation were subsequently all but ignored. Consequently, by the early 19th century, the land legally and intentionally granted to the Oneida Nation soon found its way back into the hands of the governmental agencies and/or land hungry European settlers. This eye-opening story is a must-see viewing for anyone interested in meeting previously unknown heroes of the American Revolution so integral to the formation of our nation today. 

Additional In-Gallery Films

Throughout the Museum's core exhibition, visitors will come across short films and multimedia experiences to further illustrate and expand on the galleries' interpretive panels, artifacts, interactive elements, and tableau scenes. Areas where these films are shown have either chairs or benches for guests to sit while viewing, if desired.

• Prologue (about 90 seconds)
  The first experience of the Museum's exhibition introduces guests to the core themes they will experiences throughout the galleries and brings them face-to-face with a mob in New York pulling down a statue of King George III upon hearing the words of the Declaration of Independence for the first time.

• The Price of Victory (about 3.5 minutes)
  This film presents three contrasting views of the political and economic situation in British North America following the British victory in the Seven Years’ War, and evokes a sense of empathy for the people on various sides of the issues.

• Authors of Independence (about 6 minutes)
  This film delves into the intense personal and political maneuvering that defined the Second Continental Congress and resulted in the device that gave birth to the United States of America.

• Oneida (about 7 minutes)
  Along with seven life-cast figures, this film explores dynamics of decision-making as the Oneida people ultimately chose to break with all other tribes of the Six Nation Confederacy and join the United States in its war against Great Britain.

• Battlefield (about 4 minutes)
  This immersive experience plunges visitors onto the battlefield at the Sept. 11, 1777, Battle of Brandywine just outside of Philadelphia to experience the chaos of battle.

• War's Reach: American Ideals Abroad (about 5 minutes)
  This film explores the dynamics of the global conversation about the American Revolution and the role of American ideals and diplomats in gaining the European support so essential to ultimately winning the war.

• Yorktown & Beyond (about 6.5 minutes)
  This film reflection on the dynamics of the American Revolution in the years between the decisive American victory at Yorktown in 1781 and the Peace of Paris in 1783.

• The Contagion of Liberty (about 7.5 minutes)
  The final film in the Museum's core exhibition explores the idea of the Revolution's legacy expanding within American society over time and imparts the idea that everyone who embraces the founding spirit of the nation is heir to the ongoing Revolution.