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Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 0883929020065 Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC Item Dimensions: Label: HBO Languages: Manufacturer: HBO MPN: 1000038820 Number Of Items: 3 Publisher: HBO Region Code: 1 Release Date: June 10, 2008 Running Time: 501 minutes Studio: HBO Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2008 Editorial Review: 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 Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Clunky and tediousIt is so obvious that this miniseries is trying to portray John Adams (Paul Giamatti) in the best possible light, as if he's the most enlightened man in the movement for rule of law, racial equality, and political correctness. It completely downplays his viewpoints (and those of slave owner Thomas Jefferson, who built Monticello with slave labor) that would send any modern feminist or Marxist critic into a tizzy. Because this miniseries is so worried about offending people, it comes across as disingenuous, ... Read More Rating:  - John would be pleased!I have long been an Adams fan since watching the PBS series The Adams Chronicles in the 70's. The books by Joseph Ellis (Founding Brothers, Passionate Sage, American Sphinx, and At the Creation) served to further deepen my esteem and appreciation for our second President, warts and all. The HBO mini-series John Adams is an outstanding portrayal and interpretation of David McCullough novel, bring John, his wife Abigail, and the times in which they lived and struggled vividly to life. Rating: - Well done John AdamsAmazing production that gets the history right. Acting, costumes, scenery, extras are all terrific. I enjoyed the extra about the making of the series and the interview with John McCulloch. The ability to watch each episode on successive nights was great. Glad I bought it. Rating: - Had to watch it againI'd already seen this on HBO, so I knew what to expect. This is a great miniseries, and with Amazon the price is always right. Thanks again Amazon, I'd buy anything from your site. Rating:  - Great Series!I watched this on HBO and loved it. I purchased the DVD set for my dad for fathers day. He liked it so much he watched the entire series over a weekend. The acting is great and it really follows the biography well. Enjoy! |
