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| John Adams (HBO Miniseries) | 
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| Actors: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
Studio: HBO
Category: DVD
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $32.00
You Save: $27.99 (47%)
New (46) Used (14) Collectible (1) from $32.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  380 reviews
Sales Rank: 10
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)
Number Of Items: 3
Running Time: 501
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.8 x 1
MPN: 1000038820
UPC: 883929020065
EAN: 0883929020065
ASIN: B000WGWQG8
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2008
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Good, the Bad and the God Awful March 20, 2008
38 out of 89 found this review helpful
The Good; Nice performances abound.
The Bad; Did the entire Revolution take place in John Adams' front yard? He hustles the kids in the house during the battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place about 25 miles away? Henry Knox just swings by with the canons from Fort Ticonderoga?
And speaking of Henry Knox, he was 26 at the time of the Revolution, the actor playing him is 45. Could be worse though, Thomas Jefferson is played by a 52 year old actor. Jefferson was 33 in 1776. Oops.
The God Awful; There is no excuse for the camera work in this film. Early in the second episode there is a shot of a house that is so insanely tilted that I actually laughed out loud. Then they cut to a dinner scene inside and jumped from one angle to another until I thought I was watching people dinning on a ship at sea. When the executives previewed this farce did it not occur to them to question shots that made it look like John and Abigail were about to slide off the bed?
Poor John Adams, will he never catch a break?
Update; This just goes from bad to worse. The happiest times in the Adams' lives were the days that John, Abigail, John Quincy and Nabby spent in Europe during Adams' SECOND diplomatic mission. After a joyous reunion in London they all went to Paris. There they learned to enjoy what the city had to offer while Thomas Jefferson helped Adams tutor young John Quincy. Instead of the joyous reunion in London we have an awkward meeting in Paris in which John and Abigail are so intimidating by the servents that they dare not even smile at one another. That is SOOO not John and Abigail!
I could understand it if a film maker decided to omit this chapter of their lives in favor of making time for events of more historic import. But why, why on earth, would you replace these true events with scenes that depict the family as deeply unhappy and make John Adams out to be an uncaring father?! Why put John and Abigail in Paris without the two children that accompanied them?
This doesn't even make sense as an effort to increase the drama. If, instead of having Adams snap at Jefferson, "You won't be meeting John Quincy!", the film makers had shown Jefferson and Adams working late into the night as they taught John Quincy geometery (which is what actually happened) then when Jefferson betrayed Adams it would have had the tragic impact that it deserved.
Adams had a temper at times but was, for the most part, an outgoing man with a great self-depricating sense of humor who was also a devoted father. This film not only fails to make that point but seems to go out of its way to portray him as a selfish and angry tyrant. What a pity.
 Work of Genius and Depiction of Historical Events Regarding our Founding Fathers October 11, 2008
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
Although the miniseries title and episodes focus on the life of John Adams, the strength of the film lies in the exceptional ensemble cast. It was impressive to see such giants as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, as well as the lesser known individuals, truly inhabited by the actors.
The challenge of the series was to breathe life into those stories and lives we know so well. The filmmakers worked closely to David McCullough's outstanding book for the details, along with the human side of the story captured in the voluminous correspondence of John and Abigail Adams. The political, military, and personal issues were all thoughtfully brought to life. The design values of the film were also superb. Nothing looked stagy or stilted in the sets and costumes, which provided an unusual authenticity of period style for television drama. With each appearance of George Washington (David Morse), it was hard not to gasp due to the believability of his character.
The drama of America's breaking from England for independence was an improbable story and one dependent on the courage and idealism of the individuals portrayed in this film. The personalities of these great figures make this program an accessible and rewarding experience for the entire family. For the patient viewer, what emerges from the John Adams miniseries is not merely a history lesson, but a drama with great relevance today. Simply put, we need more people in our country right now just like John and Abigail Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Knox, and, above all, the ordinary human beings heroically portrayed in this fine film!
A "must see" for every red-blooded American. June 2, 2008
28 out of 28 found this review helpful
John Adams: deeply principaled, no-nonsence, ornery, lawful good, brilliant, fallible, passionate founder of our country. This is the story of the unbridled defiance, the shrewd intellect, and the angry pounding fist that tore the American colonies from British rule and gave birth to one of the greatest experiments in the history of the world - the United States of America. Stunning and haunting, this is John Adams like you've never seen him. Myth and poetry have been stripped away to reveal the far-more-fascinating, truly-human story of one of the greatest men who has ever lived.
Giamatti is simply brilliant as Adams. If he doesn't win the Emmy for this, I may declare my own independance from the "dark tyranny" of the ATAS. Linney is equally wonderful in her portrayal as the groundingly sapient Abigail. Their love story is one of the greatest in American history, and it's been marvelously recaptured here.
If it's even possible to have "spoilers" for a factual historical drama, then the following might qualify, but if you want to see what each eposide covers, here's my stab at it:
Episode 1: Join or Die.
Begins with the Boston Massacre, and covers the period leading up to Adams departure for Philidelphia to represent Massachusettes in the First Continental Congress.
Episode 2: Independance.
Covers the First Continental Congress, the beginning of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord, the nomination of GW (by Adams) to serve as general of the new Continental Army, the Second Continental Congress, and Adams collaboration with Jefferson and Franklin to bring forth the Declaration of Independance.
Episode 3: Don't Tread on Me.
Covers the journey of Adams and Franklin to France to secure support against the British, Adam's tone-deaf approach to French diplomacy, his painful separation from Abigail, his dispatch to Holland (where his approach is somewhat better receive), and a terrible illness that befalls him.
Episode 4: Reunion.
Covers the defeat of the British forces, Adam's return to Paris and reunion with Abigail, his appointment to represent the new nation to the English crown, his frustrating absence from the Constitutional Convention, his return to America, and his election as Vice President.
Episode 5: Unite or Die.
Covers Adam's Vice Presidency under George Washington, the ongoing British and French conflict, his strained relationship with Jefferson over their very different ideas about how the new nation should be governed, and his narrow victory over Jefferson to become the second President.
Episode 6: Unnecessary War.
Covers Adam's uneasy presidency, including the retention of Washington's cabinet, largely controlled by Hamilton (mistake #1), the imfamous Alien and Sedition Acts (mistake #2), his arrival at the White House in the new capital of Washington (both still under construction), his estragement from his son Charles, the XYZ affair, his successful prevention of war with France, his loss of the Presidency to Jefferson, and his somber return to Massachusettes.
Episode 7: Peacefield.
Covers Adam's post-presidency, including the death of daugher Nabby, followed by Abigail, his reconciliation with Jefferson, the election of John Quincy as President, his long and introspective reflections on his life and legacy, and his death on the same day as Jefferson - the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration which they masterminded together.
I hope you enjoy this rare masterpiece as much as I did. I watched every episode as they aired, and plan to watch them all again as soon as the DVD is available. This is television at its finest, and I give it my highest recommendation.
 Not at all compelling like McCullough's Book w/ awful cinematography March 18, 2008
26 out of 82 found this review helpful
David McCullough's book John Adams was one of the best and most interesting books that I read a year or so back. What happened to the HBO treatment of it? A group of us watched all seven parts through the other evening really anticipating the event, and the consensus (but I give my own opinion) was that the translation of the book to the screen was as dry as dust and it looked it, too. John and Abigail Adams are two of America's greatest couples, and Adams was as goatheaded as a man could be. Why, then, was HBO so intent on telling a rather blah story that was even further compounded by the the camera work of Tak Fujimoto? I have to say that as a presentation, the book was followed, but not properly energized for viewing on the screen. The shots during the Continental Congress debates were unbearably dull, continually showing different head shots back and forth, at cock-eyed angles, while rhetoric was flying! This just so took away from the power of the words.
Paul Giamatti is a favorite actor of mine. I thought his look was perfect for the portly ,not overly handsome Adams. I felt as though Giamatti did not interpret Adams correctly, though. Others may disagree, but for me, Giamatti was a huge casting mistake.
The overall look, though, of the series was cheap, and with Fujimoto's truly avant-garde camera work, the editing of tilted scenes was incredibly distracting. For me, it was not so much the content as much as the presentation. I felt there was a great deal of dead time,especially in the opening two episodes.
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EXTRAORDINARY! March 23, 2008
24 out of 30 found this review helpful
I wish that everyone would take the time to watch! What a masterpiece! Ive never seen a more realistic portrayal of the beginning of this country. I have a new appreciation for the men and women who gave so much so that we could live as free as people can. Many thanks to the writer director and actors.
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