John Adams
Last night I watched the final episode of the HBO miniseries John Adams. I wanted to like it–I really did. Alas, it seemed to fall into the trap of so many attempts at fictionalizing the past: it was preachy, mawkish, and boring. (Some of the scenes dragged on interminably.) Although I applaud the effort, I can’t help but think that a nonfiction documentary in the style of Ken Burns would have been infinitely more compelling and satisfying. Of course, the book on which the series was based, David McCullough’s John Adams, had all the good qualities that the miniseries lacked. Any student who has the perserverence to make his or her way through the book will be rewarded with a far more enjoyable experience than can be found from watching the movie.
Toward the end of the final episode, we were treated to some lengthy readings of letters exchanged between Adams and Thomas Jefferson and Adams and his wife, Abigail. These simple oratorical flourishes crackled with wit and intelligence, unlike so much of the main action. Some of the acting was quite good, particularly that of Laura Linney as Abigail and Stephen Dillane as Jefferson. I was underwhelmed by Paul Giammati’s performance as the title character. One aspect I didn’t like at all was that the filmmakers only rarely provided a date cue; at the beginning of each episode, they would tell you the year and city, but then large spans of time would pass with no additional cues. I’ve read the book, and even I had some trouble figuring out what time period was being portrayed at certain points.
One highlight was seeing all of the famous documents from the era in a starring role, whether it was the Proclamation by the King for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition or the Declaration of Independence or the Alien and Sedition Acts–all of which are featured, of course, in Milestone Documents in American History. (I liked the scene in which Jefferson presents his draft of the declaration to Adams and Ben Franklin. The latter two express their astonishment and admiration for the somewhat unusual and unexpected form and tone that Jefferson employed in his draft, but the cool and urbane Jefferson swats away their praise with a casual reply: “Anyway, it’s what I believe.”)
We are now in the early stages of Milestone Documents of American Leaders, and it goes without saying that the entries on John Adams, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin will all get star treatment. I look forward to seeing what our historian contributors have in store for us.