He’s obnoxious and disliked…

History buffs – with cable/satellite – might like to know about a 7 part mini series on the life of John Adams currently showing on HBO. It’s based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning book John Adams, and produced by Tom Hanks who has filled a producer role on other compelling projects like “From the Earth to the Moon” and “Band of Brothers.”

It apparently started a week or two ago and the parts will air on Sunday evenings with re-runs during the week. I caught part one tonight and found it to be very much worth the hour and fifteen minutes spent staring at the “stupid-tube.” It centered around Adams’ role as defense attorney for the soldiers of the Boston Massacre and ended with him leaving for Philadelphia on a “plain horse.” It also left me eager to see the rest of the series, just as I was with “From the Earth to the Moon” and “Band of Brothers.”

The series is from HBO Films, so don’t expect a 1776 type song and dance. What you can expect is a well told story with periodic doses of harsh reality served up fairly raw. A scene from part one depicting a man tarred, feathered, and run out on a rail, while overdone, vividly displays the heart and mentality of the mob who would engage in such a practice. It might also bump up the viewing age threshold to somewhere north of 15 depending on the viewing youth in question. In any event, it’s reasonable to assume that more unsettling scenes will come in the series and to act accordingly.

That scene is not necessarily out of place or gratuitous as the practice, along with a few lynchings and general property destruction, were not uncommon for pre-Revolution mobs. It also serves as an exclamation point for the larger philosophical thrust of part one in this series, which is a juxtaposition of mob rule, the rule of man (personified in King George III), and the rule of law (where Adams stands).

A quick internet search turned up at least one review critical of Paul Giamatti’s performance as John Adams but I think he plays the role quite well. Adams was not dashing and charismatic like George Washington, nor amiable and witty like Benjamin Franklin. If Giamatti is over shadowed by other actors in a story that focuses on the character he plays, then the series will only reflect the reality that Adams was overshadowed by others during his life. He was short, fat, opinionated, stubborn and if you will, “obnoxious and disliked.” But he was highly regarded for his integrity. And it’s conceivable that without an Adams in the Continental Congress, there may have been no Declaration of Independence. It’s also conceivable that without an Adams as president, a young United States may have fallen apart due to engaging in an ill advised war with France. All of which makes John Adams a Founding Father worth knowing better.

The scheduled show times can be found at HBOFilms’ John Adams page.

Things that make me go “hmm”:

This post gives a good segue into a question that I’ve often wanted to ask: The Continental Congress orchestrated, and the Continental Army and militias engaged in armed, violent and bloody rebellion against their legitimate government. What should a Christian think of the American Revolution in light of Romans 13:1-7?