1776 (1972)

“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! And by God, I have had this Congress! For ten years, King George and his Parliament have gulled, cullied, and diddled these colonies with their illegal taxes! Stamp Acts, Townshend Acts, Sugar Acts, Tea Acts! And when we dared stand up like men, they have stopped our trade, seized our ships, blockaded our ports, burned our towns, and spilled our BLOOD! And still, this Congress refuses to grant ANY of my proposals on independence, even so much as the courtesy of open debate! Good God, what in hell are you waiting for? ” – John Adams

Number of Times Seen – 1 (18 Nov 2014)

Brief Synopsis – A historical musical that tells the story of how the founding fathers created the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

My Take on it – Up until I saw this review on A Movie List: 365 Films in a Year by Sgliput, I had never even heard about this musical. (Thanks for the recommendation!)

I’m now extremely happy to have found this movie because it was so much fun watching the debates of the members of the Continental Congress.

Just like in Lincoln (2012), this movie gives the viewer an idea as to how politicians and politics haven’t changed much in 238 years.

The script is filled with zingers and they all shoot jabs at each other in their speeches whenever possible but ultimately still want to make sure things are done properly.

The seemingly large cast obviously is essential and the fact that each of the characters have a unique personality, but still manage to intelligently debate the issue of independence.

There aren’t a lot of songs but the ones they have are both entertaining and humorous and give us a clear idea of some of the political rivalry between the men who brought about an important change in US history.

Bottom Line – Amazing script that gives the viewer a realistic image of how the most famous American document was conceived. Great to see how the many diverse personalities came to an agreement. Excellent and humorous songs. Highly recommended!

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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