The_Heretic

Anyone watched these first two chapters of the mini-series? The scenery is the most real of any movie on the American Revolution, what with the mud, the candle lighting and the fact that people aren't pleasant even indoors in a time without air conditioning. And despite the over-dunnit of the subject there's some surprises as well as a sense not knowing the outcome.

Best of all is the dialogue:

John Adams, "Don't you believe in saying what you think?"

Benjamin Frankling, "No, I do not. Much of man's misery comes from thinking aloud. What you did, aside from making yourself feel better, is insult him. In pubilc. You insulted him publically."

Adams, "Should I have insulted him privately?"

Franklin, "It's best to insult people in private and some will even thank you for it later. You, Mr. Adams, are a guest in Philidelphia. Fish and guests... stink after three days."

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John McCain: "He's in Iraq... with a few centuries to kill."





You won't fight for the Bill of Right? Fine! I won't fight for you in the ballot box!

VKMHVM2

Tom Hanks is one of the producers. Good stuff. I really enjoyed the first two chapters "Join or Die" and "Independence". A new chapter will air on HBO every Sunday night up until the finale on April 20th.

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It's All Here!

Dr. Albert Pastore: An Independent Investigation of 9-11 and the War on Terrorism

Kanadesaga

Excellent program. This is what HBo can do when it tries. Instead of the crap they have now and the excellent time period pieces they had before. Deadwood and Rome, both excellent. fucking Milch!

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"I take time when I'm prowlin', an' wipe my tracks out with my tail
Get home, get blue an' start howlin', an' the hellhound on my trail"

The_Heretic

I screwde up a couple lines of dialogue. One is where about speaking what he thinks, Franklin instead says, "No, I'm very much against it." And the other it that he says, "When you insult people in public they tend to think you are serious."

The scenery is fantastic and that includes the brilliant blurring of CGI into their set construction. Plus, while I knew the soldiers of the Boston "Massacre" were provoked by the mob throwing clubs and [not mentioned in the show] broken bottles and didn't fire until then, I did not know it was John Adams who defended them in court, eventually producing an acquital based on the rule of law. This principle which the British stripped away despite justice being served, is what clearly pushes John Adams toward independence, particularly when it strikes him so closely to home.

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John McCain: "He's in Iraq... with a few centuries to kill."





You won't fight for the Bill of Right? Fine! I won't fight for you in the ballot box!

Kanadesaga

I have only one detraction. No one ever said "The British are Marching on Concord." Considering that until actual hostilities were underway, they all considered themselves "British". More likely it was " the regulars are marching..." perhaps even "the lobsterbacks......" but it wouldn't have been "British".

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"I take time when I'm prowlin', an' wipe my tracks out with my tail
Get home, get blue an' start howlin', an' the hellhound on my trail"

The_Heretic

The thing about Concord that also isn't addressed is that the British soldiers were in the process of turning back, because the commander didn't want an incident, when a shot rang out and induced a firefight. To this day no one knows where teh shot came from, but with the soldiers marching away it's unlikely to have been them.

__________________

John McCain: "He's in Iraq... with a few centuries to kill."





You won't fight for the Bill of Right? Fine! I won't fight for you in the ballot box!

JeffinCO

I saw one of the series last night, where they were voting on independence..

I like the acting very very much, the sets are wonderful, there certainly is a wonderful realism + dialogue.

...+ I had no idea that while John Adams was fighting to create our country, that his family was home fighting smallpox. (Talk about a sacrifice).. The bit when they were first reading Thomas Jeffersons declaration really choked me up.

Much like Band of Brothers, and From the Earth to the Moon, it looks like Tom Hanks and HBO have not only another winner, but another very important peek into history.

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"Oh, what a lovely little.."

djack

I would have cut the extensive small pox scenes. That did nothing to tell the story. Sort of like telling the history of San Francisco by showing people dying with AIDS or hippies ODing on Haight-Asbury. I mean we know they had death and disease. I just don't care for graphic boil covered kids.
Otherwise excellent. The whole cast was great I thought. Especially Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.
Politics were just as screwed up but at least congress was small and free of lobbyists. Or not so many lobbyists at least.

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julia

An interesting point about the Am Rev made by Howard Zinn is that 1/3 of ppl were for, 1/3 were against, and 1/3 were barely getting by to care. My how things have changed.

The_Heretic

Abigail Adams was known to be a strong woman and an important counterbalance to John Adams' own personal faults, but this show really demonstrates her strength of will, intellect and wit.

Actually it was closer to 20% revolution, 20% Tory and 60% "uncommitted." Some of the bloodiest fights are between pro/anti-revolution colonist partisans, particularly in the south.

__________________

John McCain: "He's in Iraq... with a few centuries to kill."





You won't fight for the Bill of Right? Fine! I won't fight for you in the ballot box!