HBO: John Adams Miniseries (1 Viewer)

[Currahee Chris]

Hey fellas:

Missed the first episode but saw last nights show- anyone else watching this series. It was pretty good and it looks like there are more exciting episodes coming down the road. Last nights episode was pretty interesting to watch as you could see some of the parallels with todays issues even back then (ie, the debate in Congress over war).

Some of the scenes were pretty interesting- there was one where Ben Franklin, Adams and Thomas Jefferson were sitting in a room together, just the three of them, after Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. To have been a fly on that wall.................

Find it kind of ironic- the same actor who played Gen. Cornwallis in The Patriot is playing ol Ben in this show.

 

[Capitolron]

Chris

I thought the first two episodes were great !

HBO played both - back to back - last night starting at 8 pm EST - terrific quality and a tip of the hat to Tom Hanks - production was unbelievable !!

If you have pay-for-view watch the "Making of John Adams" it is really cool

I am sure HBO will be running #1 and #2 again this week on HBO and HBO2 - there are suppose to be 7 episodes to the series. Can't wait wait for next week.

Watching all of this makes me even more excited about the new K&C AWI releases - funny how that happens.

 

[Combat]

I remember visiting Williamsburg once and the hotel had a channel that played "1776" continuously. It was like some version of hell. How about Ken Howard (the "White Shadow") as Thomas Jefferson? Hard not to watch - like a car accident. I think it was even a musical.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Chris

I thought the first two episodes were great !

HBO played both - back to back - last night starting at 8 pm EST - terrific quality and a tip of the hat to Tom Hanks - production was unbelievable !!

If you have pay-for-view watch the "Making of John Adams" it is really cool

I am sure HBO will be running #1 and #2 again this week on HBO and HBO2 - there are suppose to be 7 episodes to the series. Can't wait wait for next week.

Watching all of this makes me even more excited about the new K&C AWI releases - funny how that happens.

Darn it- I missed the first epsidoe entirely then. Comcast looks like they are going to reshow them too with their On Demand feature. I saw the "making of" featurette last night- it was nice.

Funny thing- I said to the wife during the show- "Watching this makes me want to go and buy up more AWI figures. " She looked at me and said:

"After Saving Private Ryan it was WW2 Omaha figures, then after Band of Brothers, it was WW2 Airborne, then, after Rome, it was these Roman figures, then 300 and it was Spartans- now this and AWI figures!!"

 

[L Flowers]

Signed up for HBO specifically for this. The first two episodes are recorded and waiting to be viewed. Had to watch The Patriot and Last of the Mohicans first.

Any other good American Revolution war movies out there? I saw one with Henry Fonda...can't remember the name. I also saw one where one of the Douglas family starred, either Michael or Kirk, from 1976. Cannot find the title anywhere. Might have been a movie made for school seeing that I was in 4th grade.

Does anyone remember the bicentenial train that was traveling around the USA in 1976?

 

[Currahee Chris]

Any other good American Revolution war movies out there? I saw one with Henry Fonda...can't remember the name. I also saw one where one of the Douglas family starred, either Michael or Kirk, from 1976. Cannot find the title anywhere. Might have been a movie made for school seeing that I was in 4th grade.

Does anyone remember the bicentenial train that was traveling around the USA in 1976?

I recall a movie with Al Pacino set in the AWI- I believe it was called 1776. It was pretty good. I had to take a second look at ol Al in knickers.

I checked on HBO and it looks like the first Episode will be airing tonight at 10 pm EST.

I watched the second episode over lunch today- love that work at home option

 

[marco55]

I recall a movie with Al Pacino set in the AWI- I believe it was called 1776. It was pretty good. I had to take a second look at ol Al in knickers.

I checked on HBO and it looks like the first Episode will be airing tonight at 10 pm EST.

I watched the second episode over lunch today- love that work at home option

the first two episodes are on demand today.This looks really good.Maybe it were spur some more shows on 18th cen. America.
Mark

 

[Saber]

Yes it was a musical and the only thing military in the whole %#%@*! show is some soldier reading Washington's letters to congress. Oh, and Adams and his wife in some flash sideways scene singing about sewing pins and saltpeter! Good lord I should have watched Ishtar!

 

[Scott]

"1776"

Rent the restored version of "1776". Some the stuff "Dick" Nixon asked Jack Warner to remove has been put back.

 

[Scott]

I don't have HBO and I plan on renting the series. I must ask about the British Uniforms at the Boston Massacre. The unit is supposed to be the 29th Foot. Just curious if the uniforms look anything like Paul Revere's engraving?

Boston Massacre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29th_Regiment_of_Foot#Boston_Massacre



"In 1768 the 29th along with the 14th Regiment of Foot were sent to Boston, Massachusetts, where on the evening of March 5, 1770, men of the 29th Grenadier Company under the command of Captain Thomas Preston took part in the Boston Massacre in which five colonists died during a riot in front of the Boston customs house. Due to the incident, the regiment earned the nickname the Vein Openers for drawing first blood in the American Revolution. The men involved were tried for murder and were defended by John Adams (who later became President of the United States). Two of the men involved Hugh Montgomery and Matthew Killroy were found guilty of manslaughter and branded on the thumb. The other men involved and Captain Thomas Preston were found not guilty. The 29th left Boston in 1771 for British controlled Florida before returning to England in 1773"

 

[sceic2]

I have had the David McCullough book in my book case for several years and I really enjoyed reading it the first time. I may now have to reread it.

Based on the first two of seven segments, HBO may have pulled off a really great series (dispite "Entourage" and "In Treatment") especially since they have McCullough as a techical advisor and Tom (SPR and BOB) Hanks as producer.

 

[Capitolron]

I recall a movie with Al Pacino set in the AWI- I believe it was called 1776. It was pretty good. I had to take a second look at ol Al in knickers.

I checked on HBO and it looks like the first Episode will be airing tonight at 10 pm EST.

I watched the second episode over lunch today- love that work at home option

Chris

No - Al Pacino was in REVOLUTION - it was really good - had a gritty quality to it. Donald Sutherland was in it as well !!

Check it out.

Ron

 

[marco55]

In the miniseries I believe all the soldiers were found not guility.
Mark

 

[L Flowers]

Some more movies of that era:

The Battle of Bunker Hill (1911)
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
The Howards of Virginia (1940)
1776 (1982), which is based on the musical of the same name
Johnny Tremain (1957)
John Paul Jones (1959)
Valley Forge (1975) -- TV
Revolution (1985)
April Morning (1988) -- TV

 

[Scott]

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/America/249043?trkid=147042

Add....

America (1924)


"...In his rarely seen silent epic, filmmaking pioneer D.W. Griffith focuses his astute cinematic eye on a rousing re-creation of America's battle for independence. Torn between his revolutionary political beliefs and the woman he loves, simple farmer Nathan Holden (Neil Hamilton) and his fellow patriots are up against a murderous Redcoat (Lionel Barrymore) in their fight for freedom from English rule....":


Melodramatic but pretty good! Fairly good uniforms and a portrayal of the Battle of Lexington.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Hey Scott-

I saw the first episode the other night and believe that the illustration you posted below was actually in the movie- I think it was a scene near Adams's doorstep and a person showed him the picture- it was black and white however.

The British troops in that picture looked like the guys in the movie- anyone agree??

 

[Capitolron]

The picture - is actually an engraving printed by Paul Revere. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty and a leading freemason.

The detail in this production is outstanding - It will be a MUST BUY DVD when it comes out. I really am enjoying the series - the wife and I have watched both episodes twice now !

It is amazing how many Americans have no idea about our history - hopefully this will help.

Especially for those who want a change in the future - it would be nice if they had a little knowledge of our past.

 

[Currahee Chris]

One note if I may-

during the first episode- there is a tar and feathering scene- PLEASE- if you are allowing younger kids to watch this show- be advised this scene is somewhat unnerving. It made me somewhat uncomfortable watching it.

 

[Capitolron]

Chris -

What are you doing up at 3 AM !!

I agree the tar & feather scene was very gritty - you really got a little bit of what it must have felt - especially since this was so widely done during that period.

How many have already increased their King and Country AWI ranges because of the John Adams program ??

I have to confess - more british were bought for my collection

 

[Combat]

Given all the recent discussion of race relations in the US election, I wonder if there is a profound difference in the way white and black americans view the events of the american revolution. For example, one result of american independence may have been the extension of slavery in this country for another hundred years. That is a subject usually mentioned only in passing in most of these films.