MovieChat Forums > John Adams (2008) Discussion > Adams' audience with the king

Adams' audience with the king

posted 8 years ago by pip-68017
4 replies | jump to latest

For some reason the scene where Adams has an audience with the British king always stood out to me. The king's demeanor in this scene is so.....sinisterly aloof.

I wonder if that was supposed to portray the king's anger/embarassment at having lost the colonies or if rather it was just him being "kingly" and acting above the visitor?

Does anyone know if anything historical was behind this scene (accounts of the meeting, etc...) or if this was an acting choice on behalf of the actors?

Anyone else find this scene striking?

[–] bradleybruner23 8 years ago

Yes, I found the scene to be interesting too. I remember from history class that the King would always refer to the United States as our former colonies, so I would think this scene would be him portraying his anger/embarrassment.

[–] srnumber9 8 years ago

What I love about it, is of all people to become the Ambassador to Great Britain: a man who had worked the overthrow of the British Government that in return made terms of peace and general amnesty to the Rebels the chance to hang him and his cousin!

Diplomacy can't always be accomplished between people that like each other, maybe this is when it would make the least difference.

-sometimes it's just people who have resolved to tolerate each other for the greater good.

[–] BeaSouth (3474) 4 years ago

It was my favorite scene in the miniseries and was historically accurate according to the many books I’ve read on the war and the founding fathers. I thought the scene extraordinary because it showed the King and the first American ambassador taking a step back after the violent and emotional split, reassessing a damaged relationship, and making a pragmatic decision to start a new relationship with humility and good faith. Nearly 240 years later the U.S. and U.K. remain perhaps the two closest allies in the world. It is quite a remarkable relationship that cannot be alone explained by the relatively limited common ancestry.

[–] Nanook (1985) 3 years ago

There are two scenes from this excellent mini-series that I watch regularly: the reading of the Declaration of Independence and this. Both men displaying many layers of interaction verbally and non-, and it's enthralling every time.