CS Weekly Archive > DVD > 5/02/08

Dynasty, Massachusetts-Style

by jason davis

The Adams Chronicles

Anne Howard Bailey, Sam Hall, Roger O. Hirson, Ian Hunter, Corinne Jacker, Millard Lampell, Tad Mosel, Philip Reisman, Jr., and Sherman Yellen
Created by Virginia Kassel

Claiming the 1976 Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series and nominated the following year for the same honor, the PBS mini-series The Adams Chronicles explores the lives of four generations of America's first political dynasty. Though somewhat dated by the obtrusive narration that opens and closes each of the 13 episodes, the programs draw upon the vast archives of correspondence and writings to dramatize the lives of President John Adams (George Grizzard), President John Quincy Adams (William Daniels), Minister Charles Francis Adams (John Beal), historian-cum-novelist Henry Adams (Peter Brandon), and railroad magnate Charles Francis Adams II (Charles Siebert), as well as their contributions to the country the eldest Adams helped create. The lion's share of episodes are devoted to the two elder Adams, and their shadows weigh heavily upon their descendants, who worry that they may not be worthy of their name. With HBO's excellent John Adams miniseries soon to arrive on DVD, one can appreciate the advancements in dramatic writing over the last 30 years, as well as the differences inherent in writing primarily for education versus entertainment.

The Adams Chronicles
Acorn Media

Not rated; 780 min.

$59.99

Buy it now

Jason Davis has been the DVD Manager for CS Weekly , a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.

The Adams Chronicles courtesy Acorn Media

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