John Adams (HBO Miniseries)
starring: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
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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.Running Time: 501 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 883929020065 Manufacturer No: 1000038820
Amazon.com:
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 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.Running Time: 501 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 883929020065 Manufacturer No: 1000038820
Amazon.com:
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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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- A Primer that Every American Should Watch
John Adams, the HBO miniseries is a phenomenal account of the beginnings of our great country, as well as an insightful look into the personal and family life of one of our founding fathers. It is a lesson on American History that I've never before seen so well portrayed. The authenticity of the times and places is remarkable, historians would agree. Only through the details of the lives of the people that lived during that exciting time in our history, can we truly know what they endured in their ... Read More
Rating: - John Adams
Excellent work that describes America's beginnings and brings her founding fathers to life.The personalities of the the first three presidents and the signers of the declaration of independence are in full display.
Rating: - Excellen account of history
This is an excellent acount of what it took to gain the rights which all of us enjoy under our Constitution.It should teach us to never take these rights for granted, particularly now when totalitarism is trying to take over all around the globe; where the rights of the individual are under attack, even in our own great country the United States of America.
Rating: - Love it!
I bought this for my mom for this past Mother's Day after she rented the series from our local library six consecutive times. I never had taken much interest in learning about history and therefore I very much dreaded watching all 6 or 7 hours with her. However I was pleasantly surprised that not only did this miniseries address things that I had learned years ago in high school, but also delved into subjects that were rarely discussed, such as the repercussions on the personal lives of the Adams family ... Read More
Rating: - Great mini-series
This was so good, I had to see it on DVD again. The acting, staging, story editing, etc., were excellent. Paul Giamatti portrayed Adams very well: a brilliant man not well versed in public relations skills, with so much perseverance in getting those supplies from France that he lost his manners. What a departure for Giamatti from "Sideways". Laura Linney also did an excellent job. Through these two great actors, I felt John and Abigail Adams's kinship ("Dear Friend"), love, passion, dedication to their families ... Read More
- A Primer that Every American Should WatchJohn Adams, the HBO miniseries is a phenomenal account of the beginnings of our great country, as well as an insightful look into the personal and family life of one of our founding fathers. It is a lesson on American History that I've never before seen so well portrayed. The authenticity of the times and places is remarkable, historians would agree. Only through the details of the lives of the people that lived during that exciting time in our history, can we truly know what they endured in their ... Read More
- John AdamsExcellent work that describes America's beginnings and brings her founding fathers to life.The personalities of the the first three presidents and the signers of the declaration of independence are in full display.
- Excellen account of historyThis is an excellent acount of what it took to gain the rights which all of us enjoy under our Constitution.It should teach us to never take these rights for granted, particularly now when totalitarism is trying to take over all around the globe; where the rights of the individual are under attack, even in our own great country the United States of America.
- Love it!I bought this for my mom for this past Mother's Day after she rented the series from our local library six consecutive times. I never had taken much interest in learning about history and therefore I very much dreaded watching all 6 or 7 hours with her. However I was pleasantly surprised that not only did this miniseries address things that I had learned years ago in high school, but also delved into subjects that were rarely discussed, such as the repercussions on the personal lives of the Adams family ... Read More
- Great mini-seriesThis was so good, I had to see it on DVD again. The acting, staging, story editing, etc., were excellent. Paul Giamatti portrayed Adams very well: a brilliant man not well versed in public relations skills, with so much perseverance in getting those supplies from France that he lost his manners. What a departure for Giamatti from "Sideways". Laura Linney also did an excellent job. Through these two great actors, I felt John and Abigail Adams's kinship ("Dear Friend"), love, passion, dedication to their families ... Read More
