“The Real British Redcoats — As They Truly Looked” | YouTube
“The men in scarlet who marched across the world, serving an empire where the sun never set — now colorised and brought to life.” – History in Motion
The Anglophilic Anglican being… well… Anglophilic. 🙂 I am not, generally speaking, a huge fan of AI: I think it is well on the way to become ubiquitous, without nearly enough forethought as to the implications; but for certain applications, it definitely has a use – and a number of these are quite interesting and entertaining! From the “History in Motion” channel, on YouTube.
The full description, from YouTube:
“The men in scarlet who marched across the world, serving an empire where the sun never set — now colourised and brought to life. A selection of photographs of British soldiers, colourised through meticulous research and animated with AI. These men — from Kent, Lancashire, Scotland, and Wales — wore red and served across the empire, from the Crimea to New Zealand, between 1843 and 1896. From officers to ordinary ranks, these redcoats stood on distant frontiers of the Victorian world, fighting in the Crimean War, the New Zealand Wars, and other campaigns of the 19th century. Through colourisation and animation, their faces return to life — offering a rare glimpse into the soldiers of the British Empire.”
Much as I enjoyed the video, what really grabbed me was the music. "I Vow To Thee My Country" is such a soul-stirring piece. It captures the majesty of our people - the European people. Each time I hear that, I think it such a pity that it is not the national anthem. Perhaps it will be one day. Be well, my friend.
Few things were more fearsome than a British bayonet charge. The discipline and synchronization of these troops were unmatched. The best thing an enemy could do was fight it out or avoid it altogether. Running was suicide. Washington learned this lesson and later avoided confrontations that favored the tactic. I think Kubrick did a tolerable job showing a British attack in Barry Lyndon.