Life, Liberty, and Freedom

"John Adams"

 I've mentioned this before, but prior to director Tom Hooper winning at the Academy Awards for his work on The King's Speech, I had no idea who he was and what made his direction so great.  Since The King’s Speech I have seen two more films by Mr. Hooper.  The first flick being Longford and second film now being John Adams.  Now that I have seen more of this director's works my opinion of him becomes higher and higher each time.  Clearly Hooper is an actor's director; no question.  The performances he gets from his actors in this seven part miniseries is magnificent.  The founding fathers of these great United States come alive in this bio pic based on the novel by David McCullough of the same name.  This film is about so much more than just the man who became our second president.  It's about the labor pains suffered by men with beautiful minds as they gave birth to our nation.

Nothing is hurried or rushed as we are treated to a 500 minute miniseries about Mr. Adams (Paul Giamatti.)  From his humble beginnings as a lawyer defending a group of British soldiers for a crime they did not commit to the creation and signing of the unmitigated Declaration of Independence and eventual formation of Congress.  The film spans the entire adulthood of Adams up until his death.  We are introduced to characters that until now we've only been told about in school or seen in history books.  Characters such as Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane,) Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson,) and George Washington (David Morse) all play keys roles in Adams' life and we get to see these actors make them come alive once again.  Oh and I can’t forget his wife, Abigail (Laura Linney.)  

John Adams is an incredibly strong, character driven piece.  I shouldn't be surprised at the cast assembled to play these great historical figures.  I did read the novel before watching this film and I think that helped a lot.  McCullough's words paint a grand picture of not only what it was like to live in the 1700's, but more importantly what sort of personalities these men, these founding fathers had and how they interacted with one another.  The film adaptation translates McCullough’s words meticulously and authentically. 

All we have to go off of are paintings and scripture from that time period, so from an actor's standpoint to be able to craft a character's vocal inflections, physical mannerisms, and overall identity so it doesn't appear to us that it merely is a bunch of players pretending to be these historical figures would prove challenging to any actor.  I applaud everyone involved for working on their characters with Hooper to create a sense of believability and responsibility in being able to handle the sheer weight of these historical presences.

Adams' triumphs and struggles are accurately depicted in a richly complex manner as we move from one historical event to another.  They are presented in such a way that we definitely get a sense just how difficult it was to get anything accomplished back then.  This is a side of American history that goes beyond what we learn in elementary school.  It was an ugly time for America and concepts that we now take for granted did at one time have to be created, approved, and established in our government.  The film brings this to our attention without making it into something we’d see in a classroom.  

Powerfully acted, historically fascinating, and presented with such composure, John Adams stands tall brimming with confidence due to its cast and director.  I've seen other HBO miniseries that have a different director for every episode.  There are advantages and disadvantages to working with a variety of directors.  I however like the fact that Hooper directed all seven parts.  It shows above all, consistency and continuity.  Everything flows together nicely making for an interesting period drama. 

Hooper’s next project is Les Miserables which due out just in time for the Oscars to take notice.  I haven’t seen him do a musical before but I am confident Hooper will impress me once again.  His distinct direction in regards to his framing and more importantly the performances draws from his actors has established Mr. Hooper as an A-list director.  I have a feeling he will be around for a quite a while giving us films that appear cinematic on the surface but retain a certain theatrical quality to them as well.  John Adams follows suit in what I expect from watching any picture by Tom Hooper.  He is a director from across the pond that has made quite a splash.