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| Actors: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney
Studio: HBO
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $20.99
as of 11/23/2009 10:26 CST details
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Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  653 reviews
Sales Rank: 47
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 501 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.8 x 1
MPN: 1000038820
UPC: 883929020065
EAN: 0883929020065
ASIN: B000WGWQG8
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2008
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 646-650 of 653
 EXTRAORDINARY! March 23, 2008
Linda Hewitt (usa)
25 out of 31 found this review helpful
I wish that everyone would take the time to watch! What a masterpiece! Ive never seen a more realistic portrayal of the beginning of this country. I have a new appreciation for the men and women who gave so much so that we could live as free as people can. Many thanks to the writer director and actors.
 The Good, the Bad and the God Awful March 20, 2008
Todd W. Hemphill (St Petersburg, FL)
39 out of 90 found this review helpful
The Good; Nice performances abound.
The Bad; Did the entire Revolution take place in John Adams' front yard? He hustles the kids in the house during the battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place about 25 miles away? Henry Knox just swings by with the canons from Fort Ticonderoga?
And speaking of Henry Knox, he was 26 at the time of the Revolution, the actor playing him is 45. Could be worse though, Thomas Jefferson is played by a 52 year old actor. Jefferson was 33 in 1776. Oops.
The God Awful; There is no excuse for the camera work in this film. Early in the second episode there is a shot of a house that is so insanely tilted that I actually laughed out loud. Then they cut to a dinner scene inside and jumped from one angle to another until I thought I was watching people dinning on a ship at sea. When the executives previewed this farce did it not occur to them to question shots that made it look like John and Abigail were about to slide off the bed?
Poor John Adams, will he never catch a break?
Update; This just goes from bad to worse. The happiest times in the Adams' lives were the days that John, Abigail, John Quincy and Nabby spent in Europe during Adams' SECOND diplomatic mission. After a joyous reunion in London they all went to Paris. There they learned to enjoy what the city had to offer while Thomas Jefferson helped Adams tutor young John Quincy. Instead of the joyous reunion in London we have an awkward meeting in Paris in which John and Abigail are so intimidating by the servents that they dare not even smile at one another. That is SOOO not John and Abigail!
I could understand it if a film maker decided to omit this chapter of their lives in favor of making time for events of more historic import. But why, why on earth, would you replace these true events with scenes that depict the family as deeply unhappy and make John Adams out to be an uncaring father?! Why put John and Abigail in Paris without the two children that accompanied them?
This doesn't even make sense as an effort to increase the drama. If, instead of having Adams snap at Jefferson, "You won't be meeting John Quincy!", the film makers had shown Jefferson and Adams working late into the night as they taught John Quincy geometery (which is what actually happened) then when Jefferson betrayed Adams it would have had the tragic impact that it deserved.
Adams had a temper at times but was, for the most part, an outgoing man with a great self-depricating sense of humor who was also a devoted father. This film not only fails to make that point but seems to go out of its way to portray him as a selfish and angry tyrant. What a pity.
 A tiresome retelling of a really exciting,excellent book.Sorry HBO March 20, 2008
Duke Gaines (Washington, D.C.)
21 out of 83 found this review helpful
I grew very tired of "John Adams" after episode 4. I honestly was not planning on finishing it. Since I had been given a screener's copy I decided to finish up episodes 5 through 7 and pretty well came to the conclusion that after reading David McCullough's book John Adams from which the screenplay is based, that HBO had not done a good job at all in it's production of the book. This is not in any way to take away from the character, John Adams and his accomplishments in the least, but as a piece of film work, strictly, I truly thought it was a tiresome effort from a production standpoint. The screenplay closely followed the book, (actually TOO closely for my tastes),but though I would have edited much of the material for economy's sake,THAT was not my problem. My dislike came in the way in which the entire series looked. I found that the cinematography, the music and the editing distracted me from appreciating John Adams. I mean, after all, this IS a film, and the components that completely go into a film are ALL important in communicating a story, not just the character of Adams, or his wife, or the fight for freedom etc.etc. THAT is well communicated in McCullough's book! HBO's treatment was, in my opinion, off in the many areas that I mentioned before. HBO did nothing apart from McCullough's book except to communicate what was already in the book-plain and simple. There was no "umpf" in the soundtrack (especially) and continued odd-angle shots that looked as they had come out of a 1960's Italian film detracted from the presentation. If that was attempt on HBO's part to make it more interesting, I personally feel it was a misstep on their part. Of any mini-series that I have ever seen, "John Adams" looked the worst-especially for seven episodes.
There is nothing wrong or unpatriotic about not liking HBO's "John Adams" as it is no different than the fiasco of a few years back when Sofia Copolla unveiled her "Marie Antoinette" to all kinds of reactions! I loved the biography by McCullough and so appreciated who and what John Adams was and did. HBO only made it drawn-out boring and distracting. In this case, the book is far superior, in my opinion, to this seven episode mini-series.
As concerning the acting, I really did not see anything unusually fantastic from Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson etal in making me understand or realize these magnificent Americans any better. I thought the characters were not as well formed as the book had done. Many books have gone to the screen with much success,and then again, many have not. This is one case where for me the "have not" applies.
Would I have done it differently? Well, one thing for certain, seven episodes were about three too many. The opening two episodes were extremely sluggish, and much incidental material could have been cut in order to expedite the story more efficiently.
There are other great books on Adams that I found interesting:My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams, and American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. As far as other films concerning Adams, I especially like Hail Bop! A Portrait of John Adams!!
Poignant and gritty March 20, 2008
Clark J. Baker Jr.
12 out of 17 found this review helpful
This series speaks for itself. John Adams is known to many as a "Founding Father"..yet pales in comparison to those better known such as Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and yes, even John Hancock. This film rights the wrongs history has done to Adams legacy. I defy anyone to watch it and come away with not a better respect for a man whose sense of justice extended to enemies as well as friends. Behold a man who made mistakes, but whose honest simplicity of nature would not allow him to support a lie over a truth. It`s reported that Adams claimed later in his life that no one would build statues and memorials to his name. This film makes the case for doing just that, in honor of a humble man whose oratory skills made the greater case for american independence from Britain, and forming a checks and balances executive, legislative and judicial government, that became the United States of America.
 A miniseries that only HBO can deliver March 19, 2008
Monkdude (Hampton, Virginia)
New review edit on 7/28/08...
John Adams should be shown in every history class in America. I know that when I was much younger (and could care less about history) I was shown films like Glory at school, and it made me appreciate the subject of The Civil War much more than just reading about it. This miniseries made me proud of living in this country many times over. Okay, things aren't the best for us as a nation right now, but this series gave me hope. If leadership like this happened before, it surely can again.
Paul Giamatti was outstanding as John Adams. He really knows how to deliver his lines, especially the speeches. Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin, David Morse as George Washington and Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson, really blew me away. They all deserve the Emmy nominations they have received.
The only reason I took off a star is that it did drag a little at times, but even at its length, I wouldn't have minded some extra Revolutionary War footage.
This would be a great gift for a history buff or any American that wants to feel proud.
Showing reviews 646-650 of 653
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