OT: While we're on the subject of movies, TCM at 5 has 1776 showing.

[harbest]

I know it's a musical and that may turn you off, but there are parts of it that deals with how the founding fathers wrestled with the problem of slavery in writing the Declaration of Independence. Knowing in hindsight what would happen 80 some years down the road, how the compromises they made at the time to pass the Declaration would come back to bite the country in the ass in the mid 1800's. I watched it once trying to ignore the musical aspect and trying to absorb the history around it and the signers.

 

[Woodpecker]

I know it's a musical and that may turn you off, but there are parts of it that deals with how the founding fathers wrestled with the problem of slavery in writing the Declaration of Independence. Knowing in hindsight what would happen 80 some years down the road, how the compromises they made at the time to pass the Declaration would come back to bite the country in the ass in the mid 1800's. I watched it once trying to ignore the musical aspect and trying to absorb the history around it and the signers.

And (of course) on July 4th at 10:15 PM (after Yankee Doodle Dandy)

 

[PSU87]

I know it's a musical and that may turn you off, but there are parts of it that deals with how the founding fathers wrestled with the problem of slavery in writing the Declaration of Independence. Knowing in hindsight what would happen 80 some years down the road, how the compromises they made at the time to pass the Declaration would come back to bite the country in the ass in the mid 1800's. I watched it once trying to ignore the musical aspect and trying to absorb the history around it and the signers.

My favorite movie because it combines two of my favorite things - history and music.
Not exactly historically accurate, but I enjoy it a ton.

 

[PSU77sh]

One of my favorites.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Not exactly historically accurate, but I enjoy it a ton.

^^ This, and I can't emphasize it enough. There are so many misrepresentations, mistakes, etc. in the movie it's tough for me to watch, but I do try to watch some of it each year around this time.

 

[harbest]

^^ This, and I can't emphasize it enough. There are so many misrepresentations, mistakes, etc. in the movie it's tough for me to watch, but I do try to watch some of it each year around this time.

Trying to find ANY movie that Hollywood turns out that is historically accurate is like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. The one time I did watch the entire movie (thank you DVR) I found it fascinating how even in 1776, there were divisions among the delegates over the issue of slavery, how they discussed/fought over the issue, and wound up shoving it to the back burner, all for the sake of declaring their independence from The Crown.

 

[RWCStateFan]

I know it's a musical and that may turn you off, but there are parts of it that deals with how the founding fathers wrestled with the problem of slavery in writing the Declaration of Independence. Knowing in hindsight what would happen 80 some years down the road, how the compromises they made at the time to pass the Declaration would come back to bite the country in the ass in the mid 1800's. I watched it once trying to ignore the musical aspect and trying to absorb the history around it and the signers.

This was the first professional cast performance I ever saw. Autumn of 1968 - touring company with many of the same people that are in the movie! Yes, many of the characters are “compressions” of two or three members of the delegation and some dramatic liberties were taken, however, many of the lines in the dialogue are taken directly from diaries, journals, and recollections of the founding fathers. I’ve directed over forty musical productions - wish I could have done this one. Love this show!

 

[Aardvark86]

^^ This, and I can't emphasize it enough. There are so many misrepresentations, mistakes, etc. in the movie it's tough for me to watch, but I do try to watch some of it each year around this time.

Well, they did get lecherous Ben Franklin right

 

[harbest]

This was the first professional cast performance I ever saw. Autumn of 1968 - touring company with many of the same people that are in the movie! Yes, many of the characters are “compressions” of two or three members of the delegation and some dramatic liberties were taken, however, many of the lines in the dialogue are taken directly from diaries, journals, and recollections of the founding fathers. I’ve directed over forty musical productions - wish I could have done this one. Love this show!

I have heard that the producers went to great lengths to sign a lot of the stage actors for the movie because they were so great in the play.