HBO miniseries: John Adams

highhopes

Anyone watched or watching it? And if so, what do you think?

I think Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, two of my favorite actors, are marvelous as John and Abigail Adams. They really capture the close relationship between the two. And David Morse is unbelievable as Washington. He looks just like the guy on the dollar bill and projects the dignified manner most comptemporaries ascribe to ol' George.

Stephen Dillane and Tom Wilkinson are terrific as Jefferson and Franklin, and are the most visible Brits among what appears to be a mostly British production (how embarrassing for us in the States ) -- but they do a great job). Tom Hooper, the director, is no stranger to historical dramas and did Helen Mirren's turn as Elizabeth I for HBO last year. In fact, given that I'm kind of a history and film buff, I think he must have about the best job in the world.

Favorite scenes: Abigail critiquing John's summation in defense of the Redcoats in the Boston Massacre trial and Adams' first meeting with King George III as American ambassador after the Revolution. It's just as it's described in the McCullough bio. The King was very gracious given that Adams was one of the more radical colonists. I thought Giamatti really nailed the conflicting feelings that Adams must have felt under the circumstances, coming face-to-face with his former sovereign for the first time.

Anyway, it's full of wonderful moments like that and if you have the opportunity to see it, check it out.

Hardyboy

I read David McCullough's book when it first came out and I loved it. I dearly want to see the miniseries, but I don't have HBO and so I'll have to wait for the DVD release. I hope you're right about Morse, 'Hopes, because I saw pictures of him in his George Washington makeup and I wanted to burst out laughing.

highhopes

Hardyboy wrote:

I read David McCullough's book when it first came out and I loved it. I dearly want to see the miniseries, but I don't have HBO and so I'll have to wait for the DVD release. I hope you're right about Morse, 'Hopes, because I saw pictures of him in his George Washington makeup and I wanted to burst out laughing.

That may just be a reaction to seeing a familiar actor made up to look like a familiar historical character (which is think is often a mistake). In fact, I didn't know who it was at first. And it's not just the makeup. I thought Morse's portrayal was excellent. Washington is a tough character to portray, I think, kind of like Lincoln. They've been marble statues in our history for so long. Morse captures the quiet dignity and discipline at the heart of Washington's character but still makes him human. No heroic closeups, but you do get a good measure of the man's greatness, I think. His swearing in as president is a hoot. Just like the book. Washington spoke so softly, no one could hear him.

Loeffelholz

I tossed out HBO once The Sopranos and Rome ended...so, like Hardy, I'll catch the DVDs when they come out. It's great that a show like this is getting made; hopefully there'll be more of them.

Nightshooter

I'm planning on watching it On Demand - I hope I'll enjoy it!

Mr Martini

I don't have HBO either but overheard a conversation in my Chriopratcors office a few days back. The patient was raving about the series and told the doctor to set his DVR. When she came out I had to ask her a question. One I think I knew the answer to. I asked her if both Adams and Jefferson died on the same day, July 4th. She reassured (sp?) me they did. My chriopractors jaw dropped. He didn't know that little factoid. That's probably one of the only thing I remember from a report I did about Thomas Jefferson way back in the 1900's ( )when I was in grade school . I'll have to wait for it to be on network tv since money is tight and I don't have netflix or similar.

Loeffelholz

I bought this DVD series yesterday, without having seen it. Now that I've seen the first two episodes, I'm very glad I did. Excellent performances from Giamatti and Laura Linney, great production value and writing---typical of an HBO series.

Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin is a hoot; the scene where he and Adams rewrite bits of Jefferson's 'Declaration of Independence'---whilst Jefferson squirms---is something with which every writer can identify

Hardyboy

I've got it in my Netflix queue. It would have been perfect had the series arrived in time for July 4, but that's life. (As for why I didn't move it up in my queue to arrange for it be here by July 4, I figured everyone would do that!) Anyway, I'm looking forward to this one--David Morse in George Washington makeup and all!

Loeffelholz

Well...I've just watched the final five episodes back to back---yes, it is that compelling---and I have to say...wow.

Magnificent. Simply magnificent. A fantastic true story, well told---managing to both humanize and honour a remarkable man and his peers---portraying their genius whilst also putting their flaws on bold display.

For history fans everywhere, I cannot recommend this production highly enough.

Cynjin Smyth

This was one of the best right up there with Band Of Brothers. I wish we had someone with the ideas of John Adams leading this country right now. In the series Adams has this great quote and now I can't remember it.

Hardyboy

I finally got to see the series! It reminded me of those great old miniseries they used to do back in the 1970s and '80s--Roots, Shogun, and the like--that were epic in scope and meticulous in their recreations of the past. JA also did a fine job of dramatizing McCullough's book--a couple of times after watching an episode I pulled the book from the shelf, thumbed through it, and said, "Hey--that really DID happen!" The series itself also did a fine job of making history compelling--this was no glorified look at the American Revolution, but a gritty, even grungy recreation of painful times. Some scenes even made me squirm: a graphic tarring-and-feathering of a British customs agent; a primitive innoculation; amputation of a foot; a mastectomy performed without anesthesia. . .sometimes we forget how lucky we are to be alive today.

For the most part, I thought the acting was fine, but I still found myself annoyed at the makeup work. Again I had a hard time getting past David Morse's Groucho--err, I mean George Washington--nose; and his heavy makeup didn't make a lot of sense when you consider that Stephen Dillane and Rufus Sewell look nothing like Jefferson and Hamilton, respectively, yet nothing was done to make them up to look like the real deals. Heck, when it comes right down to it, Giamatti doesn't look like Adams and Tom Wilkinson is no Franklin, but those two made do with shaved heads and wigs. Also--and this is always a problem when you have kids in a movie that spans several years--the children didn't age realistically. The third part opens in 1777 and ends in 1781, and the kids never age!

But those are small complaints. It's a great series, one that I hope will open the door to similar treatments of American history.

Loeffelholz

Cheers, Hardy! {[] I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Your complaints are all valid ones---though I liked Morse's Washington getup more than you did :v I wonder: Did George really sound like Liam Neeson?

Many things, like the kids' ages, etc., seem to me the necessary (if a bit unfortunate) product of condensation, to preserve a fairly impressive amount of literary fidelity without rotating actors to the point that we lose focus on who's who.

Tom Hanks has a great eye for picking projects to produce... {[]

Monique

I too was really impressed with this miniseries. I found it fascinating. The reality of what these men did for us, it's a great tribute. I wasn't surprised they got 23 Emmy nominations!

Mr Martini

I'm still hoping this pops up on regular cable soon. Some channel like A&E or the History channel. Does anyone know if shows from HBO end up on regular cable channels (i.e. A&E, TNT etc...) I know Sopranos can be seen on regular cable, hoping other shows can be to.