New HBO mini-series this month. John Adams

[kombayn]

I love this series. It's extremely well made, I can't wait for an American Revolution movie. That'd be dope, I do wish we could get a re-enactment of the whole war. Because like another poster said, our fore-fathers were extremely out-numbered. Be glad the French helped us and Holland for giving us that $10,000,000 loan.

[Stylerod]

It has been great so far. And yesterday I just realized it's more then half way over. Noooooooo!!!!!!!!

[Thorgrim]

its full of historical flaws as they try a tricky maneuver to canonize him yet at the same time show personal flaws that are often made up, much like the book it was based on, which was more focused on making money in the cool new quasi-history world of flashy biographies

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

its full of historical flaws as they try a tricky maneuver to canonize him yet at the same time show personal flaws that are often made up, much like the book it was based on, which was more focused on making money in the cool new quasi-history world of flashy biographies

HBO made a drama that is full of historical flaws? STOP THE PRESSES!!!!

[Thorgrim]

It's more like propaganda with a mix of trying to get ratings

See: Fox News

[David Octavius]

My three favorite scenes -

1) Ben F, Adams and Jefferson discussing the first draft of the declaration of Independence

2) Jefferson and Adams in Paris watching the hot air balloon severing ties with earth for the first time in history. Their banter is funny

3) Adams and King George - the searing anger in King's eye said it all

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by David Octavius

3) Adams and King George - the searing anger in King's eye said it all

That was amazing. I mean. Can you imagine the horror of the King having to actually give the time of day to one of the architects of a country that removed themselves, politically and militarily, away from his empire.

What a great fucking show.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

That was amazing. I mean. Can you imagine the horror of the King having to actually give the time of day to one of the architects of a country that removed themselves, politically and militarily, away from his empire.

What a great fucking show.

Real history doesn't need dramatization

The Port folio - Google Book Search

[motivez]

It makes for good television and gets people interested in history, so it's all a plus to me

HBO almost always does amazing stuff, this show is certainly not one of the rare exceptions.

[Schrödinger's Cat]

Originally Posted by motivez

It makes for good television and gets people interested in history, so it's all a plus to me

HBO almost always does amazing stuff, this show is certainly not one of the rare exceptions.

Exactly, that is why I loved Rome so much. It is always fascinating for people that don't usually read history to see "living history". Hopefully it will get some people interested enough to pick up a book about the time period. Not to mention that I fear many children really don't know our history.

[kinggovernor]

Originally Posted by motivez

It makes for good television and gets people interested in history, so it's all a plus to me

HBO almost always does amazing stuff, this show is certainly not one of the rare exceptions.

it has my engineering friends interested in the stuff that I talk about, so I consider it a positive.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by Schrödinger's Cat

Exactly, that is why I loved Rome so much. It is always fascinating for people that don't usually read history to see "living history". Hopefully it will get some people interested enough to pick up a book about the time period. Not to mention that I fear many children really don't know our history.

fear? it's a fact

and it's adults too, I socialize with many doctors due to my fiancee, and most of them don't know which came first, the Crusades or Roman Empire

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

fear? it's a fact

and it's adults too, I socialize with many doctors due to my fiancee, and most of them don't know which came first, the Crusades or Roman Empire

In my AP History class in 11th grade, I think 3 people knew what war Hitler was in.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by lew

In my AP History class in 11th grade, I think 3 people knew what war Hitler was in.

Seriously?

[kinggovernor]

Originally Posted by lew

In my AP History class in 11th grade, I think 3 people knew what war Hitler was in.

no way.

[Dumpy Dooby]

My little step sister came home one day, and she asked , "Why didn't George Washington sign the Declaration of Independence?" I was the only one in my house that knew the answer.


Anyway, I'm diggin' the show. You can tell which parts are dramatized and which parts are historically accurate. I remember noting that the chronology of two events were conflated in the last episode, but I already forgot what it was. The interaction amongst the other Founders is too brief, and the interaction amongst Adams and his wife is too frivolous.

I'm excited about how they're going to portray the deaths of Adams and Jefferson. My mom didn't know that they both died on the same day, the 50th anniversary of the presidential signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4th, 1826).

If they show the death of Hamilton, I hope they don't go with the unrealistic holier-than-thou bullshit side that says Hamilton never pulled out his gun and Burr murdered him in cold blood. From the looks of it, though, I think the makers love making Hamilton look like a cunt, and rightfully so.

[Publius]

Originally Posted by Dumpy Dooby

My little step sister came home one day, and she asked , "Why didn't George Washington sign the Declaration of Independence?" I was the only one in my house that knew the answer.


Anyway, I'm diggin' the show. You can tell which parts are dramatized and which parts are historically accurate. I remember noting that the chronology of two events were conflated in the last episode, but I already forgot what it was. The interaction amongst the other Founders is too brief, and the interaction amongst Adams and his wife is too frivolous.

I'm excited about how they're going to portray the deaths of Adams and Jefferson. My mom didn't know that they both died on the same day, the 50th anniversary of the presidential signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4th, 1826).

If they show the death of Hamilton, I hope they don't go with the unrealistic holier-than-thou bullshit side that says Hamilton never pulled out his gun and Burr murdered him in cold blood. From the looks of it, though, I think the makers love making Hamilton look like a cunt, and rightfully so.

Not even Hamilton biographers believe he didn't draw the gun, but he almost certainly fired the weapon well over Burr's head intentionally.

[Dumpy Dooby]

Originally Posted by Publius

Not even Hamilton biographers believe he didn't draw the gun, but he almost certainly fired the weapon well over Burr's head intentionally.

That's still galloping through the cotton candy clouds of Fantasyville, if you ask me. He absolutely hated Burr, far more than he hated Jefferson, and you would have me believe that he intentionally missed his shot? What would be his reasoning? He certainly wanted to kill Burr.

[Publius]

Originally Posted by Dumpy Dooby

That's still galloping through the cotton candy clouds of Fantasyville, if you ask me. He absolutely hated Burr, far more than he hated Jefferson, and you would have me believe that he intentionally missed his shot? What would be his reasoning? He certainly wanted to kill Burr.

At that point in his life he was opposed to dueling, but he was too stubborn to back down from Burr's challenge. You have to remember, just a couple of years earlier one of his sons had died in a duel over Hamilton's honor (using the same pistols, in fact).

Add to that the fact that at that time it was rare for a man to actually shoot to kill in a duel (typically at that point in history they aimed at legs/arms to simply prove their point, not at the center mass to try and kill), and there was no way he could have reasonably expected Burr to kill him. It's hard to say whether Burr even actually intended to kill him, the shot that killed Hamilton was certainly a "lucky" one in the way it bounced around his internals.

[Dumpy Dooby]

Was the shot that killed his son a "lucky" one as well? Sounds like the Hamiltons were just pissin' everyone off.

I kid. <3

Well that makes more sense. I didn't realize his stance on dueling, nor have I heard that people didn't generally kill during a duel. The latter part, though, I'm still hesitant to believe. The duels of the century after his death were for the purpose of killing, and as you mentioned, his son died in a duel as well. So I'm not so sure that I buy that part of the story (though admittedly I know very little about the practice of dueling at the time), but I can definitely accept that he was personally opposed to dueling. It makes the story of the perfect altruist martyr, sacrificing himself unto the bullet of his worst enemy, seem more realistic.