I'm trying to watch this for Independence Day (Happy 4th of July, everyone!), and am finding it dull. Made it to the halfway point, just after Mrs. Adams joins in.
But I'm going to keep it on the DVR and give it another shot later down the road because there are some fine performances, and I am reading a lot of positive reviews.
Nothing earth-shattering, just wanted to share my thoughts.
Correction: I meant Mrs. Jefferson, not Adams.
shareI found the debates in congress to be highly interesting.
The long debate prior to taking the vote as the whether or not to take up discussing the question of independence was really good. And of course the debate between Mr. Rutledge and the others concerning whether or not to delete the slavery portions of the declaration.
When they finally got around to having a document that was acceptable to all, it was clear how painfully difficult it was to get the 13 delegations to be able to agree of the language of the Declaration.
For the most part, I felt the debates in congress were historically accurate (in a broad general sense), insightful, and interesting enough to hold my attention.
Do you find the subject matter boring or the way the film is laid out?
Does the fact that it's a musical make you feel disinterested?
Do you think you'd be interested in the same story told in a serious dramatic manner? (If so, there's an episode of HBO's John Adams series that covers the same material in a much different way, but people who are not very interested in films about history of that period might find the John Adams series boring also.)
It must be the way it's laid out...if it were because of the subject matter, or the fact it is a musical, I wouldn't have recorded it in the first place. Maybe I just wanted to go outside and get some sunshine. Sometimes even good elements just don't click for some people,but like I said, I'll eventually give it another try.
My family and I find it riveting. Especially since much of the dialogue comes from the actual writings and words spoken by the Founders. This is not fiction, it is our history!!
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Ignorance is the enemy of civilization
It succeeds in doing something you don't see happen very often: it takes a story where you KNOW the ending from the start and actually succeeds in getting some suspense out of it.
-just like in Apollo 13 there is this moment where you are sure the astronauts were killed when we've known for 44 years they got home OK!
The great history lesson in 1776 is not specific dates and events, but the idea that American Independence wasn't as clear cut as we might think. Politically. militarily, economically and any other -ally you might imagine, the odds were against it.
Maybe it's better it was a musical: this may have been a hopeful time, but it was also desperate.
I'm wondering if this film would be more entertaining for those familiar with the court proceedings. While I enjoy the performances and the costumes, I, too, found it dull, difficult to get into and not easy to follow. I ended up putting on another film because i didn't think it was a good night for this. I was too antsy and wanted something that would grab my attention. I will try again, but may read up a bit before I do. The blu-ray looks quite nice btw.
shareI have to wonder about it not being easy to follow. I first saw this film when I was about 9 years old. I wasn't particularly adept at deciphering things I didn't understand as a child and had little knowledge of the American Revolution before seeing the film. I don't recall having too much trouble following it - in fact it was my introduction to the history of the founding of the U.S. and encouraged me to learn more about it.
But perhaps that's only how I remember it. Maybe I didn't follow it very well (I'm sure that many of the historical references went right over my head), but just liked the music ... then perhaps I filled in the history gaps later in life with the "memory" that it was a movie that I enjoyed & was easy to follow.
I'm guessing some might find it hard to follow if they are initially disinterested (that would go for just about anything - if you're not interested, you're not going to pay attention and quickly lose track). As a kid, I guess I liked musicals (a real "show tune lover"!) 😉 ... so I guess I got into it quickly and didn't find it too hard to follow.
I grew up with this movie, probably watched it for the first time around 8 and watched it many times. In fact because of the knowledge I gained from it I found a mistake in my 7th grade history book. I can understand it not being to everyone's taste, but the acting is superb, and Rutledge's number is amazing and unsettling. You don't hear voices like that anymore.
sharelove this movie...when william daniels (john adams) sings "is anybody there?", is absolutely amazing!!! better words could not have been written
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