Epicurus.com - John Adams (HBO Miniseries)

	List Price: $59.99 Our Price: $38.99 Your Save: $ 21.00 ( 35% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: HBO Starring: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
Average Customer Rating:
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 0883929020065 Format: Box set Label: HBO Manufacturer: HBO Number Of Items: 3 Publisher: HBO Region Code: 1 Release Date: 2008-06-10 Running Time: 501 Studio: HBO Theatrical Release Date: 2008-03-16
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Editorial Reviews: 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
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: John Adams is worth it Comment: Excellent acting, wonderful costumes and sets and a great script makes this mini-series thoroughly enjoyable. Laura Linney's performance is worth it alone. Customer Rating: Summary: Surprisingly great, even from libertarian perspective Comment: As a libertarian, I am not a fan of John Adams nor of statist hagiographer David McCullough. I read McCullough's Truman at the urging of my grandfather and found it to be boring and ridiculously aggrandizing of the state, the presidency, and Truman the man. I had no intention of watching this HBO miniseries but did so, reluctantly, at the urging of my father-in-law. He certainly gave better advice than my granddad! Words cannot properly express how much I enjoyed this production. It is, without a doubt, the best historical film I've ever seen. I was worried that the founders would be portrayed as saints with little serious disagreement among them, but this was not the case at all. In fact, the miniseries pretty much follows the hardcore Jeffersonian line, depicting Washington as a Hamiltonian pawn and Adams as a Big Government centralist and possibly even monarchist. Adams is portrayed favorably, nonetheless, which it is quite likely is deserved. A man can be honorable and hold on strongly to wrongheaded ideas. Adams was an authoritarian and the miniseries does nothing to disabuse the viewer of this notion. Jefferson was for liberty, although his faults are accurately portrayed as well. For one, there is his imprudent support of the French Revolution, and on a more esoterically constitutional level, Adams is shown mocking Jefferson's contradictory support of the Louisiana Purchase -- which libertarians and paleocons perceive to be a gross abandonment of Jeffersonian principles and the first act of American Imperialism. Where Adams and Jefferson can find agreement is in their utter contempt for proto-neocon Alexander Hamilton. He is surely this miniseries' villain, whereas Adams and Jefferson are simply men of honor with radically different ideas. This presentation largely accurately depicts the formation of the United States through the time of Adams's death, as a battle of ideas. Although the pre-constitutional period is given short shrift, so are the Revolutionary and 1812 wars -- thankfully! There is no glorification of war here, and in fact, Adams's crowning achievement is keeping the U.S. out of war with France. If only modern presidents could be so motivated. Ideology aside, this production is beautifully rendered and emotionally engaging. The history is wrong in a few small and rather insignificant parts, but all in all, this is not only an immensely enjoyable viewing experience, but also extremely educational. This truly is something that could engage young minds in the ideas of our country's founding period, and thus, I recommend that it be viewed by high school government and/or American History classes. Customer Rating: Summary: John Adams DVD Comment: After watching the mini series on HBO I became so enthralled with it, I had to order the DVD (which by the way was promptly delivered to me in 3 days). This 7 hr series is so riveting in it's depiction of our founding fathers and their struggle for our country's independence; it greatly reawakened my interest in early American history. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are both outstanding and deserve Emmys for their performances. Well done !!! Customer Rating: Summary: Unnecessary nudity and poor camera technique Comment: Sadly, as in many movies based on books, the book was better. They play with the facts. The tar and feather scene shows full frontal nudity which was completely unnecessary. Unfortunately I didn't preview this before my children watched it with the family. The Boston Massacre is a pivotal event in American History. Too bad they didn't represent it accurately. Products of public school education will be easily misled. The cinematography is very poor. Many of the shots are way out of frame and the camera seems to be handheld by a person with a tremor problem. I began to get seasick. I kept wanting to change the camera frame and get a steady mount for it. I liked the acting. John and Abagail were as I imagined them to be when I read the book. The costumes and scenery made me feel as though I was observing the events first hand. This made the jittery, poorly framed scenes even more disappointing. Customer Rating: Summary: John Adams Comment: I originally watch the special on HBO, and I wanted to watch it again. I was very happy that you offered the mini series. I have watched it again, and passed it along to friends who have not had the pleasure of watching the original mini series. thank you for offering this special. More Reviews