| Based on David McCullough's bestselling biography, the HBO miniseries John Adams is the furthest thing from a starry-eyed look at America's founding fathers and the brutal path to independence. Adams (Paul Giamatti), second president of the United States, is portrayed as a skilled orator and principled attorney whose preference for justice over anti-English passions earns enemies. But he also gains the esteem of the first national government of the United States, i.e., the Continental Congress, which seeks non-firebrands capable of making a reasoned if powerful case for America's break from England's monarchy. The first thing one notices about John Adams' dramatizations of congress' proceedings, and the fervent pro-independence violence in the streets of Boston and elsewhere, is that America's roots don't look pretty or idealized here. Some horrendous things happen in the name of protest, driving Adams to push the cause of independence in a legitimate effort to get on with a revolutionary war under the command of George Washington. But the process isn't easy: not every one of the 13 colonies-turned-states is ready to incur the wrath of England, and behind-the-scenes negotiations prove as much a part of 18th century congressional sessions as they do today. Besides this peek into a less-romanticized version of the past, John Adams is also a story of the man himself. Adams' frustration at being forgotten or overlooked at critical junctures of America's early development--sent abroad for years instead of helping to draft the U.S. constitution--is detailed. So is his dismay that the truth of what actually transpired leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence has been slowly forgotten and replaced by a rosier myth. But above all, John Adams is the story of two key ties: Adams' 54-year marriage to Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), every bit her husband's intellectual equal and anchor, and his difficult, almost symbiotic relationship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) over decades. Giamatti, of course, has to carry much of the drama, and if he doesn't always seem quite believable in the series' first half, he becomes increasingly excellent at the point where an aging Adams becomes bitter over his place in history. Linney is marvelous, as is Dillane, Sarah Polley as daughter Nabby, Danny Huston as cousin Samuel Adams, and above all Tom Wilkinson as a complex but indispensable Ben Franklin. --Tom Keogh |
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 Great acting, but Cameras Gone Wild. |
| Review Date: March 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: woodmousie, Austin, TX |
| I was really looking forward to watching this movie and learning more about the subject after reading the book. The acting was splendid and the casting was perfect. Unfortunately the actual camera-work, specifically the constant/extreme tilting of the camera, was very off-putting. I sometimes felt rather sea-sick and would have to go back and listen again to what the actors had just said because all the tilting to and fro of the camera had really pulled my attention away from the script. Not sure what the director was thinking. By the end of the movie I wondered aloud why the director didn't just, "turn the bloody camera upside down and get it over with". Then, of course, he finally did in the last section of the film. Very odd. But other than having a possessed camera, I'd say the film is worth renting at the very least. |
The second President rescued from obscurity
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| Review Date: March 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Iain S. Palin, Northern Ireland |
A pro-American Brit reviews the series:
A few years ago I set a quiz which included the question "Who was the second President of the United States". Nobody, not even a visiting American got the answer - which seems to sum up John Adams' position in history. Certainly before I watched this fascinating HBO miniseries I knew nothing of the man: now I feel I don't just know about him, I have a much better grasp on his times.
Adams was a Boston lawyer who sympathised with the grievances of his fellow-colonists but not all of their activities. His desire to see justice done led him to defend - successfully - the British soldiers accused of murder following the so-called Boston Massacre, but he was canny enough not to accept the Crown preferment offered to him after the trial. He was a delegate to the Continental Congresses that discussed and finally decided on declaring American independence, a move he promoted, and he became an active spokesman for the new United States.
He certainly wasn't perfect - his courtroom performance tended to long-windedness unless his sensible wife had toned his speeches down in preparation, and when sent to Europe to rally support for the Americans in their War of Independence he proved undiplomatic and not very successful. But his prominence and activities meant he came second to George Washington in the first US presidential election and therefore served as his Vice-President, eventually succeeding him.
Adams served only one term as President but the programme makes clear (and the history books seem to confirm) that he sacrificed his position rather than act in a cynical and political way - he kept the young USA out of a European conflict for which people and politicians were clamouring.
Several things combine to make this mini-series successful. Paul Giamatti turns in a stellar performance as Adams as does Laura Linney as his intelligent supportive wife. Theirs is both a love-match and a true working partnership. Giamatti inhabits the role and his presence and eloquence give him a real presence even though Adams is rendered accurately as a short tubby man (next to the towering George Washington he looks almost hobbit-like). At the same time his flaws such as short temper and stubbornness are not glossed over. The production values are excellent, helped by the wise decision not to try to recreate battle scenes or similar spectacles. Great attention is paid to contemporary living, fashion, manners, habits and speech - it is good to see that not all the Americans speak with modern American accents, many sound very British, as was the case.
Even better, the British are not two-dimensional cardboard baddies. Usually they are off-stage and referred to, but when they appear in the drama they are human. Actually there are only two such episodes - the scenes involving the Boston redcoats (mainly frightened boys plus a hard-bitten but basically honest professional officer), and later on Adams' meeting with King George III when he presents his credentials as the new and recognised nation's ambassador to London. The surprisingly generous sentiments expressed on both sides are confirmed by the history books.
But most refreshing of all is the hard look taken at America's "Founding Fathers" who are seen not as a collection of sanctified noble visionaries but as men, and men who whatever their courage and vision also had their own flaws, personalities and agendas. George Washington is noble and inspiring but not a whole lot more, Benjamin Franklin fiercely intelligent but more than a little devious (though his deviousness sometimes achieves more for the infant nation than Adams' straightforwardness), Alexander Hamilton an ambitious posturing buffoon, and Thomas Jefferson...
Adams' relationship with Jefferson, his successor, is at the heart of the later episodes. From friendship and cooperation they pass through years of political and personal estrangement, only to be reconciled towards their deaths (they died on the same day). Jefferson is shown as noble but flawed, a wealthy man whose vision for America differs radically from that of the self-made and hard-working Adams. And this, I think, is the message of the series and why the realistic or revisionist (according to your views) vision is conveyed. Adams is a federalist. His vision is of a United States with a strong central government, a single nation bound by national institutors. In other words what the USA is now. Jefferson is the spokesman for the alternative position, a vision of America where the real power resides with the individual states and a weak central government has only such powers as are needed for practical purposes. The tension between the two positions would cause problems for the nation until the huge and bloody Civil War decades later when the "states' rights" position that inspired the seceding Confederacy was finally crushed and a strong Union was firmly established. Adams, in short, is the man who had the vision of America as she is now. He deserves this rescue from his obscurity.
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Excellent historical miniseries
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| Review Date: March 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Lhornbk, DARROUZETT, TX, US |
| "John Adams" is simply one of the best historical miniseries that I have ever seen. It will help people learn much more about John Adams contributions to the American Revolution and our independence. It also does an excellent job of showing the debate over independence and the quarrels and rivalries of that time period. I have used episode 2 in my U.S. history classroom to show my students the debate of independence and how those favoring independence ultimately won the day. I wish that a similar miniseries would be produced over George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and perhaps over the American Revolution in general. (I have always felt that the Revolution has not received the attention from Hollywood that it truly deserves, especially compared to the number of movies and miniseries that have been made about the Civil War.) |
Favorite President Redeemed-Thanks to this series
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| Review Date: March 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: K. J. Bryant, |
For years, my view of John Adams were he was one of our greatest presidents even though most "experts" disagreed. I knew the man was a genius and his positions were right for the nation. However, he lacked people's skills and weren't able to push his agendas successfully in Congress. The problem with Adams was he served between Washington and Jefferson-two giants who legacies have only grown despite many of their own faults. Adams, after over 200 years, is finally having the last laugh (thanks to this series).
This series does a great job in showing the man behind the presidency. The series also shows his shaky relationship with Jefferson and his part in the establishment of our nation. However, the best part of this series is it shows his relationship with his wife. She was truly his rock and his equal. Many people talk about Elenaor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton changing the role of "First Lady" but I think Abigail Adams already did that.
Great and important series!! This is a MUST HAVE for all Americans and historians (big and small). John Adams died the same day of Jefferson on July 4th and he proclaimed "Jefferson lives". After this series, its time for us to proclaim "Adams live"!! |
Amazing series...
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| Review Date: February 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Edmonson, Canada |
"John Adams" is the excellent 7 part mini series from HBO. It follows John Adams (Paul Giamatti) before, during, and after his presidency, and his amazing friendship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane), both of whom outlived the rest of their fellow founders and who died on the same day on July 4, 1826. It is said that John Adams represented the voice of this young emerging country and Thomas Jefferson the pen. The series follows Adams' journey as he helped shape the country with the likes of George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin, a journey which took Adams all the way to Europe and back again.
This blu-ray set is stunning in its clarity in 1080p, with audio in dts HD Master Audio. The series was based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name. There is also a special feature about the making of the series as well as a documentary about David McCullough's life and works. |
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John Adams [Blu-ray]
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