DVD : John Adams (HBO Miniseries)
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Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 0883929020065
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: HBO
Manufacturer: HBO
Number Of Items: 3
Publisher: HBO
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Running Time: 501 minutes
Sales Rank: 23
Studio: HBO
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2008
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Editorial Review:
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
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
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Although the miniseries title and episodes focus on the life of John Adams, the strength of the film lies in the exceptional ensemble cast. It was impressive to see such giants as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, as well as the lesser known individuals, truly inhabited by the actors.
The challenge of the series was to breathe life into those stories and lives we know so well. The filmmakers worked closely to David McCullough's outstanding book for the details, ... Read More
Rating: -
The miniseries set my wife and I to thinking; how do the current candidates, and their superfluous, pandering rhetoric, measure up to the sacrifice and leadership of the Founding Fathers? What we hear from our candidates today is pandering tripe. This series puts today's dumb-downed politicians in stark constrast to Adams and the other Revolutionaries who risked everything on behalf of real principles. What a notion that is in this day and age. Watch this miniseries if you like an excellent story, ... Read More
Rating: -
My wife and I have loved David McCullough's books "John Adams" and "1776" for years. The script, acting, photography, costumes and sets in this presentation do a truly wonderful job of bringing this wonderful epic in American history to life. By the end of the 3-DVDs you really feel like you know and empathize with all of the individuals portrayed. We also enjoyed the add-on segment on David McCullough's life as a historian and writer very much. We will treasure this movie for years to come.
Rating:  -
Excellent historical drama. Should be required viewing for all students in elementary, middle and high school. Wonderful performances by all involved.
Rating: -
I was overwhelmed by this film. I expected to like it but it exceeded my expectations. The book was outstanding and I think the film outdid the book. The casting was perfect, the characterizations were great, the scenes were believable. Ben Franklin in Paris was unforgetable.
History came alive for me as it never has before.
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