By the time Benjamin Franklin says "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a great man before?" I am already rolling on the floor laughing so hard I can't breathe. I'm serious. The last time I watched this movie in a public place people threatened to call an ambulance. 1776 is that funny. From Richard Henry Lee being coerced into having an original idea (something it is quite obvious he isn't capable of having without help) to John Adams being so abrasively insistent independence be declared to Thomas Jefferson's dry wit to Benjamin Franklin spouting off a slew of one liners that would make even the best standup comic green with envy, this movie is more than a laugh a minute.

Who knew the founding fathers could be this funny? Apparently Peter Stone who wrote the play this movie is based on knew, as did Sherman Edwards who came up with the idea originally and wrote the lyrics. They are also given writing credit for the movie since it follows the play almost verbatim. The music is incredibly well integrated into the story - in many cases the dialogue leads right into the first line of a song, a natural progression that is missing in many musicals.

The Basic Premise

George Washington is already off fighting against the British but congress has yet to formally declare independence. Much of the country is in denial about the revolution taking place mostly in New England. John Adams of Massachusetts is getting frustrated because people refuse to acknowledge what is right in front of their eyes - we are already at war, no matter what we call it. People are fighting and people are dying.

Adams, with the help of Benjamin Franklin, enlists Richard Henry Lee to bring a bill on independency to congress. As a delaying tactic, Thomas Jefferson is enlisted to write a formal declaration of independence on the premise it will help attract aid for the colonies from potential European allies. Adams and Franklin lobby other congressmen to accept the Declaration of Independence and meet with mixed responses. Several times it looks like the quest for independence will fail, but as expected eventually the Declaration is passed and signed.

John Adams

The egotistical, idealistic, frustrated John Adams is brilliantly portrayed by William Daniels who also originated the role on Broadway. He is determined to formally declare independence from England. This is a much more abrasive Adams than we hear about in school, but the tone is taken from Adams' writing of the time.

We see much of the Continental Congress through Adams' eyes and his viewpoint. He is the hero, the one forcing the action and imprinting his will on others. This is done explicitly to some extent, but also comes somewhat naturally because Adams is strenuously arguing for those principles we Americans have grown up thinking are good. We also know in advance that somehow Adams will win and we will declare independence. Rooting for the winner is natural too.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is Adams' biggest supporter and helps keep the somewhat idealistic and hotheaded Adams grounded in reality. He is already very old and at times quite infirm. Howard da Silva becomes Benjamin Franklin in this movie, using gentle persuasion and his extreme intelligence to win over the entire congress and the entire audience. Benjamin Franklin was known for his intelligence and his wit and both are on full display here. Franklin definitely has the best lines of the movie.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson as played by Ken Howard is a quiet, contemplative man who isn't afraid to stick up for what he believes in but will only do so on matters that are important to him. Coerced into writing The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson would rather go home and visit his wife. He misses his wife so much that he doesn't get much writing done until Adams sends for his wife Martha. Eventually Jefferson writes his masterpiece then watches it get torn to smithereens on the congressional floor, leaving only the Declaration we know today.

The Supporting Cast

Most of the supporting characters and cast are wonderful. The one lack in this area is with the women. Both Martha Jefferson and Abigail Adams have what seem like superfluous roles just stuck into the movie so that there is a female presence. I do think the song letters between John and Abigail are brilliantly executed but I don't feel they move the story forward much. Certainly Martha Jefferson adds nothing except a buxom blonde (Betty Buckley) who sings one of the weakest songs in the movie.

Donald Madden as John Dickenson, the chief opposition to independence and John Cullum as South Carolinean Edward Rutledge, the man who insists the south must retain their right to own slaves are particularly compelling in their roles. As the closest thing to villians in the movie, these two characters are compelling men who express their opinions with intelligence. This movie is a true debate, not a rollover celebrating the glory of revolution (well, it does that too, but not to the exclusion of all else).

The Serious Stuff

Fighting a war and determining the fate of a nation are not laughing matters. Although this movie is at heart a comedy, it does seriously deal with the effects of war and provides a serious debate on slavery and the role of northern merchants in perpetuating the cycle that makes slavery possible. One of the most poignant moments in the movie is when the courier who brings General Washington's reports to congress tells of the devastation of Concord and Lexington from the point of view of a soldier who survived but watched his friends die on the battlefield in the song Momma, Look Sharp.

The Songs

Most of the music in this movie is wonderful and very integrated into the movie. I find the songs sung by the women are the weakest in the movie, especially He Plays the Violin where Martha Jefferson tells Adams and Franklin how Thomas Jefferson caught her eyes. The songs about the political process and the frustration it can yield are among the strongest moments of the movie:

Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve sung by Adams near the beginning of the movie explains how congress never gets anything done because they are so wrapped up in the formal processes of the body. Yet we can still hear the underlying belief that the good guys will win in the end resonating through that song. Near the end of the movie Is Anybody There? covers the same themes but instead of optimism we feel depression and a true sense of having finally given up. In the middle, But Mr. Adams cleverly expresses the attempt of politicians to pass the buck to someone else whenever possible. No one wants to write the Declaration of Independence, and they literally pass the quill from one to another to another until only Jefferson is left. The Egg is the song of hope, the song sung while the first draft of the Declaration is being read. At that point Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin are trying to convince themselves the worst is over and that they are finally in the process of creating a new nation.

The funniest song in the movie, The Lees of Old Virginia isn't overtly political. It is a fun postering song sung by Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate) where he pledges to return with a formal proposal for independence. It focuses on his supreme confidence in his family name holding the power to persuade the state of Virginia to do just about anything. It definite-LEE makes me laugh every time I hear it.

The Quote Factory

I could quote memorable lines from 1776 continuously for the next hour (don't worry, I won't). The interesting thing is that many of them would be the actual words of participants, taken from journals and letters. These men were intelligent and witty - I wish some of our current politicians could take a page from their book.

Just to give you a feel, here are some of the more memorable lines from the movie:

Franklin: Treason is a charge used by winners as an excuse for hanging the losers.
Adams: I have better things to do than stand here listening to you quote yourself.
Franklin: Aw, that was a new one.

Adams: I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace; that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress

Franklin: Revolutions come into this world like bastard children. Half improvised and half compromised.

Adams: A whole week! The entire Earth was created in a week
Jefferson: Some day you must tell me how you did it.

Franklin: Calling me an Englishman is like calling an ox a bull: he's grateful for the honor, but he'd rather have restored what's rightfully his.

Adams: Franklin did this, Franklin did that, Franklin did some other damned thing...Franklin smote the ground and out sprang George Washington, full grown and on his horse...Franklin then electrified him with his miraculous lightening rod and the three of them—Franklin, Washington and the horse—conducted the entire Revolution by themselves.

To Conclude

Because it is based on actual letters and historical documents, 1776 is amazingly historically accurate for a movie. Sure, it isn't perfect, but nothing we see today is historically perfect. Franklin said The history books will clean it up and they did. I can't think of another movie that makes history this much fun. Most of the songs are memorable, most of the dialogue is memorable, most of the characters are memorable, and certainly the movie as whole is memorable. I strongly recommend finding that out for yourself.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12