On our vacation I bought the DVD series John Adams
starring Paul Giamatti that HBO Films produced. About six years ago I read the biography by author David McCullough
that the film is based on. I greatly enjoyed both the book and the film. In fact watching the film made me want to go back and read the book again. (One note of caution to parents: in the film there is a very graphic scene of a man being tarred and feathered and one romantic scene between Adams and his wife that wouldn't be appropriate for young children.) There were many memorable lines, but one of my favorites is when Adams is being applauded by a crowd in Boston. He wisely observes, "A mob is a mob, even if they're with you."
Have you read the book? Have you seen the miniseries? Do you think the film did Mr. Adams justice?
Comments (13)
This was my husband's Father Day gift this year and we just finished watching it. Overall - it was outstanding! I agree with the two scenes you mentioned - I would add the one in which the daughter has surgery due to breast cancer.
We were struck with how time away from his family greatly affected his children in different ways - when he arrived home from overseas after nearly eight years away(may have been more - unsure) - he didn't know his children any more and they, in turn, were starved for affection from their father - very sad! Serves as a good warning . . . .
Posted by Ruthanne | June 30, 2008 2:43 PM
Josh - thanks for the recommendation. I can't wait to see the DVDs.
Posted by Eric | June 30, 2008 6:51 PM
I agree that the book and movie are both very good (aside from the two scenes you described - unfortunate that they felt the need to depict them the way they did).
I also recommend McCullough's book 1776.
Posted by Ken | June 30, 2008 7:29 PM
I bought this for Jason for Father's Day. He loved the book. We are watching it a bit at a time and so far we both really like it.
Posted by Laurie | July 1, 2008 2:48 PM
As many, My wife and I just finished the series and plan on buying it soon. All around great movie series, great acting, and timeless insight (even though it is fictional) into the life and circumstance in which this great nation was birthed. I hope they make a movie out of 1776!
As one the hasn't read the book, is there anything that the movie left out that the book did a better job of? I know it is usually true that the book is always better than the movie, but I would love to hear from people that have read and seen it.
Posted by D. Taylor Benton | July 1, 2008 5:16 PM
I'm reading it now, actually. Been wanting to for a long time, and finally picked it up at the library. Haven't seen the movie, though I'd like to eventually.
Posted by Alex | July 1, 2008 9:53 PM
Thanks for the high thoughts on the series. I'd been debating watching this for a while now, but so much of HBO is just trashy. I'll have to check this series out.
Posted by Tim Ambrose | July 2, 2008 12:58 AM
I read a biography of Abigail Adams while my husband and I were watching this miniseries. I was struck by how the movie had to condense segments of his life (it also changed some facts). For example, John Adams made several trips to France, the first which included John Quincy and another which included JQ and Charles. Also, when Abigail went to join John in France, she took Nabby along with her (Nabby was married in London). So I felt that the "John Adams neglected his children" angle was slightly distorted.
Posted by Andrea C. | July 2, 2008 6:29 AM
I read the book several years ago and loved it. Adams has been my favorite founding father since I first read "Our Sacred Honor" by Bill Bennett years ago. That was before I had even met my wife. I was captivated by the romance between him and Abigail, and longed for the kind of relationship they shared. Now I've been blessed with a wonderful wife and I'm still a fan of Adams.
We don't have TV at all, let alone cable, so I wasn't able to watch the series when it ran. I've been considering the DVDs.
With what's being said about it here, I think I'll take the plunge.
Posted by Brance Gillihan | July 4, 2008 6:04 AM
Thanks for the recommendation. We started it on the weekend of the fourth.
It was a great series but I think you should also warn parents that their is female nudity which involves surgery in the final episode. Dudes and children should probably not watch that scene.
Posted by Tony | July 9, 2008 8:31 AM
I read the book and greatly benefited from it. The John and Abigail have long been my favorite founding couple and this book only increased my respect for them.
Posted by EM | July 14, 2008 2:51 AM
Mr. Harris, I was just checking out your blog for the first time and my family and I just about went crazy when we saw there was a posting about the John Adams miniseries!! We are in the midst of it now (6-7th episode) and are very fascinated by it. Both my parents read the biography of John Adams and I, a fan of several HBO miniseries (most notably Band of Brothers), was immediately intrigued when I first saw advertisements for this series, especially as I have experienced a recent growing interest in the events and people involved in the construction of our nation.
What has been especially novel to me about the series is the depiction of various founding fathers and the deviation from common modern perceptions of them. For instance, the portrayal of George Washington as a quiet, pensive individual as opposed to the more flamboyant and extroverted characterization by Barry Bostwick in the 1984 miniseries "George Washington" was creative and perhaps more historically accurate.
Another element that struck me as interesting was the depiction of Benjamin Franklin's loose and rather hedonistic behavior during his and Adams's trip to France. This was also described in the book. It was exciting to see Adams's desire to turn from the available temptations and instead focus on and devote himself to the real reasons that he and Franklin were supposed to be there. I found his integrity and faithfulness to his wife throughout all of this inspiring!
Posted by Malcolm Royer | July 28, 2008 11:05 PM
I got this DVD set for my birthday and love it! It's great to see a founding father get some of the attention he deserves for the work he put into forming our government. I agree with your caution on the scenes for children. Additionally, there are some medical-related scenes that may be a bit much for children.. Nabby's masectomy and the leg amputation scene.
Posted by LAA and Family | July 30, 2008 8:08 AM