Tony Tye, Post-Gazette photos A camera on a boom focuses on Bryan Cunning, left foreground, playing George Washington as Robert Matzen (not in photo) directs his movie, "Gentleman Warrior: George Washington" about the defeat of Gen. Edward Braddock, the third documentary in a trilogy produced by Paladin Communications.

By Len Barcousky
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette As Colonial troops dropped back, under fire from an enemy they could not see, a young militiaman stationed at the end of their wavering line slumped to the ground.

A few yards behind them, British regulars, all wearing bright red coats, struggled to stay in ranks as more and more soldiers fell.

The bark of their muskets mixed with the screams of injured men and the war cries of their half-hidden attackers, Native American warriors allied with the French.

Director of photography Rich Schutte, far left, films a scene with Native Americans including James Blake, foreground, for "Gentleman Warrior: George Washington," for which some of the final scenes were shot over the weekend in Raccoon Creek State Park. Writer-director Robert Matzen plans to enter the movie in the next Sundance Festival. Click photo for larger image. Related Stories: George Washington documentary is a pleasure to watch (05/23/03) Army of re-enactors for George Washington movie travels on its stomach (05/18/03)

Other wounded redcoats slumped against trees, while the much-too-realistic remains of a soldier, dead of a gaping head injury, lay in a narrow path.

"Hard day for the British," Rich Schutte said, taking in the scene of make-believe carnage from a TV monitor mounted on the back end of the camera crane.

The Cranberry resident is director of photography for "Gentleman Warrior: George Washington," the final documentary in a trilogy produced by Pittsburgh-based Paladin Communications.

Filming began more than a year ago, and some of the last scenes -- and the most ambitious -- were shot this weekend in Beaver County's Raccoon Creek State Park. Four digital cameras, including the one mounted on the crane, were used to capture the action during multiple takes.

Between 50 and 60 re-enactors ignored threatening skies to recreate portions of Braddock's Defeat, the first major battle of the French and Indian War.

"The graphic intensity of 'Saving Private Ryan' -- that's what I'm going for," writer-director Robert Matzen said as filming wrapped up Saturday morning.

"We hope to show something that has never been seen before," he explained in an earlier interview. " ... Braddock's Defeat, not as an engraving, but as a horrible, bloody battle in a horrific war."

The British disaster, also known as the Battle of the Monongahela, occurred July 9, 1755, just east of Pittsburgh in what is now Braddock.

George Washington, age 23, was in the thick of the fight as one of the British general's aides. While his clothing was pierced by bullets and two horses were shot out from under him, he was unscathed.

At least one of Washington's Indian attackers later claimed to have taken multiple shots at him.

"What was that experience like to live through, and how it would shape a person's outlook later in life?" Mr. Matzen said those were among the questions raised by "Gentleman Warrior." His wife, Mary, is producer.

"There was no reason why George Washington should have been alive after facing that ferocious gunfire," said Bryan Cunning. The red-haired, six-footer from -- where else? -- Washington, Pa., has played the young Virginian in all three of Mr. Matzen's films about Washington and the French and Indian War.

"Washington came away from the battle believing he had a charmed life ... that he had a destiny to fulfill," Mr. Cunning said.

British grenadiers prepare to shoot during yesterday's filming. On horseback directly behind them is Bryan Cunning playing George Washington. Click photo for larger image.

While Washington's experiences during Braddock's Defeat provide the opening scenes of "Gentleman Warrior," the documentary will look at other aspects of his life. Other scenes will deal with his marriage to Martha, the early death of his stepdaughter, Patsy, his political career in the Virginia House of Burgesses and his involvement in the growing Revolutionary movement.

While Mr. Matzen based his script primarily on Washington's own voluminous writings, he also consulted with a panel of historians. They include French and Indian War expert Fred Anderson, Washington biographer Peter Henriques and Patricia Brady, author of "Martha Washington: An American Life."

The budget for "Gentleman Warrior" is about $250,000. "Once again, Mary and I have sunk everything into his project," Mr. Matzen said. "But we like to say that we can leverage one dollar into six dollars of production."

The Matzens plan to enter the work in the Sundance Film Festival, an annual independent film festival started by actor Robert Redford in 1981, in part, to highlight small-budget films.

To enter the next festival, the documentary must be completed by Aug. 31. DVD versions of the film should be available this fall.

Paladin Communication's first two films, "When the Forest Ran Red," and "George Washington's First War," were both what Mr. Matzen characterized as G-rated documentaries. He admitted he was concerned about how children might react to the graphic violence during the Braddock's Defeat scenes.

"The opening sequence may be troublesome," he said. "We may have to do a special cut for schools."