Product Description

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-06-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 501 minutes

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

Customer Reviews

John Adams
Every American should see this DVD!!! Makes us see our Founding Fathers as real people, not the stiff figures in the history books, not the comic figures in "1776" (although it was entertaining).

We see them as politicians as well as human beings. People haven't changed a lot since 1776 and the years following. This series is well done and will make you proud to be an American!!!!!

An outstanding first half...
There are seven parts in the DVD HBO miniseries. We watched them in seven nights. We didn't want to skip a night.

It's all good, but the earlier episodes are better than the later ones. Why? I felt too much was skipped during the last few parts. Too many gaps. Naturally some events would have to be left out or the series would be 40 hours. Yet, it would have been better for them to narrow the focus on his earlier career.

In the final three parts it was hard to get a feel for the scope of what was going on in the country -- it became more of a personal story. And even in that context, it was hard to get a sense of all the big national events that were affecting John and Abigail personally, outside of family affairs. During John's presidency, I don't recall seeing any Congressional sessions, speeches, or proper cabinet meetings. If there were, they are minor.

Did the series capture John's and Abigail's character? As much as I know from my limited reading, yes, probably fairly well. I was surprised by the magisterial manner of Jefferson as portrayed here. His overwhelming sense of calm and thoughtful genius was appealing. I haven't read in detail enough about Jefferson to say if that was accurate. He had a great passion for art, collecting books, and of course architecture. But that passion does not seem to be evident in this portrayal. He's almost disturbingly Mr. Spock-like in emotional restraint.

The intrigues and battles between Jefferson as Vice-President when Adams succeeded Washington as President are given relatively small notice, as is the Sedition Act. Adams did start a navy and avoided entaglement with a European war. Most of the events of his single term are seen from the dreary setting of a still-under-construction White House in Washington, D.C.

Picky points:

Many famous quotes of the founding fathers are included in this series, not always in the context of which they actually uttered them.

The artificial aging makeup or lack of it, and the inconsistency of it, was a bit disconcerting. Sometimes John looked older in one scene, then younger in the next. This was handled poorly, and I don't know why, given today's state of the art. Neither John nor Abigail appear to age naturally. The bad dental work, pus, vomit, bloodlettings and barbaric surgery of the 18th century are represented with some realism, though, for what that's worth, plus the excessive facial makeup the French nobles (including men) used. Marcel Marceau would have fit right in.

In spite of these caveats, the miniseries is compelling. It's no substitute for David McCullough's book, though. Additionally, I'm not sure about replay value. I was enthusiastic about it while I was watching it, but now I wonder if I will want to see it twice.

John Adams HBO Miniseries
The John Adams miniseries was the best made for TV production I have ever seen. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the founders. It brought them to life as people we can relate to and appreciate the sacrifices they made. In the end, they were real people, real Americans.