| John Adams (HBO Miniseries) | 
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| Actors: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
Studio: HBO
Category: DVD
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $35.50
You Save: $24.49 (41%)
New (24) from $35.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  109 reviews
Sales Rank: 3
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Running Time: 501 minutes
Number Of Items: 3
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.8 x 1
MPN: 1000038820
UPC: 883929020065
EAN: 0883929020065
ASIN: B000WGWQG8
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2008
Release Date: June 10, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 entertaining history lesson July 3, 2008
I've been enjoying reviewing American history in a well acted series about John Adams. I haven't read the book but feel the HBO series well depicts the history of a man who was an intregal part of the fight for freedom and independence. It helped me understand how things transpired during that historical time. It's incredible what they had to do to make this the free country we now enjoy.
So great dramatically you may forget it is also history. July 3, 2008
By far, the best production on one of the founders of our republic. Although John Adams was the smartest of our founders, he was not the most astute politically. The United States has to be the luckiest nation in the history of mankind. First there was geography. That we were an ocean away from Europe was important. Also we had such talented leaders at the right time. Whereas Franklin & Jefferson, to name the two most prominent, were charismatic & diplomatic as well as brillant, Adams was obnoxious, blunt & disliked. Washington was the undisputed leader & general of the army. As the first president, the constitution was written for him. Adams was obliged to follow him. How could he? How could anyone? This seven episode dvd was based on David McCullough's book. I read the book the week it came out several years ago & see few simularities, but maybe I need to reread it. I especially enjoyed some of the lesser known moments in history. Seven British soldiers were charged with murder in the incident know as the Boston Massacre. No one would defend them. Adams took the job & they were aquitted thereby reinforcing the idea that all accused are entitled to legal counsel, a concept we hold dear to this day. Another moving moment was when John was absent, Abigail had their young children innoculated against the small pox epidemic. It is a bit graphic but effective. Abigail Adams remains as his most important advisor through their life. Wife, lover, best friend & critic she never failed him. The one person he could always trust unconditionally. Excellent casting of Paul Giamatti & Laura Linney as John & Abigail. A heavily made-up David Morse plays a rather wooden but effective George Washington. This is definately a high end, movie quality production. Through seven plus hours you get the feel of 18th century America. Buying the dvd you also get "the making of..." & a David McCullough biography. I could go on & on about Adam's time abroad, the revolution itself, his family & presidency. This review has gone long enough & there are plenty of other reviews that will fill you in. Well worth owning.
John Adams July 3, 2008
This mini series was outstanding. I feel that I have learned a lot more about the freeing of our country and understand more clearly what our fore fathers went through. I have more of an understanding about the lives of the people of that time and how hard it was for them especially the women. I recommend this movie series with the highest praise. Kept you wondering what the next part of the series held for you.
A well prepared miniseries! July 3, 2008
I have read Mr. Mccullough's book as well as several other John Adams biographies. Mr. Mcullough's John Adams is well researched. I found the miniseries attention to detail quite pleasing! Tom Hanks and crew hit a home run! Does the miniseries follow the book page for page? No, there are minor changes here and there. But overall I would recommend this dvd without hesitation. It would be great if HBO would produce other miniseries such as John Quincy Adams, Lewis and Clark, or Ben Franklin. By the way, you will be pulling out your dollar bills and comparing that portrait with David Morse'George Washington from the movie!
The American Revolution as You've Not Seen It Before July 3, 2008
Most American children grow up learning the basic facts about the American Revolution. The average American, therefore, knows the broad strokes of this history, and could possibly even recount some more detailed information of specific portions of that history that might for some reason hold a special interest. What most people cannot do, however, is retell the story in chronological sequence from beginning to end, describing the specific role of each of the major persons who had a part in that story.
If you think that's what this series is about, you'd be wrong. It's not that you can't see the entire story play itself out - you most certainly will - but that you will rather learn the truth of the statement that a person can "get all the facts right, and miss the point entirely." And perhaps this is where this most outstanding of documentaries on early American history excels, the ability to tell the story of the life of John Adams, while learning the facts surrounding the American Revolution only as they surrounded John Adams himself. And perhaps, for subject matter like this, the approach is one of the best one could take.
I've often thought that, from an educational standpoint, the American Revolution was similar to the French Revolution in that the number of people, the philosophical positions, the debates, the diverse background information, and other factors are so extensive and varied that it can make learning anything beyond the basic history quite challenging. Without building context, without knowing the history and biographical information of the major personages, without knowing the history leading up to the event, trying to place the epochal events in order so they make sense and can be examined is a tremendous task. And so, we end up with what we commonly see, people who know the broad brush strokes of the narrative, but would have trouble distinguishing between Danton and Robespierre, between Hamilton and Jefferson, between The Stamp Act and The Aliens and Seditions Act, or between the National Assembly and the National Constituent Assembly. And that's not to be critical: these events involved dozens of main players, took place over a period of multiple years, and involved the clash of deeply held beliefs about the nature of governance and the role of "rights." This is not like learning a simple fact of history.
The John Adams series lays out the seminal events of the American Revolution as John Adams viewed and participated in them (and he did participate in nearly every aspect of it throughout his long life), but allows us to do so while experiencing the context through the outstanding storytelling and precise recreation of the period. We don't only witness the events; we are made to feel that we experience them, and find ourselves being transported into a world that in so many ways differs from our own. Along the way, the series makes us face the wrongs and unpleasantries of the era, but the focus is strictly on the rise of the American nation out of the individual colonies.
The acting in this series is superb. Giamatti has perhaps given the performance of his career, and Laura Linney portrays Abigail Adams in such a sublime way that the character is strongly portrayed without overshadowing the story. Other characters (Jefferson, McHenry, Hamilton, and so on) are also excellently cast and acted, with the commanding presence of George Washington (David Morse) and the political creature Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) played so impressively as to make one forget these are actors. To watch "John Adams" is to be introduced to each of these persons in a way never before thought possible.
The series runs for seven episodes, for a total run time of just over eight hours. The filming itself is generally excellent, with some special effects that are well executed and quite realistic. There are some issues with the choice to employ odd camera angles and some hand-held scenes, sometimes which almosts threatens to produce vertigo in the viewer, and have made more than one reviewer pan the series for these approaches to filmography. Although I, too, had trouble in some of these scenes (particularly in episode two, where it seems to be most frequently used), I can easily say not to let this affect your decision to watch the series. These are just quibbles, and in some cases, we can easily argue that these techniques help create the sense of "reality" that is needed to keep us fixated on the time period. The scenes depicting Paris and the Netherlands of the period are particularly fascinating.
The music in the series is also superb. Anyone who watched the "Rome" series will undoubtedly recognize the opening title sequence as containing great similarities, but I must say that this opening title sequence is one of the best I've ever seen. The music and visuals are dramatic, lush, and haunting.
To sum it up, this is one of the most superb documentaries I've ever seen. To watch it is to learn about John Adams and the role he played in the emergence of the United States, to learn about the American Revolution itself, and to become a participant in the debates, quarrels, and yes, politics, of the event. Its a powerful and moving story that evokes deep emotions and stimulates intense thought about America's founding. It's nothing less than a tour de force.
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