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DVD : John Adams (HBO Miniseries)In association with Amazon.com 
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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 Label: HBO Manufacturer: HBO 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 Sales Rank: 3 MPN: 1000038820 Related Items: 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:  - A Great Presentation of the Adams's LivesI just finished watching HBO miniseries "John Adams"--based on the book by David McCullough--on DVD and I must say, I thought it was excellent. The movie does a great job of capturing the life of John Adams and his relationships with his wife Abigail and his friend and fellow revolutionary Thomas Jefferson. The miniseries follows Adams from the Boston Massacre to his death at his home in 1826. It covers all of the periods of Adams' life, and the Revolutionary War period is treat with as much importance ... Read More Rating: - Outstanding Story of One of America's Founding FathersI happily give this mini-series five stars. This epic tale of John Adams covers the beginning, middle and end of his life. It not only tells of the well known historical areas of his life. But the happy and sad areas of his life and all those that touched his life. The remarkable wife and best friend, Abagail Adams, stands by him through thick and thin. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Benjamin Franklin and so many, many more come to life for us thanks to HBO Films and Play Tone. I recommend that anyone ... Read More Rating: - John AdamsJohn Adams (HBO Miniseries) We really liked John Adams. It was very well done. We watched with enthusiam and interest. Very warming, very informative. Rating: - Brings our first 50 years to life - best if you already know the timesMakes Adams, Franklin Hamilton, and Jefferson into three dimensional people. It shows how divergent their approaches were; they weren't perfect. They each had a little piece of what our country became. Each by himself might have been a disaster for the country. Watching this drew on all the contextual knowledge I have of the tiny glimpses it gives of the times, and made me hunger for more. My wife and I were constantly exchanging whatever insights we had on why each was doing what he did, then looking up more background. Rating: - Makes Me Proud to Be An AmericanI can't add much to what's already been mentioned by previous reviewers, but I would definitely encourage people to see this as something separate from the book (I'm reading the book now after watching the series). My only complaint is the "angle shooting" that's been mentioned before...it gets a bit annoying at times but isn't too bad. Overall, though, a magnificent series and I wish more television programming was like it. If you're an American, just watching the end of the "Independence" episode (from the vote through ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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