John Adams - HBO miniseries

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p51-mustang
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John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by p51-mustang »

My wife got me the 7 dvd set of the HBO miniseries of John Adams. I heard our local patriotic radio show talk about how excellent they are so I asked her to get them for Christmas. So far I have watched disc 1 that has 2 segments on it. Segment 2 ends with the debate about wether to split from England and declare independence. They vote to split and the declaration is signed. The founders read the declaration to the crowd and at the end say "god save our American nation". It is really inspiring!

Check it out, it is really well done and reminds us of how far we have strayed from these great Patriots.

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WYp8riot
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by WYp8riot »

keep sharing insights as you watch those please.

-Paul

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Spence
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by Spence »

I would discourage people from watching it. If you want to know about John Adams, read the book. If you want Hollywood interpretation and bashing of John Adams watch the movie. It also has full frontal male nudity, so not for childrens eyes.

I watched up until Abby arrived in France, I then turned if off after it left a disgusting taste in my mouth. Again, read the books, avoid the miniseries. Paul Giamatti (John Adams actor) said something to the effect of, "John Adams, What a disgusting man."

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WYp8riot
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by WYp8riot »

Spence wrote:I would discourage people from watching it. If you want to know about John Adams, read the book. If you want Hollywood interpretation and bashing of John Adams watch the movie. It also has full frontal male nudity, so not for childrens eyes.

I watched up until Abby arrived in France, I then turned if off after it left a disgusting taste in my mouth. Again, read the books, avoid the miniseries. Paul Giamatti (John Adams actor) said something to the effect of, "John Adams, What a disgusting man."
I don't know what it is. So is it one of those smear the founders, misinfo hit pieces?

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Mosby
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by Mosby »

HBO? Truth? Reality? I would steer as far away from that organization as possible. Can good fruit come from a corrupt tree?

I recommend reading some older books on John Adams to get a more accurate version of his life- rather than the HBO treatment.

p51-mustang
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by p51-mustang »

I have seen the first 5 parts so far. To now it has seemed pretty fair although I admit that I dont know alot about Adams so I dont know if it is accurate or not. I wasnt happy about them showing the naked man in one part. That is just plain stupid to put that in there, adds nothing to the movie. I'll let you know how it turns out as I watch it.

Thansk for the input on this, i will consider your advice as I watch it and be on guard for falsehoods.

p51-mustang
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by p51-mustang »

I dont see it as a hit piece. He shown as a bit austere and stubborn and brash, but overall so far he is portrayed fairly positively. Maybe I am missing something.

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Spence
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by Spence »

Mustang, It's not a bad documentary, it just left a dirty taste in my mouth. I couldn't stomach it after Abby arrived in England, I turned it off.

It was the episode after they showed Ben Franklin in the tub with that woman. Yes, she bathed while he was in the room. I don't remember him ever being in their with her though. Plus, I am pretty sure his wife was dead. Which they never made clear, at least in that episode.

Not that they were trying to portray them as worse than you or I, but none the better. Which I disagree with. Yes, they were flawed, but their mission was set out before the came here and the accomplished that mission and we owe them all a debt of gratitude. I just felt they were trying to portray the founding fathers as just everyday folk and focused too much on their flaws rather than their strengths.

p51-mustang
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by p51-mustang »

I finished watching it and on balance I learned alot from it. I think overall it was pretty good. They did show a bit much of the mens flaws but flaws are the the reality for all of us. The Part where Franklin and Adams are in France was a little wierd, the people with the white make up and all. But all of that seemed to reflect the reality in France at that time. The people were decadent. I think they did a pretty good job with Washingtons portrayal presenting him in a positive light. All in all I recommend the miniseries. Each of you will no doubt have a different take on it.

lavaman
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by lavaman »

I've seen the first two segments up to now. Thanks for the warning on the France section. Maybe I'll skip through that. I have the book on the shelf but havn't gotten to it yet. Now I think I'll just start reading it instead. I can forgive a man for his flaws because I believe he did a good thing.

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Quiet Cricket
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Re: John Adams - HBO miniseries

Post by Quiet Cricket »

I thought the series was inspiring and I am glad they made it. No miniseries can capture all of the information to make it totally accurate. However, it was irritating that they seemed to make it a point to show the flaws of Franklin; I'm not sure how much of was accurate (the bathtub scene and such). The only problem I see is people watching it as the only source of info on the subject, which should never be done anyway so it doesn't bug me that it is too vague to capture the full greatness of American History.
I really liked the music.
Unlike some here, I enjoyed the France scenes because it made me think about how sensual we are currently in our culture. It is rather disturbing though.
I recommend watching it. If nothing else watch the intro on YouTube to listen to the music and look at the remakes of the patriotic flags, pretty cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6DPeCXV5bI

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