PBS Airdate: 2011

THE WAR OF 1812  
(October 10 at 9 p.m.)
A Production of WNED-TV, Buffalo-Toronto, and Florentine Films/Hott Productions in association with WETA, Washington, D.C. The War of 1812 Production site is now finalized and live on pbs.org.

For two-and-a-half-years, the War of 1812 raged, pitting the Americans against the British; Canadians against Americans; whites against Native Americans. The outcome – essentially a stalemate – would define the map of North America and tip the balance of world power. Nearly two centuries after it was fought, the first comprehensive film history of the war to air on public television will explore this significant event from divergent points of view. In The War of 1812, leading historians, battle re-enactors and period buildings and artifacts help bring this defining conflict to life. Beyond the battlefields, the two-hour documentary recounts the dramatic, human stories of the war, including those of ordinary citizens and eminent historical characters (such as the doomed warrior Tecumseh and the flashy yet courageous First Lady Dolley Madison). This two-hour HD documentary for PBS also investigates the nature of history and of human memory, while exploring the lessons of national character imbedded in this historic conflict. (A Production of WNED-TV, Buffalo-Toronto, and Florentine Films/Hott Productions in association with WETA, Washington, D.C.)

Funding provided by: the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Wilson Foundation, Warren Goldring, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Philip Lind, the Annenberg Foundation, the Jackman Foundation and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.