The plot actually doesn’t start until The British Drummer that is on compulsioned duty in America. Whilst filling his canteen he drop’s it into a near by stream where he chases it down the stream, by then hell has broken lose and two English soldiers have come after him now known as “The Deserter,” and accidentally protects himself at the cost of another’s life in his squad-rant. After retrieving his canteen he heads back towards the English Camp only to lose his way in the woods and straight into the hands of the American revolutionists. Rating: 6 out of 10 - Nicolai Ny-Kay from Reviewstream.com
Did you tour the area and script it or improvise as you went along? Mel Gibson's Patriot has the Revolutionary War covered. The dedication to your grandmother was very moving. I hope I am making half as good an impression on my grandchildren. - Al Locascio, actor, wrtier and producer - Connecticut, USA
One afternoon three of our grandchildren were here so we sat them down and they watched your film. Their ages are almost 15, 13 and 9. An age of good critics. I watched their faces as they watched. They giggled and laughed at all the right places and obviously, enjoyed. During the battle scenes and marching they got bored and lost interest. When you came back in the picture, they perked up and were interested again. When the film was over they all said it was good but long. No prompting from me. Out of the mouths of babes!
I personally enjoyed, "The Tree Surgeon," the most. I thought the black and white film perfect. The segment of you cut-ting the log with the two man saw, very funny. I enjoyed some of the woods scenes and wondered where it was filmed. Your scenes walking down the path - very good! Keep up your work. You are very talented and shall go a long way. Bettye J. Street - Centennial, Colorado, USA May 12, 2006
The production values are solid and the music fits (even if the transitions are shaky) and the film looks like it cost a lot more than you presumably spent on it. Obviously having access to Revolutionary War re-enactors was a big plus. (You should be aware, however, that films about the American Revolution rarely succeed with audiences. For some reason we'll go to movies about the Civil War or World War II or Vietnam, but not our own Revolution.)
It is also very inventive. Some of the comic bits were quite good. I particularly like the writing of the will on the drum head. Showing up at the camp and not realizing he had gone over to the other side also worked well. You have a good sense of how to develop a gag and let it play out.
The downside consisted of two problems, both of which are correctable should you choose to play with this some more, and certainly if you ever decide to make another film. The big problem is those production values. You have so much great footage that you seemed unwilling to lose any of it. There is much that needs to be cut. There are long sequences of soldiers marching that might fit if this was a war drama, but turns into dead time in a comedy.
And that gets to the second problem. You start right in with the character in the middle of the war situation, but your audience knows nothing about who he is or what he's like.Take a look at Keaton's "The General" and watch how we know a lot about his character before we get to the train chase. Keaton is especially good at this in other films as well. In "The Navigator" we learn much about the boy and the girl before they begin their adventure on the deserted liner. We need to have something invested in your hero before he starts his misadventures or else he's just some anonymous sad sack.
The film exhibits obvious talent. The camerawork is sure, however, the editing needs work but is in the ballpark. The physical gags are funny. For a film done on the fly in Massachusetts, it's pretty amazing. I hope you take my suggestions in the spirit in which they're offered.
Good luck with it. Let me know if you tackle any future projects. Daniel M. Kimmel - Massachusetts, August 3, 2005
Lots of clever camera angles and close-ups. A great "silent" movie, even to the use of the circle "mask" in a few scenes. A very creative movie.
[The] footage from the Daniel Boone Homestead... was a huge and far ranging battle. I hope Borgman keeps up his creative acting and "story book" scripting. It's a lot of work, but his results were super.
Jack Armstrong - Harleysville, Pennsylvania, USA
As far as The Deserter goes, I think it was done well and you should be congratulated for completing it as it seemed to be a labor of love.
I'm a new filmmaker so your work has inspired me to proceed with the making of a short silent film in the next year or so. I loved the music and the simplicity of it all and hope you continue to develop your film ideas. - Jody Myers - Nova Scotia, Canada
I have newfound respect for Borgman as a physical and facial comic actor. The bits with the drumsticks killed me--and it was mostly that starting pose, with the sticks up by his temples. I don't know why, but that NEVER got old. All the physical stuff worked. (And dare I say, bravo to Borgman for hanging by one foot off a cliff....)
The downsides for me were two-fold. First, the "battle" scenes are too long by several minutes. When the first one started, I thought it was supposed to be that his regiment was leaving him behind; it took a while before I realized that it was two armies going to war. Later, the scenes simply ran too long--I found myself really wanting to get back to the Deserter. I grew tired of watching fat re-enactors milling about and started picking out little things like the guy wearing sunglasses...
My other nit-pick is that I lost track of what was going on in the third reel. I was never sure when the Deserter was with his captors and when he wasn't. The cuts got jumpier than they had been in the first two reels, and I actually got a bit disoriented.
For the most part, though, Borgman has my admiration and congratulations. It's an engaging little film, VERY reminiscent of good old silents, with plenty of comedic nuances to reward sharp-eyed viewers. It generates honest laughter, and I think he did a remarkable job of bringing the character to life.
I genuinely look forward to his next one. Award Winning Playwright John Shanahan - Massachusetts, USA
Although as much as I thoroughly enjoyed watching the battle sequences, being a reenactor myself, the longest segment in the middle I thought was just a bit long. Perhaps a few more cut scenes to the "deserter" during the main battle sequence would have helped the flow of the film.
Bravo for the way Borgman handled the physical comedy like a master. The Laurel and Hardy influences are hard to ignore - and placing them in this context was perfect! At times I thought I was watching Stan Laurel! Ironically, Borgman blended two of my favorite historical eras, the 18th century and the early 20th century. - Dave Eaton - New York, USA
Bill - Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA