|
- Any item sold by Amazon.com may be ordered through Amazing Refund.
- If the Amazon.com price of the item drops within thirty days of your purchase, you receive email with instructions on how to claim a refund for the price difference.
- All orders are processed and shipped by Amazon.com
|
|
|
John Adams (HBO Miniseries) | 
 enlarge
| Actors: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
Studio: HBO
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $36.99
You Save: $23.00 (38%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  343 reviews
Sales Rank: 21
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): 1
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
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping Details
Usually ships in 24 hours
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
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. However, 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, 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. However, the process isn't easy: not every one of the 13 colonies-turned-states is ready to incur the wrath of England, 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. However, 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, his difficult, almost symbiotic relationship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) over decades. Giamatti, of course, has to carry much of the drama, 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, above all Tom Wilkinson as a complex but indispensable Ben Franklin. --Tom Keogh
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 338 more reviews...
 Sorry campers, however I can't agree with you... March 24, 2008
346 out of 400 found this review helpful
I have not had the opportunity to view the entire series, as several of the other reviewers have. I am viewing the episodes one by one as they unspool on HBO. Nor have I yet read Mr. McCullough's undoubtedly excellent book. However, I have studied both John and Abigail Adams for a number of years. I have read multiple volumes, viewed many different presentations, have visited both the Adams home and the Untarian church where both John and John Quincy Adams are entombed with their respective spouses. I have found this series to be an excellent depiction of the lives, contributions and sacrifices of John and Abigail Adams. It is true that a number of details of their stories are not represented, however I understand that such films must concentrate on dramatic high points and haven't enough time to get it all in there. I personally have no problem with the cinematography...yes, it is a bit murky, however so were many details of life at that time. I rather like the score, feel that both Mr. Giamatti and Ms. Linney gave excellent performances. These characters so vital to our history were underappreciated in both their time and our own, I hope that this series will help to bring them some of the consideration they so richly deserve. I intend to purchase this DVD set when it is released and add it as another version of the lives of this facinating couple.
 John Adams (HBO Miniseries) April 15, 2008
171 out of 188 found this review helpful
I read David McCullough's GREAT book in anticipation of this miniseries. McCullough painted a picture of a man and a time that I found fascinating; a picture of a hardworking, sensitive (maybe mildly obsessive-compulsive in terms of his emotional high and lows) genius. I found the first few episodes excellent, albeit different from the book. It is the last few episodes that really have affected my view on this series.
The series insists on focusing on Adams' lows. It seems the writers took all the depressing elements of McCullough's book, which were few, magnified those to center stage. For instance, John Adams' alcoholic son Charles has a major part in the series, however played a relatively minor role in the book. The mudslinging between Jefferson and Adams in Adams' second election for president was jettisoned for the Charles Adams storyline. Also, Adams, presented by McCullough, was a good natured man with a self-deprecating sense of humor. In the series he seems to live in misery.
They also took scenes that were generally upbeat and made them darker. When Adams meets King George III (in my opinion the climax of the story - or at least the first half of the story) in the book, the King is very polite and friendly (much like his portrayal in The Madness of King George III). He smiled a lot and made Adams more comfortable, if not less in awe. In the series the King is just plain weird. I can only guess the filmmakers were hinting at King George's future illness/madness. It's almost as if this series is based on another book about John Adams - a darker book. This series really missed the tone of McCullough's great book.
Still -- divorcing myself from the book -- I find this series is well-made and held my attention. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are very good. My advice would be to watch the series first, then read the book for a much more uplifting story.
 Takes you to that heady time March 31, 2008
97 out of 104 found this review helpful
Like many others, I am seeing the series as they come out on HBO, have yet to read the book (which I intend to at some point). The series features great acting, poignant scenes, memorable oratory. However, what really got me was how it transported you to that time, when life was a series of great heroics, however was also harsh, gritty, so unforgiving. The series kept sending me to try and research different historial events that I remembered fleetingly reading about, in one line or a few paragraphs during unfortunately uninspiring history classes of many years ago. The concept of being "tarred and feathered" took a whole new dimension for me, as the brutality of that era touched everyone, rightly or wrongly. I am sure I would have more to say once I have finished seeing the series, however I cannot stop thinking about the different scenes. I recommend it to everyone very highly, can't wait for the DVD to come out.
An Exciting Story July 30, 2008
79 out of 83 found this review helpful
Each night I turned on the HBO feature anxious to see a good dramatic series, learn about my country's struggle for life through one its most underrated founding fathers, John Adams.
Paul Giamatti's performance in the title role is much in dispute as he, like many other actors, seems to play himself as much as his character. He turns from a loving father to the lawyer and representative who sometimes looks apoplectic rather than just an angry or fiery patriot. Much to his credit, I felt the John Adams of later years on subsequent episodes was extremely well-acted.
Abigail Adams is played by Laura Linney, her performance is superb and not the least in dispute. From the first moment, she is thoroughly credible as the vivacious lover, friend, confidante, advisor, wife of John Adams. Her acting here should garner her an Emmy. The actors protraying Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson turned in stellar performances.
Many complain that this did not follow the book of the same title, was not true to history exactly. To the first query the answer is what does? To the second, it is a well-written and well-acted drama that deserves our attention.
The series begins with the Boston Massacre and John Adams representing the British soldiers. With his successful defense, he is noticed by the Crown and the colonials who are striving for independence. Adams chooses independence over service to the king, we see him as representative, foreign minister, beggar and borrower, ambassador, vice president, president. His one anchor through these assignments and occupations in the struggle of a new nation is his love and respect for his wife, Abigail whom he always refers to as "my friend." The letters between the two is one constant that sustains their love through loneliness of separation, as Mr. Adams is more often away than home.
Particularly touching is the drab existence they share in an uncompleted White House, the grief John Adams suffers from the loss of his Abigail, his renewed friendship with Thomas Jefferson, his dying belief that his friend survives him, even though Jefferson died three hours earlier. In one of the ironies of our history, both men died exactly fifty years to the day, after July 4, 1776.
This story ends with both Abigail and John Adams quoting letters of their love for each other and a young nation, as they ascend a hill together and look out over their country. They hope that they will be able to see future generations of Americans, from heaven, wonder if they will deserve the sacrifice and freedom they have given them.
So do I.
A POWERFUL LOOK AT THE LIFE OF ONE OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS! April 21, 2008
44 out of 49 found this review helpful
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography by David McCullough, "John Adams" takes an in-depth look at the life of the title character, his role in the first fifty years of the United States. From his time as a Boston lawyer, to his death on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the life of John Adams and his wife, Abigail, are told with powerful drama and epic sweep.
While the story itself is a bit slow at times (the film could definitely have used some additional music than was there), it is overall very powerful, with dramatic renditions of the events that shaped our nation. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney both give brilliant performances as John and Abigail Adams, piercing the soul of these dynamic characters. Tom Wilkinson is fascinating as Benjamin Franklin, while Stephen Dillane does a fine job as Thomas Jefferson. However, the best supporting role is David Morse, who is surprisingly effective as George Washington, portraying him with great humility, along with occasional bouts of anger, in a performance that is deserving of an Emmy. Sarah Polley, Rufus Sewell and Danny Huston also give strong performances.
"John Adams" is a remarkable miniseries that sheds light on one of the most fascinating characters of the American Revolution. Historians and non-historians alike will find much to enjoy in this epic look at one of the men who played a large role in the birth of our country.
Program/DVD Grade: A
|
|
|
| |
