For me this is hands-down the musical-movie 1776. Anyone who has never seen this movie before really should rent it. The acting is absolutely incredible, the script is superb, and I love the music too. William Daniels’ portrayal of John Adams is inspiring and Howard De Silva’s performance of Benjamin Franklin is delightful.
I’d given up hope that Hollywood would ever make an intelligent movie about the struggle for American independence. Then, last month, I watched HBO’s John Adams on DVD. Because it stretches over eight hours, it can comfortably explore the finer details of Adams’s life, including the philosophical debates he took part in, before, during and after the revolution. The screenplay accomplishes this in the language of the period, which by itself is an expression of extraordinary confidence in the mentality of the viewer.
I saw no attempt to glamorize American patriots: some of them were men of great principle; others were “social metaphysicians” or thougthtless brutes. There is no concession made to political correctness. Blacks and women, of course, played a role in the revolution, but their roles here are not exaggerated.
Paul Giamatti looks nothing like Adams, but because he is such a passionate, focused actor, you don’t care. The portrait of Thomas Jefferson, as played by Stephen Dillane, is especially sympathetic. We can only hope that some producer will think to cast him in a separate mini-series on the author of the Declaration.