1776
Summary. From Rotten Tomatoes: “The nation's fathers harmonize their way through the founding of America in this musical adapted from a popular Broadway show. Colonial representatives gather in Philadelphia with the aim of establishing a set of governmental rules for the burgeoning United States. Benjamin Franklin (Howard da Silva) and John Adams (William Daniels) charge Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) with the work of writing a statement announcing the new country's emancipation from British rule.”
Why I recommend this movie. As one top critic says, “Every American should watch this once a year.” It is a very enjoyable, feel-good movie. The songs are delightful, the acting is engaging, and the story is inspiring. Also, the writers went to great lengths to make the script as historically accurate as possible. According to the top review on IMDb, “Nearly all the dialogue is directly taken from letters/speeches by the actual Founding Fathers, and whatever isn't direct quotes (such as the songs) is paraphrased. This is especially true for John Adams' dream sequences with his wife Abigail (one of the greatest love stories in history). The writers wanted to present Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, and the others as truthfully as possible -- and they succeeded!”
I also like the fact that my alma mater and Thomas Jefferson’s (William and Mary) gets equal play with John Adam’s alma mater (Harvard) in the verbal jousting between the two men over whether to use “inalienable” or “unalienable” in the Declaration.