John Adams (HBO Miniseries)

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Actor(s):

Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney

Label: HBO
Publisher(s):

HBO

Studio: HBO
Manufacturer: HBO
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
MPN: 1000038820
Format(s): Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
List Price: $59.99
Our Price: $35.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews

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.

DVD Features:
Documentary
Featurette
Production Notes

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

Paul Giamatti is awsome and this miniseries is another HBO Smash!

BUY THIS MINISERIES!!! Paul Giamatti is awsome as John Adams. This miniseries is the greatest Hollywood produced civil war era cinema made to date. Its also very historically accurate so you can actually learn a little something.

very pleased

This series very made very well made. Pleasantly suprised. My whole family was able to enjoy these with the exception of having to fast forward two parts (just because of my extra small children). I would highly recommend this series for anyone wanted to get a look at John Adams and the world in his time.

John Adams

This is an outstanding series, very well researched. Acting was outstanding and they did an excellent casting of characters. I would highly recommend. I viewed the three discs on three separate nights but when I watch it again I'll probably do an all-nighter to keep the flow better.

John Adams (the HBO series)

We had watched this from Netflix and liked it so much we bought it from Amazon. Now we're sharing it with our grown children. The series makes the history come alive and the people more real. It was wonderful.

Missing Disc

When we went to view the DVD, we found two disc 2's and no disc3. Amazon fixed the problem, but what a pain.

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