Tuesday, July 2, 1776 comes out on DVD, and I can’t wait to pick up my copy. I would have ordered it on Amazon, but Best Buy has it for the same price, and I don’t have to pay S/H charges. 1776 is one of my all-time favorite movies; I STILL get chills every time I hear “Momma, Look Sharp” and “Molasses to Rum to Slaves,” which, in addition to being one helluva song, is also a neat precis of the Triangle Trade.
Any other fans out there?
YAY!!!
does dance of joy
My favorite movie, ever. Only comes on TV once a year–and this year I won’t even have the channel (Encore’s True Stories) that it usually comes on.
This is so exciting!
Hurrah, hurrah. I can’t wait. I shall call my favorite purveyor of DVD goods to ensure that they will be getting a copy. If not, I shall hunt high and low throughout New York City until I have one in my hot little hands.
“Vote yes! Vote yes!”
Just in time for independency!
Ordered mine through www.deepdiscountdvd.com and it just arrived. My review:
For the uninitiated, “1776” was an award-winning Broadway musical from 1969. In 1972 it was turned into a film with the same writer, director, and nearly all of the same cast. While that didn’t win any awards, it has become a cult classic. I call it that because there really are two kinds of people in the world: those who adore this film and those who have never heard of it.
As you might guess from the title, “1776” tells the story of the writing of the Declaration of Independence, from early June 1776 to July 4th, when the document is signed. As we learn, the topic of American independence was far from a cut-and-dry affair in Congress. It took a lot just to get the topic open for debate. John Adams (played by William Daniels) was obnoxious and disliked, yet a man of absolute integrity; Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) had other things on his mind, yet remained brilliant; and Ben Franklin (Howard DaSilva) frequently had to play the diplomat among the other congressmen. I should point out that this is not revisionist history. Nearly every spoken line is, if not what the historical figures actually said or wrote (though not necessarily at that time), so close as to not warrant noting. Unlike so many historical films, this one is amazingly accurate (except for the singing). What you get here are not caricatures of these founders, but well-rounded portraits. You come away from the film loving and revering these people even more. They are no longer, as director Peter Hunt says in his audio commentary, “cardboard.” A good portion of that is due to the humor. “1776” is not exactly a musical comedy, but there are a lot of (intentional) laughs.
The version of the film which most fans have seen (on public TV or video tape) is the 141-minute cut. Prior to theatrical release, “1776” was trimmed of some half an hour of material – most significantly one entire song, “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,” a number which is critical of the Right. The song was excised at the request of then-President Richard Nixon, who felt it mocked his Republican party.
The 176-minute laserdisc release a few years ago finally brought us the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio, as well restoring “CCCM” and other lost footage. That other footage was problematic. Sometimes it was just a line to two of dialogue. Sometimes it was a single verse of a song. Occasionally it enhanced the story, but frequently you can see why it might have ended up on the cutting room floor. Additionally, the restored footage was of varying quality, and to see the film suddenly jump from sharp to faded and scratched was jarring.
The new DVD release is 166 minutes. It gives us all of “CCCM” and only a few of the previous inserts. Produced under the eye of the film’s director, Peter Hunt, this restoration is indeed the definitive director’s cut. It is restoration not for its own sake, but to flesh out and improve the story. Best of all, the restored footage is also from original print elements (long thought lost), making the DVD’s image quality uniform. And how is that quality? Amazing. It’s not reference-quality (like “T2” or [and this is a cheat since it was fully computer creation converted to DVD without any film stock in sight] “Shrek”), but it’s great. I guarantee that it’s the highest-quality version of “1776” you’ve ever seen. Ditto the sound. And you get audio commentary from the writer and director: lots of fun facts and stories, as well as details of the restoration.
If you love this film, go grab the DVD. If you’ve never seen it, I recommend a 4th of July rental. It’s a family tradition at my house.
I first saw this movie the morning of July 4, 1976. It really got me in the right frame of mind for the rest of the day.
Thanks for the great input, KXL. This has been one of my faves since we took a field trip to see it in grade school.
“Salt peter” - John
“Pins” - Abigail
“For god’s sake, John – SIT DOWN!”
Absolutely, positively, the only musical I like! Can’t wait to get a copy.
“We are the Lees of Old Virginniaaaaa!”
I love the movie. Fell in love with Blyth Danner from it, too.
Aha! Best Buy had it on its shelves (they often street DVDs the day before they are supposed to), so I got to watch it tonight! It looks great!
They restored “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men!!!” Yippee!!! I know what I’m getting for my birthday!
OMG! I have died and gone to heaven!
A restored 1776!
Definately gonna get it.