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List Price: $59.99 | | Label: HBO
Salesrank: 80
Released: June 10, 2008 |
| Our Price: $19.99 |
| Used Price: $16.60 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
John Adams is a sprawling HBO miniseries event that depicts the extraordinary life and times of one of Americas least understood, and most underestimated, founding fathers: the second President of the United States, John Adams. Starring Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man, HBOs American Spendor) in the title role and Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me, Kinsey) as Adams devoted wife Abigail, John Adams chronicles the extraordinary life journey of one of the primary shapers of our independence and government, whose legacy has often been eclipsed by more flamboyant contemporaries like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. Set against the backdrop of a nations stormy birth, this sweeping miniseries is a moving love story, a gripping narrative, and a fascinating study of human nature. Above all, at a time when the nation is increasingly polarized politically, this story celebrates the shared values of liberty and freedom upon which this country was built.
Description of John Adams (HBO Miniseries):
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
John Adams (HBO Miniseries) Reviews:
How I Loved "John Adams" 
2009-12-30 - As an American History teacher, I loved this miniseries because it didn't romanitcize the era in which it was filmed.
In the stratosphere of history
2009-12-27 - I simply want to add to the accolades this series has received by emphasizing.
1) the veracity of the period sets, mannerisms, viewpoints, prejudices, and expectations is unmatched by any comparable film I've seen. It's clear that this was the overriding intent of the producers. The scenes of John and Abigail attempting to live in the desolate and half completed executive mansion were terrific.
2) the acting is superb. Giamatti is one of the best, if not the best, character actors in the business. His ability to move from the understated to the explosive and back again is extraordinary. Stephen Dillane was excellent in capturing Jefferson's ethereal personality (his contemporaries, pro and con, all agreed on this characteristic of his). Tom Wilkenson as Franklin reveling in French hedonism was a delight.
A couple of corrections I would make.
a) Hamilton was not given enough attention, given his crucial role in the early republic and his efforts towards the adoption of the Constitution (i.e. through The Federalist Papers, which were Hamilton's idea). Jefferson is accurately portrayed as brilliant, but Hamilton was a certifiable genius. Here instead he's portrayed as a meglomaniac.
b) The short portrayal of Louis XVI was innaccurate. He's shown more as a spoiled pampered child than in fact a middle aged man at the time with a warm personality and insightful mind. The irony of history is that the French Revolutionists chopped off the head of a man who was, by the standards of the time, a good monarch. They should have chopped off the head of his grandfather, Louis XV 30 years earlier.
But, as I said, these are small issues given the excllence of the overall series.
American Love Story
2009-12-25 - Aside from all the usual emphasis on historical events, acting abilities and camera techniques cussed and discussed in the reviews posted about this biopic, the holistic effect of the project is most satisfying and pleasant to my sensibilities. Can you tell that I have just finished a double marathon viewing of the HBO cycle, raw and then with the "Facts are stubborn..." annotations?
Rather than the more journalistic review, I wish to share a few observations. The tapestry of imagery, through the costumes, sets, properties, sound and remarkable computer enhancement, was stunning and executed so brilliantly that these components became strong characters in the story. Buzzing flies, rooms poorly lit by candle, oxen slushing through snowy mud, practical wigs, ink stained fingers, lead based makeup, scrubbing stones, bad teeth, quirks of gesture and speech, historical tableau's set in motion, a chair that hears everything to the end - all the minutia of excellent film making. These things don't just 'not get in the way of the story', they add a texture, depth and realism, that I have never before experienced in films about this most precious time of our country's roots.
Historical accuracy? Take a look at the last 20 years in the media and writings about the events we have witnessed. With all our technology and ability to record sounds, images, words, we cannot even agree on what happened last week, last year, last administration! Adams the lawyer would say that history is 'facts and evidence', not politics or 'spin'. But Adams the passionate patriot, constant husband, strict father, would also agree that persuasion through dramatic speech or exaggerated action, is sometimes necessary to portray the 'meaning' of history, rather than just the 'facts'.
A man in love. John Adams the romantic? What? Look and listen closely to the words and watch the deeds, and the subtle cues outside the line of sight or range of hearing. Abigail and John, through their letters and writings, and their actions, have given us a brilliant picture of the strong and loving American political couple who sacrificed much for the duty to their country. None could create or report a more powerful testament to conubial love.
That John Adams loved his country is undeniable, and the best oratory and discourse from him is when he is alit with the flame of patriotic devotion. His careful conversation with King George, his inaugural address, and many other speeches and writings show the passion he had 'for a country...that is free'. The third love that this story portrays, is the 50 year partnership with Thomas Jefferson. This singular relationship and collaboration between such two opposing viewpoints epitomizes the spirit and power of the 'grand experiment' that was, and is, our democratic government. Both Adams and Jefferson were pelted with political sneers and darts (a natural part of the American politic) all their lives, but none stung as those delivered about each other. But, like the true friends they were to each other, they connected and challenged each other, and never totally parted. Dr. Rush called them "The North and South poles of our Revolution". The fact that we survive today to tear into each other with venomous fervor, yet move forward with our way of life, I invest largely in these two.
This film project sparkles and sputters with all the fire and ice that epitomizes our American experience, and the fact that it, like the story that it illuminates, invites such divergent opinion and criticism, is testimony to its success.
quality 
2009-12-25 - I wouls have expected a better quality of the film, having purchased it new from Amazon just for this purpose !!!
Excellent price & the package came quick.
2009-12-24 - Man, I ordered this Blue-Ray 3 disc set for my Da's CHRISTmas gift for the same price of a used non Blue-Ray disc and the package came quick and in good shape.
