frankd-64766 William Daniels as John Adams was a part he was meant to play. His intensity throughout the movie was exceptional. It conveyed the true sense of urgency that the colonist had at the time to escape the oppressive British rule. Howard Da Silva was terrific as Benjamin Franklin. He portrayed his wit and wisdom perfectly. I also loved Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson. I'll always know him as "The White Shadow" but he showed his incredible acting range here. As a history and classic movie buff, I had to give this a 10 for the fine performances and great American history.

donlessnau-591-637730 My god, what were they thinking? This quite possibly one of the worst ideas ever to make it to the silver screen. Just cringe-worthy. The real marvel is that they managed to find enough brain dead investors to make this stinkburger. Just awful.

evanston_dad "1776" is one of the least musical musicals I've ever seen. Long stretches of film go by with nary a song in sight, and there were times I actually forgot I was watching a musical and then was surprised when someone burst into song. But the drama, though about something that could have been dry as dirt, is riveting enough that I didn't really even need the songs.The film is a small miracle of screen writing, though credit probably really goes to the writer of the original book on which the screenplay was based. It's not like we don't know how the story ends, yet the film manages to build a good deal of suspense out of the question of whether or not the Declaration of Independence will be adopted. The film feels crazy relevant right at this particular time, its question about what kind of country we want America to be, and the like-it-or-not-truth that we have to figure out how to work together though we'll never agree on some things, one we're dealing with at this very moment. And the songs about how ineffectual the U.S. Congress is would have been funny had they not been so painfully true.Most of the original Broadway cast were reunited for this film, and though none of them were big-time movie stars, they all ably carry the show.Grade: A

atinkerer Hi,Blythe Danner and her glorious singing of He Plays The Violin is reason enough to see this movie.As for the movie it self, it's a charming representation of the events that brought about the birth of this nation. See it as a child would, and revel in the joy it gives you, but put aside the seriousness of a dusty old pucker-puss professor of history. For those of us who are inclined to look beneath the surface, you will find here the motivations that moved these men, step by step, to commit themselves to revolution.See it when you want to feel good. You may even learn something in the processes.Tony