Things I Never Knew About the Second President...

I'm an English major, which will prove to have absolutely nothing to do with this post. I am also, however, a History minor, which has almost everything to do with this post. In fact, I probably should've been a History major, but I didn't want to teach, and I do like to write. Anyway, on with the show.

HBO is running a seven part historical miniseries called John Adams. I have to say immediately that John Adams is one of the finest made miniseries you will ever see. The show stars Paul Giamatti as John Adams. For those of you not in the know, let me explain some things.

John Adams was the second President of the United States. He was also bald, but he wore a wig. He also defended the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre. Now the HBO film shows all the soldiers being tried at the same time, and all being acquitted, but in reality the Captain, a man named Preston, was tried and acquitted a month before the other soldiers, and two of the British were condemned of murder, but Adams successfully had their charges reduced on a loophole. The men were branded on the hand for their actions.
John Adams later became a member of the Continental Congress, and was a driving force for separation from England. He strove for Congress to adopt the Massachusetts militia, which they did, appointing the Colonel George Washington to lead.

Now, back to the HBO miniseries.
You will never see a miniseries so masterfully created. I honestly had times were, while watching the show, I was not aware that I was watching TV. The set design is fantastic, the costume fit perfectly into the period, and the actors are actually dirty, as anyone who lived at that time would be.
The actors are so well cast that you often fail to realize that you've seen them in other things before. As I said, Paul Giamatti plays wonderful John Adams, and Laura Linney co-stars as Abigail Adams. The interaction between these two really makes you feel like they've been married for years.

Dr. Benjamin Franklin is masterfully portrayed by Tom Wilkinson. The humor Wilkinson brings to the character really brings Franklin to life in ways you've probably never considered. Edward Rutledge, the representative of South Carolina, is played by relative newcomer Clancy O'Connor, and I truly cannot say enough about his performance.

Thomas Jefferson, played by Stephen Dillane, is the only character I really have any problem with, and it's only because he comes off as an angst-ridden teenager, always with his arms folded and staring at the ground. Otherwise, well acted. So far HBO has only aired parts one and two, but in part two you get to see one of the most beautifully acted parts ever, as Zeljko Ivanek bring Pennsylvania representative Mr. Dickenson to life. Ivanek's performance lends so much weight to his conviction that Adams is pushing for independence too soon.

This miniseries also contains a scene that I believe will go down in cinematic history as one of the best ever. Everything comes together so well in this particular scene, in which no dialogue is spoken, and no soundtrack plays. Georgia has just voted "yes" to independence, meaning that twelve of the thirteen colonies support breaking away from Britain (New York abstained from voting). The camera pans across the room, and each representative sits in awed silence, the full gravity of what they've just done seeming to hit at the same time. You have to remember, by signing the Declaration of Independence, these men were, in effect, signing their own death warrant in Britain's eyes.

In all, John Adams achieves what few miniseries events ever have: a sense of purpose, and of actually doing it right. I can't wait for the Part III.