The film Text copyright (c) Filmverdict 2006-present. Any film titles and artwork used are copyright of their respective owners.
John Adams is the story of the titular 2nd President of the United States, a man who has been largely overlooked in the nation's history, and who had a reputation for being grumpy and stubborn. The presidents directly before and after him (George Washington and Thomas Jefferson) are heroes of folkloric proportions, with their faces adorning bank notes and carved into mountainsides, yet Adams is barely known at all. The miniseries, based on David McCullough's bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, attempts to rectify the situation. Certainly, after watching the entire miniseries, most viewers will not only possess a newfound admiration for the man but also feel like they know him. The series paints a superbly vivid portrait of Adams and the tumultuous times in which he lived, bringing US history to life more convincingly than ever before.
HBO's miniseries are always lavish affairs that boast wonderful production values. John Adams is a case in point. With a production budget in the region of $100 million, it puts many a feature film in the shade in terms of visual appeal and authenticity. But it also makes maximum use of the particular advantages of the miniseries medium, namely the running time: over a period of eight hours it is able to tell a deep, complex and naturally paced story, while building an immense emotional connection to the characters (the final episode in particular is a barrage of poignant, moving lump-in-throat moments). But even in eight hours it does not try to tell the whole life of John Adams, instead spanning the period from 1770 - when Adams, a lawyer by trade, defended a group of British soldiers accused of massacring civilians in Boston - to his death in 1826. It works beautifully.
Three of the series' record 13 Emmy wins were for acting. In the lead role, Paul Giamatti is a powerhouse, giving surely his best performance yet. Adams is a wonderfully complex role and Giamatti grasps it with aplomb, brilliantly capturing the contrasting sides of the man's personality. His Adams is a man with very human flaws but also hugely admirable ideals which he pursues with true passion. His moral compass is provided by his wife and lifelong companion Abigail (Laura Linney), whose unfailing commitment to each other - despite some difficulties - provides the emotive backbone for the series around which all the momentous nation-shaping events occur. The third acting Emmy was won by Tom Wilkinson, who plays the estimable Benjamin Franklin with scene-stealing vigour. There are many other actors, too, who deserve much praise; they include David Morse, uncanny as Gen. Washington, and Stephen Dillane as Adams' friend/political rival Jefferson.
As with its protagonist, the miniseries does have flaws. Although $100 millions sounds like a lot of money, it is spread between seven episodes rather than just two hours that a film would have to play with. That means that, very occasionally, budgetary constraints are visible. Several passages are very talky and some of the sets are, although probably historically accurate, rather drab and uninteresting, which sometimes diminishes the excitement. The British director, Tom Hooper, seemingly attempts to compensate by making excessive use of skewed "Dutch" camera angles which for the most part are completely unmotivated and therefore just distract and irritate. Yet at other times the show is wonderfully shot and looks sumptuous. In general, the unwelcome directorial flourishes are tolerable. Also, at times, the narrative jumps in time rather abruptly, without so much as a caption; it's understandable given the number of years the show covers, but still occasionally jarring.
It would be natural to assume that the event around which the series hinges is the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and that is correct to an extent, yet this occurs in just the second episode. Thereafter Adams is dispatched as a political envoy first to Louis XVI's court of Versailles in France, then to England to meet former colonial ruler King George III. Adams' posting to Europe means that he misses most of the War of Independence, but these events which sound undramatic actually form arguably the best episodes of the series. In particular, the scene involving George III (played with amazing intensity by a cameoing Tom Hollander) is acted and filmed so perfectly that it is possibly the single highlight of the whole miniseries. Conversely, the sixth episode, the one that focuses on Adams' single term as the boss, is one of the less interesting, although still engrossing. However, the aforementioned seventh and final instalment, "Peacefields", is truly beautiful and tremendously moving, confirming the immense quality of the series.
The extras
While there are unfortunately no commentaries, there is a text trivia option that flashes up historical nuggets at relevant times and provides some interest. There are also two documentaries housed on the third disc. The first, "Painting with Words", is a loving 40-minute documentary about writer David McCullough, who proves to be an extremely engaging interviewee. McCullough also appears in the 30-minute Making Of, which covers many of the bases you'd expect, including locations, historical authenticity and visual effects. More would have been welcome, but it's not a terrible selection.
The summary
Excellent in every department, John Adams is a quality production boasting a top notch cast. Most importantly, it succeeds in getting under the skin of the man. Anyone with even a passing interest in US history or politics, or even just fans of a good yarn, owe it to themselves to see this.
Agree? Disagree? Say so in the Guestbook!