Besides this peek into a less-romanticized version of the past, John Adams is also a story of the man himself. Adams' frustration at being forgotten or overlooked at critical junctures of America's early development--sent abroad for years instead of helping to draft the U.S. constitution--is detailed. So is his dismay that the truth of what actually transpired leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence has been slowly forgotten and replaced by a rosier myth. But above all, John Adams is the story of two key ties: Adams' 54-year marriage to Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), every bit her husband's intellectual equal and anchor, and his difficult, almost symbiotic relationship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) over decades. Giamatti, of course, has to carry much of the drama, and if he doesn't always seem quite believable in the series' first half, he becomes increasingly excellent at the point where an aging Adams becomes bitter over his place in history. Linney is marvelous, as is Dillane, Sarah Polley as daughter Nabby, Danny Huston as cousin Samuel Adams, and above all Tom Wilkinson as a complex but indispensable Ben Franklin. --Tom Keogh

John Adams (HBO Miniseries)

• The Adams Chronicles
• The Other Boleyn Girl
• Charlie Wilson's War (Full Screen)
• Cranford
• Holocaust
• John Adams
• The Bucket List
• The Savages
• The Great Debaters
• American Experience: John and Abigail Adams

I haven't read the book but feel the HBO series well depicts the history of a man who was an intregal part of the fight for freedom and independence. It's incredible what they had to do to make this the free country we now enjoy. I've been enjoying reviewing American history in a well acted series about John Adams. It helped me understand how things transpired during that historical time.

How could he. Through seven plus hours you get the feel of 18th century America. Wife, lover, best friend & critic she never failed him. The one person he could always trust unconditionally. A heavily made-up David Morse plays a rather wooden but effective George Washington.

This review has gone long enough & there are plenty of other reviews that will fill you in. Washington was the undisputed leader & general of the army. Another moving moment was when John was absent, Abigail had their young children innoculated against the small pox epidemic. I could go on & on about Adam's time abroad, the revolution itself, his family & presidency. No one would defend them. Although John Adams was the smartest of our founders, he was not the most astute politically.

I especially enjoyed some of the lesser known moments in history. Adams was obliged to follow him. Well worth owning. As the first president, the constitution was written for him. This seven episode dvd was based on David McCullough's book.

Abigail Adams remains as his most important advisor through their life. Whereas Franklin & Jefferson, to name the two most prominent, were charismatic & diplomatic as well as brillant, Adams was obnoxious, blunt & disliked. Buying the dvd you also get "the making of." & a David McCullough biography. That we were an ocean away from Europe was important. I read the book the week it came out several years ago & see few simularities, but maybe I need to reread it. It is a bit graphic but effective.

Seven British soldiers were charged with murder in the incident know as the Boston Massacre. How could anyone. The United States has to be the luckiest nation in the history of mankind.

Also we had such talented leaders at the right time. Excellent casting of Paul Giamatti & Laura Linney as John & Abigail. This is definately a high end, movie quality production.

First there was geography. By far, the best production on one of the founders of our republic. Adams took the job & they were aquitted thereby reinforcing the idea that all accused are entitled to legal counsel, a concept we hold dear to this day.

I feel that I have learned a lot more about the freeing of our country and understand more clearly what our fore fathers went through. I have more of an understanding about the lives of the people of that time and how hard it was for them especially the women. Kept you wondering what the next part of the series held for you. This mini series was outstanding. I recommend this movie series with the highest praise.

I found the miniseries attention to detail quite pleasing. Tom Hanks and crew hit a home run. No, there are minor changes here and there. Mcullough's John Adams is well researched. Mr. Mccullough's book as well as several other John Adams biographies. By the way, you will be pulling out your dollar bills and comparing that portrait with David Morse'George Washington from the movie. It would be great if HBO would produce other miniseries such as John Quincy Adams, Lewis and Clark, or Ben Franklin.

But overall I would recommend this dvd without hesitation. I have read Mr. Does the miniseries follow the book page for page.

The John Adams series lays out the seminal events of the American Revolution as John Adams viewed and participated in them (and he did participate in nearly every aspect of it throughout his long life), but allows us to do so while experiencing the context through the outstanding storytelling and precise recreation of the period. To sum it up, this is one of the most superb documentaries I've ever seen. These are just quibbles, and in some cases, we can easily argue that these techniques help create the sense of "reality" that is needed to keep us fixated on the time period. The scenes depicting Paris and the Netherlands of the period are particularly fascinating. Anyone who watched the "Rome" series will undoubtedly recognize the opening title sequence as containing great similarities, but I must say that this opening title sequence is one of the best I've ever seen.

It's nothing less than a tour de force. Without building context, without knowing the history and biographical information of the major personages, without knowing the history leading up to the event, trying to place the epochal events in order so they make sense and can be examined is a tremendous task. The filming itself is generally excellent, with some special effects that are well executed and quite realistic. Its a powerful and moving story that evokes deep emotions and stimulates intense thought about America's founding. To watch "John Adams" is to be introduced to each of these persons in a way never before thought possible. The average American, therefore, knows the broad strokes of this history, and could possibly even recount some more detailed information of specific portions of that history that might for some reason hold a special interest.

Giamatti has perhaps given the performance of his career, and Laura Linney portrays Abigail Adams in such a sublime way that the character is strongly portrayed without overshadowing the story. And that's not to be critical: these events involved dozens of main players, took place over a period of multiple years, and involved the clash of deeply held beliefs about the nature of governance and the role of "rights." This is not like learning a simple fact of history. And so, we end up with what we commonly see, people who know the broad brush strokes of the narrative, but would have trouble distinguishing between Danton and Robespierre, between Hamilton and Jefferson, between The Stamp Act and The Aliens and Seditions Act, or between the National Assembly and the National Constituent Assembly. Along the way, the series makes us face the wrongs and unpleasantries of the era, but the focus is strictly on the rise of the American nation out of the individual colonies.

Although I, too, had trouble in some of these scenes (particularly in episode two, where it seems to be most frequently used), I can easily say not to let this affect your decision to watch the series. I've often thought that, from an educational standpoint, the American Revolution was similar to the French Revolution in that the number of people, the philosophical positions, the debates, the diverse background information, and other factors are so extensive and varied that it can make learning anything beyond the basic history quite challenging. To watch it is to learn about John Adams and the role he played in the emergence of the United States, to learn about the American Revolution itself, and to become a participant in the debates, quarrels, and yes, politics, of the event. It's not that you can't see the entire story play itself out - you most certainly will - but that you will rather learn the truth of the statement that a person can "get all the facts right, and miss the point entirely." And perhaps this is where this most outstanding of documentaries on early American history excels, the ability to tell the story of the life of John Adams, while learning the facts surrounding the American Revolution only as they surrounded John Adams himself. The acting in this series is superb. There are some issues with the choice to employ odd camera angles and some hand-held scenes, sometimes which almosts threatens to produce vertigo in the viewer, and have made more than one reviewer pan the series for these approaches to filmography.

Other characters (Jefferson, McHenry, Hamilton, and so on) are also excellently cast and acted, with the commanding presence of George Washington (David Morse) and the political creature Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) played so impressively as to make one forget these are actors. We don't only witness the events; we are made to feel that we experience them, and find ourselves being transported into a world that in so many ways differs from our own. What most people cannot do, however, is retell the story in chronological sequence from beginning to end, describing the specific role of each of the major persons who had a part in that story.

And perhaps, for subject matter like this, the approach is one of the best one could take. The music in the series is also superb. The music and visuals are dramatic, lush, and haunting.

If you think that's what this series is about, you'd be wrong. Most American children grow up learning the basic facts about the American Revolution. The series runs for seven episodes, for a total run time of just over eight hours.