John Adams (2008)

"John Adams" the mini series that is showing on HBO on Sunday nights is a interesting film about the man who served as our second president, and who many consider the voice of "The Declaration of Independence". Staring Paul Giamatti as John Adams and Laura Linney as his wife Abigail the series could be easily called John & Abigail since it describes their 54 year old marriage and love story. With that and the backdrop being the revolutionary war "John Adams is a dramatic piece of film making. Budgeted at over or about 100 million dollars the production value of the series is fantastic. The actors, the sets, and even the costumes are stellar. Produced by Tom Hanks's company Playtone, and HBO "John Adams" is a film that shows how the characters lived back then with unflinching candor.

The screenplay written by David McCullough is one that portrays how the events actually transpired. McCullough wrote his Pulitzer prize novel about John Adams by doing his research. Letters notes, diaries are were all read as research into the characters and the time of the period.

You can see how lovingly the film is produced. Flawless camera shots are littered throughout the production, and it shows the care that HBO and Hanks had for the material.

I promised myself that I wouldn't get involved in another long mini-series, but the first two episodes hooked me, and the coming attractions intrigue me. It's like getting a history lesson without the boring lecture. I being a fan of history it isn't too hard for me to love this mini-series, but I think others would find it interesting and not boring at all. I hear that in May HBO will release the DVD of the mini series, and maybe more people will get a chance to see the film that way. Variety reported that 2.5 million people watched the series on HBO last Sunday night, which isn't too bad. Apparently it's better then some other premier series such as "Rome". For me "John Adams" is a hit and one where I'll gladly say viva the revolution! Thanks HBO for quality programming!