HBO | 2008 | 560 mins | Not rated
I reviewed John Adams when it came out on DVD last year and now I’ve had the opportunity to look at the upcoming Blu-ray release that will hit store on June 16, 2008. If you haven’t had a chance to purchase this excellent mini-series or are looking for some quality history related programming for your Blu-ray collection, John Adams is an excellent choice.
As Benjamin Franklin lay on his deathbed in 1790, John Adams said, “The history of our Revolution will be one continued lie from one end to the other, the essence of the whole will be that Dr. Franklin’s electrical rod smote the earth and out sprang General Washington.” As it turns out, Adams wasn’t altogether incorrect. When history looks at the founding of the United States, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are often given the bulk of the credit, while the nation’s second President, John Adams is given a secondary role in the birth of a nation.
HBO’s seven part mini-series John Adams seeks to change that perception. The mini-series is based on historian David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning opus. Even at seven hours, the mini-series couldn’t possible give viewers the entire story of how America became a nation. And since the series is about John Adams, other seminal figures seem to get short shrift, while much credit is given to Adams. Because of time constraints, some events happen off camera and are simply referred to later on. In an effort to get all the main points across, Paul Giamatti (in an Emmy worthy performance as John Adams), is occasionally burdened with some clunky dialogue that forces him to use, “no taxation without representation” as part of his normal conversation. While the style is a bit off putting at the start, it does give the audience a sense of the political climate of the period, and does a pretty good job at laying the groundwork for what’s to come.
Adams was a lawyer and a farmer who believed that the law was “the great equalizer.” He believed that law was designed to topple corrupt men and build up the weak. In his final address to the court when he defended soldiers accused of firing unprovoked shots during the Boston Massacre, Adams said, “The law…will not bend to the uncertain wishes, imaginations and wanton tempers of men…On the one hand it is inexorable to the cries and lamentations of the prisoners; on the other it is deaf, deaf as an adder, to the clamors of the populace.” And so, a politician was born.
It is made clear from the start that Adams’ anchor in life, his wife Abigail (another Emmy worthy performance by Laura Linney) is the person who keeps his ego in check when he’s flying to high and assures him he is doing the right thing in his darkest hours. She is always there to steer him in the right direction when his speeches are to egotistical or just off the mark. The couple also seemed to adore each other sexually, as shown in a scene where John enraptures Abigail, dress and all, after months apart.
Fresh off his successful defense of the Boston massacre soldiers, Adams heads to Philadelphia, where he serves as a delegate for Massachusetts in the first Continental Congress. Adams attends hoping to persuade the representatives from the other colonies to support independence from Britain. However, with the passage of the Intolerable Acts–which included the Boston port act, which closed Boston to trade–Adams could find little support for his cause. Only after shots are fired in Lexington and Concord, is he able to make a convincing case for independence to the Congress.
For all his good deeds, John Adams comes across as a fairly boorish man, not cut out for the role of a hero. Giamatti has a history of being able to play characters not necessarily comfortable within themselves. As Adams, Giamatti purses his lips and wears a worried look throughout the film. He also had a rotund figure and seemed to walk slightly bent over, as though he had the weight of the world on his back, even as a fairly young man. In contrast, George Washington (David Morse), is tall, stately and patrician looking; the perfect figure to cast as the father of the United States. Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) dashing and witty possessed a self-confidence that made him hard to ignore.
After watching John Adams, I’m sure some viewers will have a much better understanding of why a man who was the second President of the United States and a crucial part of the birth of the United States as a nation is often given less credit for his part in the country’s formation than George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. While Washington and Jefferson were charismatic (perhaps more like the politicians we know today), Adams was distant, aloof, stodgy and driven by an unrelenting sense of duty that didn’t always enable him to work well with others, and likely cost him a second term as President.
While John Adams provides a wonderful portrait of a widely misunderstood man and there is much to like about the mini-series, there are some flaws. It is clear that the film, produced by Tom Hanks Gary Goetzman wants to give almost all the credit for independence to Adams. Of course, history tells us that, although Adams made the case for independence to Congress, it was Thomas Paine who convinced the citizens of the colonies that independence was the only option. Further, it was Thomas Jefferson who actually wrote the Declaration of Independence. Despite these inaccuracies, John Adams still serves as a fine portrait of a complex man who helped in the birth of a very complex nation.
John Adams features a 1080p/VC-1 transfer that isn’t quite as sharp as one might expect. Regardless of the episode, soft shots and spongy close-ups are an intermittent distraction, black levels are inconsistent, and contrast is unpredictable.One moment, a vibrant, three-dimensional image with fine textures galore inhabits the screen, but the next moment, a dull, lifeless mess limps into view, complete with waxy faces, squishy edges, and squint-inducing delineation. However, the transfer bests its standard DVD counterpart in every way, its palette is often a sight to behold (reds have a particularly striking intensity) and its overall detailing is commendable. More importantly, artifacting, banding, crush, and source noise are kept to an absolute minimum. Slight edge enhancement occasionally invades the proceedings but even the most severe ringing is negated by the cleanliness of the image. All things considered, John Adams’ presentation still ranks above those featured on the majority of miniseries on the market.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track lives up to its the studio’s lofty lossless standards. Dialogue is crisp, and perfectly prioritized, naturally mingling with everything from the swift breeze of a cool New England spring to the shouts of an angry mob. The rear speakers effectively recreate a variety of period interiors, all of which boast unique acoustic properties and ambient personalities. Voices freely bound about an open community hall, stomping feet smack with moist indifference in the midst of a musty meeting room, and a slew of environmental effects dissipate convincingly regardless of the season or location. Directionality grows a bit lazy during Adams’ trips abroad (a party with Franklin is haphazard and imprecise) but, for the most part, accuracy prevails and rules each episode. Moreover, rousing LFE support packs heft into every march and thunder into every cannon.
The Blu-ray edition of John Adams arrives with the same special features that graced its 2008 DVD counterpart. There are a few exclusive bonuses to be had.
• David McCullough: Painting with Words (HD, 40 minutes): A wonderful look at the life and career of David McCullough, narrated by the acclaimed author himself. He discusses his early ventures, his attraction to the Adams story, the period, America’s infancy and the actual adaptation of his book. Humble and well-spoken, McCullough is a pleasant, engaging host who never embellishes or exaggerates to prop himself up.
• The Making of John Adams (HD, 29 minutes): Informative, this multi-part behind-the-scenes documentary digs into the production of the miniseries. Covering everything from makeup to costume design, special effects to casting, and historical research to set construction, this fairly candid EPK avoids congratulatory chatter to focus on the tireless commitment and hard work that made John Adams possible.
• Enhanced Fact Tracks: Each episode also includes two interactive experiences — a pop-up Historical Guide loaded with applicable tidbits about the era, and a short series of text-based Character Biographies. They’ve been reworked to take advantage of the format and, yes, the folks at HBO have injected a bit more material into the experience as a whole, but these same fact tracks were available on the 2008 standard DVD set.
• Episode Recaps: Each episode offers “Previously On…” and “Episode Summary” options.
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