"John Adams" (2008)TV series

Director:

Tom Hooper

Writers (WGA):

Kirk Ellis (written by) (part 1 "Join or Die")
Kirk Ellis (written by) (part 2 "Independence")

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

16 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Join or Die

Plot:

A miniseries on the life of John Adams and the first 50 years of the United States.

Plot Keywords:

Pennsylvania | Historical | England | 18th Century | King George III

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Paul Giamatti

...

John Adams (unknown episodes)

Also Known As:

Untitled John Adams Miniseries (USA) (working title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

A senior makeup technician fashioned a whole tray of latex stick-on smallpox sores, but only one extra dared let one be applied to his face.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Near the end of the final installment, John Adams is seen chastising painter John Trumbull for the historical inaccuracy of the 12'x18' painting, "Declaration of Independence". Adams' overall reaction was accurately depicted. The error is that Adams is shown yelling at Trumbull that the signers were not all present at one time and did not sign en masse, while Trumbull pleads artistic license. In fact, Trumbull did not intend the painting to depict the *signing* of the Declaration, at all; but rather the June 28, 1776, presentation of the draft of the document to the Continental Congress by the drafting committee composed of Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Sherman and Livingston.

Quotes:

John Adams: My thoughts are so clear to me... each one takes perfect shape within my mind. But when I speak, when I offer them to others, they seem to lose all definition.

Soundtrack:

Chester

Drama

Historically-based drama, like historical romance, is not history. Having said that, I rate this new television series somewhat high.

I like many other students of history will find fault with historical details that go astray in this presentation. I may also find fault with the manner in which some of the historical facts and characters seem overemphasized at the expense of others. But the key question is whether the story as compelling drama holds up against all that background.

For example, is the character of John Adams as played by Paul Giamatti believable? Does he seem consonant with the storyline? Are the other cast members and episodes structured so as to advance a clear image in our minds of the man and his times? I must confess I have a very different idea of what the real John Adams must have been like. But the words and actions of this drama are in and of themselves generally representative of the written record of history. As an example I cite from the most recent episode the beginnings of antagonism between Adams and Jefferson that would lead (I hope will lead!) to the very dramatic facts of their bitter enmity and eventual reconciliation before they died as old men, coincidentally on the same day. Every schoolchild needs to know what these two men stood for in the formative years of the republic, and how each one like so many politicians today felt occasionally inclined to put vanity ahead of what they truly believed. That is the makings of good drama.

So I can forget from time to time that much of this stuff is being filmed in Hungary, that Breed's Hill was not Bunker Hill, that the accents aren't right (especially undifferentiated as between the South and New England), and that the sun is almost always shining.

Instead, I concentrate more on why there is so much mumbling and whispering. My ears are not as good as they used to be.