Product Description
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Four generations of a founding family
Winner of four Emmys® and a Peabody, The Adams Chronicles created
a sensation when it debuted in 1976. Lauded by contemporary
critics as "the best and highest-rated series in the history of
American public television," its vitality and historical
integrity now prove timeless. This lavish series dramatizes four
generations of Adamses and 150 years of American history from the
birth of the Revolution through the Gilded Age. You meet John
Adams -- passionate revolutionary and second president; John
Quincy Adams -- proud son of a famous her and sixth president;
Charles Francis Adams -- skillful minister to Great Britain
during the Civil War; and Henry and Charles Francis Adams, Jr. --
historian and railroad magnate, respectively.
Going well beyond politics, this television masterpiece portrays
these men as husbands, hers, brothers, and sons, as well as
leaders. Based on the familys personal diaries and
correspondence, The Adams Chronicles not only educates as a true
historical epic, but also captivates as a fully human family
saga.
.com
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Anyone interested in the birth of America, and those who
formed its precious Constitution--that would be just about
anybody--will be riveted to all 13 hours of The Adams Chronicles,
an Emmy-nominated miniseries from the mid-'70s that focuses on
the life, and political dynasty, of John Adams. While
occasionally rather talky, the series is accessible,
well-directed and a fascinating history lesson, telling the
larger story of politics, conflict, and power, through a family
and relationships that are touchingly real to contemporary
audiences. Adams launched an American political and financial
dynasty that the Kennedys and Bushes can only dream of emulating.
The second president of the U.S. was a key player in the battle
for Independence and the drafting of the Constitution, and his
offspring would become statesmen, historians, diplomats, a
railroad magnate--even another U.S. president. Originally
broadcast in 1976, the height of the American miniseries rage,
The Adams Chronicles was a ratings smash, and proves to be a
timeless, satisfying tour through America's inspiring formative
years.
Adams (also paid detailed homage in both David McCullough's
biography ( /gp/product/141657588X/ ) and the HBO miniseries (
/gp/product/B000WGWQG8/ ) starring Paul Giamatti) was a more
low-key Revoluntary figure than, say, George Washington or
Benjamin Franklin. But his political stealth, and fervent beliefs
in liberty and freedom, helped mold the very country at its
birth. The Emmy-nominated George Grizzard is nuanced as Adams,
whose conscience must forever be reconciled with political
reality. His relationship with his intelligent wife, Abigail, is
depicted lovingly. Years after the Revolution, living in France
as a diplomat for the still-unrecognized United States, Adams
greets his family whom he hasn't seen in several years. When
Abigail asks, simply, "How are you feeling, Mr. Adams?", he
replies, holding her gaze, "Twenty years younger than yesterday."
The 13-hour series traces John and Abigail's children, and their
children, and so on, up through the Civil War and then the turn
of the 20th century. By then there is no doubt that the Adams
family is America's family, intertwined with the great upheavals,
and achievements, in the young country. --A.T. Hurley
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Review
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"A classy, intelligent drama all the way -- Wilmington
on DVD (thedailypage.com)
"The earlier production still has engaging vitality -- Home
Theater Sound
"The performances are exemplary" -- Exclusive Magazine
A rich opera of human endeavor and failings -- The Star-Ledger
An overflowing entertainment -- Playbill.com
Holds up remarkably well today, filled with wonderful
performances...distinguished by writing that's more literate and
historically realistic than the HBO series. -- Tulsa World
Presents a fascinating historical arc" -- Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel
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