John Adams

[Hector]

Actually, that's not too far off to the biography. David McCullough is a Pulitzer Prize winning historical biographer and he very much described Ben Franklin as a womanizer and Thomas Jefferson living a life well beyond his means. I think McCullough portrayed Franklin and Jefferson like this because that's how Adams viewed them.

Adams was portrayed as being very straight laced and a man who was very routine oriented. He had a lot of flaws himself but again for more of a dramatic effect, I do think McCullough pointed out a lot of flaws of his fellow founding fathers....historically accurate but not giving the few depth and scope of each person.

Ok...but how about Washington being a sapskull and Paine not even being on the radar?




...and remember, this is all from McCullough/Adams' points of view (is this tale the definitive truth?).

[Adam West]

McCullough does painstaking research for his books and is a leading historical biographical author in addition to writing multiple books regarding the American Revolution.

I read the book when it first came out in hardcover which was years ago so I'm only going by my memory and have not seen the HBO miniseries but look forward to it.

With that said, admittedly, a good portion of the book was written by reading correspondence letters between Adams and his wife, Jefferson, Franklin, and others along with reading letters between Jefferson and Abagail Adams or maybe Franklin and Jefferson regarding Adams so it at least gives some type of picture of how Adams viewed others (accurate or inaccurate) but he also painted an accurate historical background which is not opinion but well documented.

I really don't recall a whole lot regarding Washington other than Adams ran against him to become the First President of the United States (he received the 2nd highest votes which made him Vice President) and the one thing that I recall was that Adams wanted the leader of the United States to be crowned King and Washington did not so maybe the writers of the miniseries took some liberties in portraying Washington as a dimwit because from Adam's point of view....he was one not that it was a fact. I also don't remember much regarding Thomas Paine other than "Common Sense" was a favorite of Adams but I don't recall whether or not they were friends or corresponded much.

As I recall, Adams and Jefferson were the two main focal points of the biography.

[Hulk]

I definitely get the impression that the other characters are portrayed from Adams' perspective more than anything else, or his wife's in some cases. You rarely see the other characters without him or her. Even when he is shut out of cabinet meetings, you only hear what he hears through the door instead of the camera being in the room.

[MegoSteve]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I've watched all of the John Adams episodes but the first one and I don't really see Washington characterized as being a dimwit... just very quiet and thoughtful. I really should read the biography, because Adams sure is coming off as a controlling little man, especially when it comes to his family.

[megoscott]

I agree. I think Washington is portrayed as an immensely honorable, humble, dutiful man. You can see Adams wanting to be the star of the show but he recognizes Washington as the right man for the role...grudging respect.

I'm waiting for a great Lincoln film. Do you realize there hasn't been a major Lincoln film since WW2?

[Adam West]

Spielberg....2009

Lincoln, the movie. Seriously!

[ramsey37]

Hopefully, the mini-series shows a lot of drama and contempt that Adams and Jefferson had for one another but also their initial deep friendship and finally a renewed friendship toward the end of their lives...I think they both died on the exact same day and same year which was on a July 4th?

July 4, 1826. They both on died on our nation's fiftieth anniversary.
George

[megoscott]

Spielberg....2009

Lincoln, the movie. Seriously!

Lincoln (2009)

Joy! Kushner and Kearns-Goodwin are writing! Sally Field as poor Mary and Liam as the man. Excelllent.

[Adam West]

Well, I waited for the DVD to come out and purchased it. What an excellent mini-series.

I really don't think as Americans, the American Revolution was taught properly when we were growing up and now, sadly, history seems to be a subject that is given less and less attention in school.

I even enrolled in a U.S. History class at my University and most of what they covered about the Revolution and early American history was more of what they refer to as Jeffersonian politics (which is probably more in line with today's Republican party) vs. Hamilton politics (which is probably more similar to today's Democratic party).

Adams is such an interesting president because he was wedged between Washington and Jefferson but played such an important role in the building of our nation.

It really wasn't until recently that I learned that the Declaration of Independence wasn't signed in some orderly format as portrayed in pictures and through history books but literally hodge podge over the course of time as various state representatives were passing through town and off to take care of business elsewhere as Adams declared in the miniseries.

Also, the sacrifices that he made were inconceivable. He basically spent the better part of 20 years? or so overseas as an ambassador to France, the Netherlands, England most of it without family to ensure the betterment of our nation only to return home and find his young children to now be full grown adults. What kind of person who by all accounts was very much a family man today would sacrifice so much?

He definitely had his shortcomings as did everyone else and I think as already posted, the way Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson were portrayed as Adams saw them and not necessarily how they really were. I was surprised they didn't take more time to expand on the drama between Adams and Jefferson...maybe it would have been too boring to watch. These two became very close friends and corresponded very frequently with one another and I believe in Abagail and Jefferson corresponded quite frequently as well.

After Jefferson beat Adams in the next election...things went downhill and they despised each other and I believe didn't even speak for many years but then reconciled and started to continue the friendship as they got older as depicted in the miniseries.

It was well done and not boring at all. I was so fascinated with it, I think I watched all 7 parts over the course of two or three days.