| John Adams (HBO Miniseries) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 294 reviews)
Sales Rank: 40
Category: DVD
Actors: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
Publisher: HBO
Studio: HBO
Brand: Warner Brothers
Label: HBO
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 501 minutes
Number Of Items: 3
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.9 x 1
MPN: 1000038820
UPC: 883929020065
EAN: 0883929020065
ASIN: B000WGWQG8
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 289 more reviews...
 Surprisingly great, even from libertarian perspective August 28, 2008
As a libertarian, I am not a fan of John Adams nor of statist hagiographer David McCullough. I read McCullough's Truman at the urging of my grandfather and found it to be boring and ridiculously aggrandizing of the state, the presidency, and Truman the man. I had no intention of watching this HBO miniseries but did so, reluctantly, at the urging of my father-in-law.
He certainly gave better advice than my granddad!
Words cannot properly express how much I enjoyed this production. It is, without a doubt, the best historical film I've ever seen. I was worried that the founders would be portrayed as saints with little serious disagreement among them, but this was not the case at all. In fact, the miniseries pretty much follows the hardcore Jeffersonian line, depicting Washington as a Hamiltonian pawn and Adams as a Big Government centralist and possibly even monarchist.
Adams is portrayed favorably, nonetheless, which it is quite likely is deserved. A man can be honorable and hold on strongly to wrongheaded ideas. Adams was an authoritarian and the miniseries does nothing to disabuse the viewer of this notion. Jefferson was for liberty, although his faults are accurately portrayed as well. For one, there is his imprudent support of the French Revolution, and on a more esoterically constitutional level, Adams is shown mocking Jefferson's contradictory support of the Louisiana Purchase -- which libertarians and paleocons perceive to be a gross abandonment of Jeffersonian principles and the first act of American Imperialism.
Where Adams and Jefferson can find agreement is in their utter contempt for proto-neocon Alexander Hamilton. He is surely this miniseries' villain, whereas Adams and Jefferson are simply men of honor with radically different ideas. This presentation largely accurately depicts the formation of the United States through the time of Adams's death, as a battle of ideas. Although the pre-constitutional period is given short shrift, so are the Revolutionary and 1812 wars -- thankfully! There is no glorification of war here, and in fact, Adams's crowning achievement is keeping the U.S. out of war with France. If only modern presidents could be so motivated.
Ideology aside, this production is beautifully rendered and emotionally engaging. The history is wrong in a few small and rather insignificant parts, but all in all, this is not only an immensely enjoyable viewing experience, but also extremely educational. This truly is something that could engage young minds in the ideas of our country's founding period, and thus, I recommend that it be viewed by high school government and/or American History classes.
John Adams DVD August 28, 2008
After watching the mini series on HBO I became so enthralled with it, I had to order the DVD (which by the way was promptly delivered to me in 3 days). This 7 hr series is so riveting in it's depiction of our founding fathers and their struggle for our country's independence; it greatly reawakened my interest in early American history. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are both outstanding and deserve Emmys for their performances. Well done !!!
 Unnecessary nudity and poor camera technique August 28, 2008
Sadly, as in many movies based on books, the book was better. They play with the facts. The tar and feather scene shows full frontal nudity which was completely unnecessary. Unfortunately I didn't preview this before my children watched it with the family.
The Boston Massacre is a pivotal event in American History. Too bad they didn't represent it accurately. Products of public school education will be easily misled.
The cinematography is very poor. Many of the shots are way out of frame and the camera seems to be handheld by a person with a tremor problem. I began to get seasick. I kept wanting to change the camera frame and get a steady mount for it.
I liked the acting. John and Abagail were as I imagined them to be when I read the book. The costumes and scenery made me feel as though I was observing the events first hand. This made the jittery, poorly framed scenes even more disappointing.
John Adams August 27, 2008
I originally watch the special on HBO, and I wanted to watch it again. I was very happy that you offered the mini series. I have watched it again, and passed it along to friends who have not had the pleasure of watching the original mini series. thank you for offering this special.
Great history, lots of speeches August 26, 2008
Paul Giamatti does something in this production that surprised me: he gave a performance I enjoyed as someone I would not have enjoyed knowing in life. I am not a huge history buff, so I am not sure of the accuracy of much of this production. However, I did see quite a few things that had me running for the books and wiki to see if they were true. Wonderful sets and cinematography, crazy strong cast, and very realistic feeling sets all work to make this an amazing series. My only sticky point here is that for large sections of the series, you feel as though Adams is only able to speak in angry, long, moving monologues and that the world is a place that had to stop and listen. About the 12th or 13th time, it gets a little hard to sit through again.
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