Midnight Ride

Midnight Ride is a 2001 historical comedy brickfilm by Doug James and Jared Gilbert. It is a humorous retelling of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and is based on the poem "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who also appears in the film. It was an entry to the Historical Fiction Contest on Brickfilms.com and won the award for Best Story, while also being nominated for Best Film. Later, the film also won the General Animation Competition at the LEGO convention BricksWest 2003.

Plot
In 1775, during the American Revolution, Paul Revere and a group of patriots in a Boston bar are deciding on a signal to use to warn colonists in Charlestown should they spot the British invading. They decide to shine one lantern if the British arrive by land, two if by sea, three if by camel and four if by dragon (after an argument over the existence of dragons). Revere leaves and takes a rowboat to Charlestown, bumping into a fleet of British troops on the way with neither party realising who they have encountered. In Boston, a patriot overhears the British captain announcing his plan to attack by sea and heads up a church steeple to send the warning. He lights the two lanterns but accidentally sets his beard and hat on fire, creating four lights. Revere is led to believe that the British have dragons and rushes off on horseback to tell the next towns.

Upon arriving in Medford Town, Revere warns every household that the British are coming, but is largely ignored. He then rides to Lexington but is stopped by John Hancock who demands a password before allowing him entry. Revere insists that they never agreed on a password and that the British are coming, but Hancock and his men believe him to be a traitor and hang him up by his legs from a tree. When the British do arrive, Hancock flees and the British give chase, leaving Revere in the tree. Later, the British soldiers approach a group of American minutemen, who are intimidated and hide. The soldiers march onto Boston while the minutemen fire at them from cover, only managing to knock their hats off.

We then skip ahead to after the American Revolutionary War has been won, with America now a free country. A town crier enters the bar, announcing the arrival of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wishes to write a poem about Paul Revere. Revere cannot be found and it is assumed he would not want a poem written about him, due to being shy. William Dawes then enters and tells Longfellow that he also rode on that night and woke the townspeople, suggesting that the poem be written about him. Longfellow decides that Dawes' name is not as catchy as Revere's and decides to keep the poem about Revere.

Paul Revere remains hanging from the tree, frustratedly calling out for help.

Cast

 * Doug James as Paul Revere, John Hancock, Village Idiots, Hillbilly Minuteman, British Soldier, Town Crier
 * Tjeerd Kamps as Barkeep
 * Stephen Lord as British Captain
 * Ben Brenninkmeyer as Maine Minuteman
 * Jared Gilbert as H.W. Longfellow, William Dawes

Crew

 * Jared Gilbert - Original Concept, Animator
 * Doug James - Writer, Animator