• Stylistically unambitious but successful musical stage adaptation
  • I admire the black and white drawing credits
  • William Daniels (John Adams) and Howard Da Silva (Ben Franklin) are inspired—funny, believable in their roles—Daniels best know for playing the father in The Graduate and Da Silva for playing Chickamaw in They Live By Night
  • Nice set design with the fountain garden at Franklin’s house
  • Peter Hunt is no auteur
  • Early Blythe Danner (age 29)—beautiful as Jefferson’s wife—looks just like Paltrow
  • Politically the wrong time for this film in 1972 and that may have hurt the initial reception (which still sort of permeates today)- I think its different in 62 or 82
  • Heat is an effect- works—it’s a character in the film
  • Several versions of various lengths and I think I’ve seen them all- no effect or change on the evaluation grade
  • Recommend but closer to the 40th best film of 1972 than the top 10