filmlover Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 For those who have it on tape or DVD, put it in and get watching. To the rest, rush over to some place like Virgin Megastore that is open today (harrumph) and get it. While a musical based on the signing of the Declaration of Independence may not sound like great watching, it is! It's fun, it's dramatic, and it's stirring. And WIlliam Daniels as John Adams gives a standout performance. I'd say 99% of the cast are from the Broadway production. The only newcomer I can think of is Blythe Danner. "I see fireworks! I see the pagaent and pomp and parade! I hear the bells ringing out! I hear the cannons roar! I see Americans - all Americans - Free forever more!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stargzn Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Capital idea!! AND...do yourselves a favor. If not today, at some time in the near future, listen to the commentary track. Priceless! Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 And besides being July 4th, it's a perfect day to watch it because it's hot as hell in Los Angeles. (those who have seen it will get it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOOMANYNOTES Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 ' Message was edited by: TOOMANYNOTES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc1946 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Yes!! I'm happy to see I'm not the only person amazed that TCM isn't showing this. I mean you would think someone might have said "lets air 1776 and not Oliver!" We get "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade" on their perspective holidays every year but not "1776" not ever! William Daniels in the role he was made to play, he is perfect!! "I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a disgrace, two make a law firm and three or more make a Congress, and by God I have had this Congress!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBoynton Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 "1776" is a Fourth of July tradition at my house. But I'm not entirely happy with the DVD. I think the old theatrical release edit is superior to the director's cut on the DVD -- the latter has extraneous bits (and one long scene) that slow the film down, and a few annoying differences besides. But I've never run across a copy of the theatrical release that wasn't pan-and-scan -- was it ever put out letterboxed, in any format? It would be perfect if TCM were to show a letteboxed version of the original theatrical release. Still, in whatever version, it's a great film for a great day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 ...the latter has extraneous bits (and one long scene) that slow the film down, and a few annoying differences besides. Actually, I like the fact that the new DVD has more of the original film's songs, etc. For me, it brings it closer to the original stage production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlywdkjk Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 "Actually, I like the fact that the new DVD has more of the original film's songs..." Don't ya mean, Actual-Lee! But I am in agreement with MrBoyton on this one. The two-plus hours zip by in the original release version - from the creditless opening to the arrival of Mrs. Jefferson there isn't one "look at your watch" moment. Of course, it helps that Adams or Franklin are in all of those scenes. The metaphor of violin playing was lost on me for a long time but knowing of it now gets me through that scene a lot easier. And then the film just flows seamlessly to a conclusion that we all know but are still thrilled to witness happen. And I think that is the most remarkable aspect of the film - and maybe the show - that we know the resolution to come but are still caught up in the drama as if it was all yet to be decided. What a great achievement. Humbl- Lee, Kyle In Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted July 4, 2006 Author Share Posted July 4, 2006 And I think that is the most remarkable aspect of the film - and maybe the show - that we know the resolution to come but are still caught up in the drama as if it was all yet to be decided. What a great achievement. That's the same thing about "All the President's Men." Although I knew how it would turn out, my heart was still beating quickly at the end. Oh, okay, quick-Lee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOOMANYNOTES Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 / Message was edited by: TOOMANYNOTES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted November 7, 2006 Author Share Posted November 7, 2006 Since 1776 is on now, I thought I would dig this thread out and restate how much I love this movie. I am so glad that TCM is airing it. There is another thread that started out well on this film amd the others about politics on TCM tonight but the TCM angle was lost after the first post as it got into politics (justly), so I thought it would be great to have a thread just on "1776". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 This was a wonderful film. The dialogue was great. I wonder if those various little details and private conversations actually did happen? But if not, the film was still fun. Regular old history books always try to make it seem like the "founding fathers" knew exactly what would happen and how things would turn out in the end, but I don't see how they could have predicted what actually happened. This film showed much of their doubt and disagreements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted November 7, 2006 Author Share Posted November 7, 2006 A good amount of the dialogue came from letters John Adams wrote to Abigail and others. I have the book of the play script somewhere and in it Peter Stone tells the process of writing the script. I will have to dig it out and relate here what he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsl Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I cannot believe I missed the CMA awards by watching 1776, but I was not unhappy. This was such a good movie! I have seen small bits before when I was channel surfing, but not knowing what it was, I surfed on. One thing that got me was Josiah Bartlett, from New Hampshire! That was the presidents name on the West Wing, and he was from New Hampshire! Now I'm going to have to try to look the original Josiah up and see if he died leaving no decendants, so AAron Sorkin could use his name and state. My favorite parts were Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. The part of John Adams was played superbly. I wonder if he really was such a 'prick'. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Thanks for the info. I've read some of their original papers and documents, and many of them really were great writers and public speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SgtCutter Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Loved this last night on TCM. 3 hours and not a boring minute. Howard DaSilva was absolutely terrific as Franklin. Superbly performed by everyone. An inspiring classic for the ages and definitely NOT one of George W. Bush's favorite films. Let's hope we can save what little he's left of the Constitution today and restore the rest in due time. Thanks for playing this, TCM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted November 7, 2006 Author Share Posted November 7, 2006 Even though it came out during the Viet Nam era, last night I found the whole film was amazingly relevant to today in so many ways (giving up liberty for a little security, young men dying at war, etc.). I've seen it at least a dozen times before, and been to the revival stage musical a few years back, but last night it meant so much more on the night before today's elections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Filmlover, I know how much you love this film and it was because of your love for the film that I watched. Am glad that the "Cool, Considerate Men" number has been added back in because of all the songs it was my favorite. Was very glad to see William Daniels long before he became Dr. Craig on St. Elsewhere. Thanks for putting it on your original Challenge schedule and thanks TCM for running it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlofffan Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 I'm surprised that apparently no politician, journalist or blogger used the line "Sit down, John, sit down, John, for god's sakes John sit down," in response to John Kerry (of Massachusetts of course) and his attempt at humor. "Will someone shut that man up!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianedebuda Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Remember this flick from many years ago & have be hoping/waiting for TCM to show it. Whimper, Whimper. Set the recorder based on listed time in schedule & didn't get the end. Hope they schedule this again in the not too distant future... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwtwbooklover Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Oh I have got to see the whole movie I didn't think I'd like it. A musical about the american Revolution HA! I loved it!!! I cried at the end. I thought I can't watch this but Daniels called me back and the fact that I love the Amercan Revolution hustory just love it didn't hurt either. Hurrah for you filmlover. Hurrah for you!!! Where was Blythe Danner was she Abragail or Jeffersons wife??? Funny thing is DEja VU I have heard that violin song before somewhere. When will it be back on TCM anyone know? Did I tell I LOVE that MOVIE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlywdkjk Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 For those of you really taken with the film and the original play, here is a great article about the germination and gestation of the idea by the creator Sherman Edwards (who won a Tony Award for the only piece of theater he ever wrote.) http://www.bard.org/education/resources/other/1776playwright.html Parts of this article can also be found in a study guide (PDF format) available at the Guthrie Theater website which is mounting a new production this coming summer (2007). (Top ticket price - $57! Won't find a better Repetory theater in the nation and at popular prices too. Gotta love the midwest.) http://www.guthrietheater.org/Portals/0/StudyGuide/1776.pdf Kyle In Hollywood Message was edited by: kjk to change Pulitzer Prize to Tony Award. I was mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineSage_jr Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Where was Blythe Danner was she Abragail or Jeffersons wife??? The late Virginia Vestoff (d. 1982), who originated the part on Broadway, played Abigail Adams; Blythe Danner was Martha Jefferson (which role was played by Betty Buckley in the original stage production). Am glad that the "Cool, Considerate Men" number has been added back in because of all the songs it was my favorite. "Cool, Considerate Men" is the real barn-burner in the show, but "Momma, Look Sharp" is, far and away, the most poignant, and utterly timeless as troops fall daily in Iraq and Afghanistan. One thing that got me was Josiah Bartlett, from New Hampshire! That was the presidents name on the West Wing, and he was from New Hampshire! Now I'm going to have to try to look the original Josiah up and see if he died leaving no decendants, so AAron Sorkin could use his name and state. At a Humanitas writers' workshop in the summer of 1999, a couple of months before The West Wing made its debut, I asked Sorkin about the Bartlet/Bartlett connection (I am a native New Englander). He was surprised that anyone actually noticed it, so ignorant are most Americans about the history of their country. This was a wonderful film. The dialogue was great. I wonder if those various little details and private conversations actually did happen? But if not, the film was still fun. Much of the dialogue is taken from the writings of the various delegates to Congress during their (in most cases) long careers (Adams, in particular, was a very prolific writer). Of course, Peter Stone had to extrapolate those rather formal thoughts and musings into something resembling the spontaneous conversation and statements by a disparate group of men. One line has always stuck with me -- Edward Rutledge's statement to John Hancock while trying to turn him away from the cause of American independence: "Most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becomiong rich, than face the reality of being poor" (which then leads into the "Cool, Considerate Men" number: "And so, they will follow us to the Right, ever to the Right...). If you think about it, it's a breathakingly cynical exploitation by the Haves of the Have-nots, manipulating the former's generally unreasonable hope that they will one day join the Haves into endless tolerance of the Haves' excesses and greed. It's a process that continues to this day... Regular old history books always try to make it seem like the "founding fathers" knew exactly what would happen and how things would turn out in the end, but I don't see how they could have predicted what actually happened. This film showed much of their doubt and disagreements. Well, that's what the Great Debate on Independence in Congress was about. Some colonies feared the consequnces of loss to the British more than others. What's generally forgotten is that these delegates and their families were never that far from British forces and their American sympathizers (there were a lot of them); had any of them been captured, they would have been tried for treason against the British Crown and hanged. When I hear certain contemporary politicans stoking public fear of terrorism, and insisting that only they can protect the populace, it infuriates me. In a nation of two-million square miles, and three-hundred million souls, the chances of being killed by an act of terrorism in negligibly minuscule compared to what the Founding Fathers faced every day. When those same politicians abridge our hard-won and cherished civil rights and freedom in the name of "Homeland Security," I think not just of Franklin's "Those who would exchange essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither security nor safety," but Patrick Henry's simpler and more visceral, "Give me Liberty, or give me death!" "1776" is a Fourth of July tradition at my house. But I'm not entirely happy with the DVD. I think the old theatrical release edit is superior to the director's cut on the DVD -- the latter has extraneous bits (and one long scene) that slow the film down, and a few annoying differences besides. But I've never run across a copy of the theatrical release that wasn't pan-and-scan -- was it ever put out letterboxed, in any format? It would be perfect if TCM were to show a letteboxed version of the original theatrical release. Still, in whatever version, it's a great film for a great day. I have the DVD, but the three-hour laserdisc presentation (which was reconstructed by a friend of mine) is the only one for me. Loved this last night on TCM. 3 hours and not a boring minute. Howard DaSilva was absolutely terrific as Franklin. Superbly performed by everyone. An inspiring classic for the ages and definitely NOT one of George W. Bush's favorite films. The great irony is, of course, that DaSilva was blacklisted for his leftist politics by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 1940s. After decades of finding little work as an actor, he comes back to play his most famous role as one of the nation's most famous Founding Fathers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 I think my favorite song from the show is "Is Anybody There?" Again, the lyrics were derived from Adams' own words. Here is what he wrote: "It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore." Lyric from song: "I see fireworks/I see the pageant and pomp and parade." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineSage_jr Posted November 10, 2006 Share Posted November 10, 2006 I hear the bells ringing out... I hear the cannons' roar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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