"John Adams" (2008) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

16 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Tagline:

Join or Die

Plot:

A miniseries on the life of John Adams and the first 50 years of the United States.

Plot Keywords:

John Adams | TV Mini-Series | King George III | England | France

Awards:

Won 4 Golden Globes. Another 32 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Paul Giamatti	...	John Adams (7 episodes, 2008)
Laura Linney	...	Abigail Adams (7 episodes, 2008)
Stephen Dillane	...	Thomas Jefferson (6 episodes, 2008)
John Dossett	...	Benjamin Rush (6 episodes, 2008)
Sarah Polley	...	Abigail 'Nabby' Adams / ... (4 episodes, 2008)
David Morse	...	George Washington (4 episodes, 2008)
Samuel Barnett	...	Thomas Adams (4 episodes, 2008)
Andrew Scott	...	Colonel William Smith (4 episodes, 2008)
Danny Huston	...	Samuel Adams (3 episodes, 2008)
Madeline Taylor	...	Young Nabby Adams (3 episodes, 2008)
Tom Wilkinson	...	Benjamin Franklin (3 episodes, 2008)
Mamie Gummer	...	Sally Smith Adams (3 episodes, 2008)
Kevin Trainor	...	Charles Adams (3 episodes, 2008)
Michael Hall D'Addario	...	Young Charles Adams (3 episodes, 2008)
Steven Hinkle	...	Young John Quincy Adams (3 episodes, 2008)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach	...	John Quincy Adams (3 episodes, 2008)
Landon Ashworth	...	The Senator (3 episodes, 2008)
Dan Taylour	...	Merchant / ... (3 episodes, 2008)
Rufus Sewell	...	Alexander Hamilton (2 episodes, 2008)
Justin Theroux	...	John Hancock (2 episodes, 2008)
Judith Magre	...	Madame Helvetius / ... (2 episodes, 2008)
Brennan Brown	...	Robert Treat Paine (2 episodes, 2008)
Jules Croiset	...	Second Dutch Banker (2 episodes, 2008)
Sieger Sloot	...	Dutch Man (2 episodes, 2008)
Lex van Delden	...	First Dutch Banker (2 episodes, 2008)
Zeljko Ivanek	...	John Dickinson (2 episodes, 2008)
Tom Beckett	...	Elbridge Gerry (2 episodes, 2008)
John Keating	...	Timothy Pickering (2 episodes, 2008)
Thomas Langston	...	Young Thomas Adams (2 episodes, 2008)
Timmy Sherrill	...	Attorney General Charles Lee / ... (2 episodes, 2008)
Robert Rice		(2 episodes, 2008)

Also Known As:

"Untitled John Adams Miniseries" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

501 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

While Adams' last words were reportedly "Jefferson survives", in reality Jefferson had died several hours earlier. Adams never received the news of his death.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the militia man is telling Abigail Adams about the "Battle of Bunker Hill" and when John Adams is telling of General Warren's death, both say that the battle took place on Bunker Hill. The militia man CERTAINLY would have known that the battle actually took place on Breed's Hill (adjoining Bunker Hill), and John Adams probably would have known the difference as well. However, this is a common error, not only perpetrated by books, but by spoken word recordings as well.

Quotes:

Abigail Adams: Half-fed slaves building our nation's Capitol. What possible good can come from such a place?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Chester

Exceptional Performances

In the film industry we have seen many exceptional productions, made so by incredible special effects, animation processes, Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) and the like.

Seldom we find this same quality in the performance from the individual actors. More often we do recognize the difficulty, uniqueness and the gift that theater performances bring to their audiences. The gift of the individual performer is bared to the audience, where the audience feels the essence of the character transported by its performer.

The John Adams production has accomplished this by giving these performers the opportunity to display the essence of their talents. It is evident they gave their all.

The professionalism and talent of the entire production is of the highest quality, the realism and fidelity to the times is very impressive.

The attention to details, the very talented cast and the unique ability of Tom Hooper to capture what words cannot describe, has made this production a true work of art.

Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney professional eclectic careers are and will continue to define them as great actors. Both have reached for the best performance have not only achieved it but have surpassed it.

Paul and Laura do not only deserve the Oscar but they should be recognized has to have given their all, in an effort to help the audience better understand the complex multi-dimensional and existential realities of two historical individuals that have truly shaped the genesis and future the United States of America.

Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney have with their performance added the unique and the exceptional to an already fine production.

A truly multi-dimensional performance. Thank you Paul - thank you Laura for a rare gift.