History YMMV / Revolution1985

* {{Misblamed}}: Several American film critics made sure their reviews included an IronicEcho of ''Film/ChariotsOfFire'' writer Colin Welland's claim that "the British are coming" while accepting the Oscar for Best Screenwriting for his work on that film, leading to a belief among many that the two films shared the same ProductionPosse of Welland, producer David Puttnam, and director Hugh Hudson. While the two films were both directed by Hudson, neither Welland nor Puttnam were involved with this film.[[note]]In fact, despite a minority of American critics using the film as an excuse to slam the entire UK film industry and dismiss the resurgence of British cinema as little more than a short-lived fad -- something that would admittedly prove correct until late in the following decade -- this film's actual producer (Irwin Winkler) and writer (Robert Dillon) were both ''Americans''.[[/note]]

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/AlPacino and Creator/NastassjaKinski as 18th Century Americans. Enough said.

** British audiences weren't a whole lot keener on the film's concept, as they generally tend to prefer films about conflicts that the UK actually ''won'', hence why there's been so many successful and fondly-remembered British films about UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, but almost none about the War of Independence.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Daisy falls in love with Tom after meeting him twice. Al Pacino mumbles a lot, feels sorry for himself and comes off as a bit pathetic, which makes the whole romance come off as by-the-numbers and unlikely.

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Somewhat rarely for a big-budget historical drama, many of the cast members adopted period-appropriate British and American accents for their characters. In practical terms, it makes much of the dialogue sound like incomprehensible mumbling.

** A British-produced film about the American revolution told from the standpoint of the colonials was an idea that was never really going to be accepted by American audiences, no matter how good the film was. Many major critics at the time even outright said that British film-makers should just stay away from the subject, or at least not bank on making too much money in the States.

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/AlPacino and Nastassja Kinski as 18th Century Americans. Enough said.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Daisy falls in love with tom after meeting him twice. Al Pacino mumbles alot, feels sorry for himself and comes off as a bit pathetic. Which makes the whole romance comes off as by the numbers and unlikely.

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency: Creator/AlPacino and Nastassja Kinski as 18th Century Americans. Enough said.
* WhatTheHellCostumingDepartment: For some reason, someone in the costuming department had the bright idea to stick a huge hairy mole on the side of Creator/DonaldSutherland's face that looks utterly ridiculous.

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency: AlPacino and Nastassja Kinski as 18th Century Americans. Enough said.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: A British-produced film about the American revolution told from the standpoint of the colonials was an idea that was never really going to be accepted by American audiences, no matter how good the film was. Many major critics at the time even outright said that British film-makers should just stay away from the subject, or at least not bank on making too much money in the States.

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency: AlPacino and Nastassja Kinski as 18th Century Americans. Enough said.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Daisy falls in love with tom after meeting him twice. Al Pacino mumbles alot, feels sorry for himself and comes off as a bit pathetic. Which makes the whole romance comes off as by the and unlikely.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Daisy falls in love with tom after meeting him twice. Al Pacino mumbles alot, feels sorry for himself and comes off as bit pathetic. Which makes the whole romance comes off as by the and unlikely.

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency: AlPacino and Nastassja Kinski as 18th Century Americans. Enough said.