I didn't post about the other movie I watched on July 4th, 1776. I rank this film as one of my all time favorites. It is not the best film ever made, nor is it the best musical ever made, but there is a giddy playfulness, combined with serious intent that just makes it irresistible. I can almost imagine the founding fathers singing and dancing as the labored to form this new nation.
Based on the 1969 Broadway musical by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone that won three Tony's including best Musical, the film is almost an exact recreation of the stage experience. This included using the same director, screenwriter and actors (a rarity for Hollywood).
The film dispels the noble myths that these men were pure in heart and mind and shows them as bawdy, contentious human beings, just like everyone else. Worse than everyone else for even in the Continental Congress, they ere one thing above all else, politicians.
The songs are a delight but they are not the central focus of the story. In fact the play holds the record for having the longest scene with out music of any musical on Broadway.
It's the sharp witted, comical and intelligent script that carries the film, in particular the ironic self-awareness of John Adams, played by William Daniels. Howard DaSilva is a hoot as Ben Franklin and Ken Howard plays a quiet, reserved Thomas Jefferson. What's amazing about the script is how suspenseful it is. We all know Congress declared independence, but the artful way the story gets there is a delight.
When originally released the Nixon administration used political clout to get the studio to cut a musical number and some dialog that cast conservatives in a poor light. The song Cool, Cool Considerate Men and some dialog was removed. The negative was supposed to have been destroyed, but was kept hidden by an editor. In the 1990's Pioneer laser disc released a restored version of the film including the Overture that ran a full 180 minutes. Prior to this there was a VHS Home Video version that was 142 minutes. The official director's cut that is on DVD and shown on TCM is 168 minutes. The fill must be viewed in widescreen since it often includes men talking to each other across a room or mid shots that include three people at one time.
The film is smart, witty, suspenseful and a musical to boot.
At The Movie House rating **** stars
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