REPOST: "1776", the Musical

I've reposted this a couple of times before, but I wanted to share it again. Wishing all of you in the U.S. a very happy Fourth of July!
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As we approach the 4th of July holiday in the U.S., I can't resist putting in a plug for my favorite Revolutionary War movie: "1776", which is a musical about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

If you've never seen "1776", I highly recommend it. It came out in 1972 (based on the Broadway musical of the same name) and I think I've seen it almost every year since I was nine or so. That tradition continues to this day; my family always watches it on DVD every July 4th, and we will do so again this year.

Diana Gabaldon likes it, too; I've heard her describe it as "hilarious, moving, and very singable". I asked her specifically about the costumes, because I'm fascinated by the details of the 18th century clothing in this movie, and she said they're pretty accurate.

For those of you who have read AN ECHO IN THE BONE: Can you watch Ben Franklin in this movie without thinking of the scene in ECHO where he's "air-bathing", stark naked? <g> That image is burned indelibly into my brain now, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Here are a couple of my favorite songs from the movie:

1) "The Egg" - Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson choose America's national bird.



2) "Sit Down, John" - This is the movie's opening number.



You can get "1776" via Amazon here. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

4 comments

Michelle said...

I was born on the 4th of July (1941). Somehow, I've missed this film completely. I'll have to watch it now! It strikes me that the things John Adams was upset about being imposed by the British government on the Americans are nothing compared to what our own government is imposing on us now!

Brenda said...

Love it! Our family has a tradition of listening to the Broadway cast soundtrack of 1776 (the updated version with Brent Spiner as John Adams) as we sit in traffic after the fireworks each year.

creekbird50 said...

I so love this movie too. This is the first time in years since I have heard anyone else that liked watching it too. Thanks for the memories.

daisy144 said...

One of my all time favorite movies / plays - have seen it on stage several times and watch the movie at least once a year - another great song from the movie is "But, Mr. Adams" - with an interesting sidelight - the two actors playing Adams and Jefferson were actually the same height as the real people - makes the scene even more interesting

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