HBO made major waves in 2008 with this well-produced, Emmy-nominated miniseries on the life of John Adams during the Revolutionary period and the early years of the republic.

Director Sofia Coppola isn't all that concerned with historical accuracy, but she sure knows how to illustrate extreme decadence. Sure, the ill-fated queen of France has little to do with the specific events that unfolded in the British colonies prior to the American Revolution, but it hints at the climate of resentment and resistance that spread from Europe to the Americas.

Actor Jeff Daniels stars as General George Washington in this made-for-TV dramatization of the Continental Army's perilous journey across the Delaware River and its daring attack on the town of Trenton.

Who or what provided the fire that lit the fuse of revolution? Director Delbert Mann's Emmy-nominated film provides one theory about the events leading up to that "April Morning" in 1775 when the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired.

In an unlikely casting decision, actor Al Pacino (a.k.a Tony Montana, a.k.a. Scarface) plays Tom Dobb, a colonial fur trapper who joins the Continental Army in search of his son. Hugh Hudson's film depicts the chaos of war and the toll it can take on a family.