The Spirit of '76

During the American Revolution, part-Native American Indian royalist Adda Gleason (as Catherine Montour) conspires with enemy forces (considering the war's outcome) to become the first "Queen of America". She gets a jumps start by being a favorite mistress of Great Britain's King George III (Jack Cosgrove). During the war, Ms. Gleason falls in love with sympathetic Howard Gaye (as Lionel Esmond), who unknowingly holds a shocking secret - he's not only the would-be Queen's lover, but also her brother!

That wasn't what got producer Robert Goldstein's "The Spirit of '76" in trouble; rather, it was the film's depiction of British atrocities, including rape and baby-killing, during the American Revolution. Moreover, Mr. Goldstein was a German; at the time, the US and the UK were aligned to fight against the Germans in the Great War (World War II). Goldstein was sent to prison for film-making, unfortunately; and, no prints of his infamous film are known to have survived the ages.

The best way to experience the spirit of the film is through the pages and pictures in Anthony Slide's book "Robert Goldstein and The Spirit of '76" (Scarecrow Press, 1993). The book has to be more interesting than the film, which could be described as a D.W. Griffith-inspired flicker, with some well-staged scenes.

***** The Spirit of '76 (11/28/17) Robert Goldstein ~ Adda Gleason, Howard Gaye, Jack Cosgrove