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John Adams (Miniseries)
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Starring: Paul Giamatti
Genre:
Drama
Run Time: 501 min.
Release Date:
March 2008
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
How much do you know about
John Adams? I mean really know? If you’re Pulitzer Prize winning author
David McCullough, you know enough to share this enigmatic former
President with the world.
Not much of a congenial man, nor known to hold his tongue in tight
situations, Adams has often been brushed aside by historians in favor of
the more famous George Washington (played here by David Morse,
16 BLOCKS)
and Declaration of Independence creator Thomas Jefferson (played by
Stephen Dillane,
THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED). Even Ben Franklin (Tom
Wilkinson, MICHAEL CLAYTON) has more political notoriety than poor Mr.
Adams. But Adams is so incredibly important to our nation that he
deserves much more notice, and thanks to Mr. McCullough’s astounding
novel, there’s been a resurgence in interest to the former President,
thus this new miniseries by HBO.
Paul Giamatti (LADY IN THE WATER) stars as John Adams, the first
Vice-President (Did you remember that?) and the second President of
these United States (Did you remember that, too?). His trail to fame and
Presidential glory is paved with danger, disease, love, and loss.
Giamatti’s performance is especially notable in that he pulls off a “man
of the times” role in effortless fashion. It didn’t hurt, either, that
the costumes were exquisitely done, the sets dirty, muddy and generally
what one would expect to see around the mid-late-and-post 1700s. Adams
lived to a ripe old age, too, of 91 (a good run in any era). During his
lifetime he will be witness to the Boston Massacre, the Revolution
against Great Britain, become the first minister to Britain after the
U.S. gained its independence, and serve as Vice-President and President.
A life not ordinary. Especially when you consider the nature of the man:
broodish, quick to anger, stubborn in decision-making. But his temper
was ...tempered by a friendship that would last a lifetime. And I’m not
talking about his well-known association with Thomas Jefferson. I’m
talking about the person whom he called “My dearest friend.” Of course,
this was Abigail Adams (played with exceptional poise by Laura Linney,
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE), his dedicated wife and stalwart confidant. The
two were opposite sides of the same coin and proved to be a formidable
pairing. When John was angry, Abigail calmed him. When he was writing,
Abigail was his editor. When he was away from home (often), she took
care of the children, the farm ...everything.
Although this miniseries didn’t incorporate all that John Adams was (how
could it?), it did perform the prerequisite of showing us a glimpse of a
man and how he battled the developing politics of his new country while
trying to be the patriarchal leader of his extended family. Being a beer
drinking man myself, I couldn’t help but pay closer attention whenever
Samuel Adams (John Adams’ cousin) was mentioned or showed up on screen
(played by Danny Huston,
30 DAYS OF NIGHT). Although just a side-note by
comparison to the rest of the film, it is topical to mention that John
Adams’ son, John Quincy Adams (Ebon Moss-Bachrach,
THE LAKE HOUSE), was
the first son of a former President to become President himself (but I
think he did a tad better at it than our current
‘son-of-a-former-President’). These touched-on items added more
historical depth to the story and made the viewing audience equally
enamored with John Adams even if the man himself was the complete
opposite.
This seven part miniseries is exceptional with costumes and sets that
play the part just as well as the actors themselves. And if you’ve
forgotten about John Adams’ past, well, this is a nice refresher.
(back to top) |
Image from John Adams
(Miniseries)
DVD cost: $36.86
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Just as fashion from 1960
differs from that of 1970 and 1980, so clothing changed in early
America. Wardrobe staff papered their workspace walls with research
diagrams showing the changes in clothing style from the 1790's to the
1800's to the 1820's: waistcoat, collar, bustle, wig, hat, and hemline
sizes adjusting over the years. Some costume props would be rejected on
authenticity grounds: "no no no wrong year."
Movie Quote: "My
thoughts are so clear to me... each one takes perfect shape within my
mind. But when I speak, when I offer them to others, they seem to lose
all definition."
Other Actors/Actresses
from John Adams (Miniseries)
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