Who
would have thought that all the petty squabbling that lead up to the thirteen
American colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain would
for make a great Broadway musical. When you think about it, the idea sounds
kind of dry and boring, yet somehow, 1776 managed this impossible
feat by turning dusty historic figures into living, breathing men with
the same hopes, aspirations and flaws as everyone one else. Also, it didn’t
hurt that the book to 1776 is quite witty, and wasn’t afraid to
release the tension built up in the story with healthy doses of humor.
On top of all that, 1776 featured delightful and memorable songs
that went a long way to further the plot, instead of bringing the action
of the play to a screeching halt.
When
producer Jack L. Warner decided to bring 1776 to the screen, the
intention was to make a film that was very close to the original Broadway
production. The film version of 1776 retained the same writer to
produce the screenplay, the film the same director as it had on the stage,
the same choreographer would be employed for the musical numbers, all
of the songs would be making the transition to the screen and so would
much of the Broadway cast. While the obvious intention was to make an
"opened up" film record of the Broadway production, the movie
that premiered in theaters in 1972 ended up being drastically cut by its
producer. Over the years, the film version of 1776 has won a large
and loyal fan base, many of which longed to see the uncut version of the
film.
In
1992, the cut and previously assumed destroyed footage was unearthed and
pieced together for a special edition Laserdisc release. While the reconstructed
Laserdisc release represented the complete Broadway score and every bit
of footage that could be found, the condition of the restored footage
varied wildly- all the way down to segments appearing in black and white.
With the passing of another ten years, 1776 has had the opportunity
to undergo a real restoration that brought the reinstated footage up to
the same caliber as found in the 35mm general release prints. The 2002
restoration and DVD release of 1776 ($25) allowed the film’s director
Peter Hunt to return the movie to the cut he envisioned for its 1972 theatrical
release, which unfortunately removes segments contained in the 1992 Laserdisc
reconstruction. I guess the extra footage contained only on the 1992 reconstruction
of 1776 makes the Laserdisc an even bigger collector’s item than
it was before.
As
I stated above, 1776 tells the story of the squabbling that occurred
amongst the representatives of the thirteen colonies prior to the decision
of the Continental Congress to declare independence from Great Britain.
John Adams (William Daniels) leads the call for the colonies to declare
independence. Unfortunately, Adams is disliked by many of his fellow delegates
and his proposal remains stalled. However, with the aid of his ally Benjamin
Franklin (Howard Da Silva), Adams is able to get a Southern delegate to
bring the proposal to the floor. Of course, bringing the proposal of independence
to the floor is only the first step; Adams still has to fight opposition
from various delegates with their own agendas- the most vocal of which
is John Dickinson (Donald Madden). When it looks as though independence
is about to be squashed on the floor of congress, Adams is able to postpone
a final vote until a formal declaration can be written. The job of writing
The Declaration Of Independence falls to Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard);
however, the young delegate can’t seem to get past a case of writer’s
block caused by his need to spend some quality time with his wife Martha
(Blythe Danner), whom he hasn’t seen in six months. The impressive cast
of 1776 also features John Cullum, Roy Poole, David Ford, Ron Holgate,
Ray Middleton, William Hansen, Virginia Vestoff, Emory Bass, Ralston Hill,
Jonathan Moore and James Noble.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made the restored director’s cut of 1776
available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced
for 16:9 displays. This is an absolutely gorgeous transfer that would
make one doubt that the movie ever appeared in any other form than the
version contained on the DVD. Every additional frame of the director’s
cut is seamlessly integrated with the theatrical version making it impossible
to tell what has been added to the body of the film without already being
familiar with the various versions of 1776. An occasional blemish
is about the only sign of age one will encounter at any point during the
presentation.
The
image on the DVD is clean, sharp and very well defined for a movie that
is thirty years old. There is a bit of grain here and there, but nothing
at all bothersome. Colors are generally vibrant and wonderfully appealing.
Flesh tones aren’t wholly natural, but they still do manage to look good.
There are no problems with chroma noise of smearing of the more intense
hues at any time during the movie. Blacks are accurately rendered and
contrast is generally smooth; however, shadow detail and image depth are
somewhat limited, either by design or due to the nature of the early seventies
film stocks used. There are no noticeable signs of digital compression
artifacts during the presentation, despite the fact that the restored
version of 1776 runs one hundred sixty six minutes.
For
this release, 1776 has been upgraded to a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack. Utilizing the original stereo music recordings as a starting
point, the new mix gives the soundtrack a sense of presence that it has
never had before. The forward soundstage seems livelier and more engaging
than it did on the stereo Laserdisc, plus the addition of musical fill
in the rear channels give the soundtrack a more enveloping feeling. There
is good channel separation across the front, and the rears occasionally
feature sound effects. Dialogue is localized to the center channel, coming
across crisply and with full understandability. The bass channel is surprisingly
active, providing the music numbers with a resounding oomph! Of course,
the fidelity of the recordings themselves is limited somewhat by age,
so one isn’t going to find the heightened clarity or the distinctiveness
in the orchestrations that are present in newer recordings. Still, I found
this soundtrack to be a marvel for its age and production history. Subtitles
have been provided on the DVD in English and French.
The
basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as some interesting supplements. Director
Peter Hunt and screenwriter Peter Stone are on hand for a detailed running
audio commentary that touches on all phases of the production of 1776-
from its development for the stage, the transition to film, the cutting
of the film, and most importantly, its final restoration to its current
form. This is an excellent commentary for fans of this particular production,
since it covers all the bases. Also included on the DVD are screen tests
for William Daniels, Ray Middleton, James Noble, Leo Leyden and Rex Robbins,
all of whom appear in full costume. Closing things out is a theatrical
trailer for 1776 as well as bonus trailers for OLIVER, THE
TAMING OF THE SHREW and PAL JOEY. The only thing noticeable
omission from the supplements is the footage contained in the 1992 reconstruction
that did not make the director’s cut.
1776
is a wonderful film made even more wonderful by its restoration. Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment have to be
congratulated for the time and effort that has gone into bringing the
film back to its original cut. The DVD looks and sounds incredible, making
it a must have for fans.
Who
would have thought that all the petty squabbling that lead up to the thirteen
American colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain would
for make a great Broadway musical. When you think about it, the idea sounds
kind of dry and boring, yet somehow, 1776 managed this impossible
feat by turning dusty historic figures into living, breathing men with
the same hopes, aspirations and flaws as everyone one else. Also, it didn’t
hurt that the book to 1776 is quite witty, and wasn’t afraid to
release the tension built up in the story with healthy doses of humor.
On top of all that, 1776 featured delightful and memorable songs
that went a long way to further the plot, instead of bringing the action
of the play to a screeching halt.
When
producer Jack L. Warner decided to bring 1776 to the screen, the
intention was to make a film that was very close to the original Broadway
production. The film version of 1776 retained the same writer to
produce the screenplay, the film the same director as it had on the stage,
the same choreographer would be employed for the musical numbers, all
of the songs would be making the transition to the screen and so would
much of the Broadway cast. While the obvious intention was to make an
"opened up" film record of the Broadway production, the movie
that premiered in theaters in 1972 ended up being drastically cut by its
producer. Over the years, the film version of 1776 has won a large
and loyal fan base, many of which longed to see the uncut version of the
film.
In
1992, the cut and previously assumed destroyed footage was unearthed and
pieced together for a special edition Laserdisc release. While the reconstructed
Laserdisc release represented the complete Broadway score and every bit
of footage that could be found, the condition of the restored footage
varied wildly- all the way down to segments appearing in black and white.
With the passing of another ten years, 1776 has had the opportunity
to undergo a real restoration that brought the reinstated footage up to
the same caliber as found in the 35mm general release prints. The 2002
restoration and DVD release of 1776 ($25) allowed the film’s director
Peter Hunt to return the movie to the cut he envisioned for its 1972 theatrical
release, which unfortunately removes segments contained in the 1992 Laserdisc
reconstruction. I guess the extra footage contained only on the 1992 reconstruction
of 1776 makes the Laserdisc an even bigger collector’s item than
it was before.
As
I stated above, 1776 tells the story of the squabbling that occurred
amongst the representatives of the thirteen colonies prior to the decision
of the Continental Congress to declare independence from Great Britain.
John Adams (William Daniels) leads the call for the colonies to declare
independence. Unfortunately, Adams is disliked by many of his fellow delegates
and his proposal remains stalled. However, with the aid of his ally Benjamin
Franklin (Howard Da Silva), Adams is able to get a Southern delegate to
bring the proposal to the floor. Of course, bringing the proposal of independence
to the floor is only the first step; Adams still has to fight opposition
from various delegates with their own agendas- the most vocal of which
is John Dickinson (Donald Madden). When it looks as though independence
is about to be squashed on the floor of congress, Adams is able to postpone
a final vote until a formal declaration can be written. The job of writing
The Declaration Of Independence falls to Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard);
however, the young delegate can’t seem to get past a case of writer’s
block caused by his need to spend some quality time with his wife Martha
(Blythe Danner), whom he hasn’t seen in six months. The impressive cast
of 1776 also features John Cullum, Roy Poole, David Ford, Ron Holgate,
Ray Middleton, William Hansen, Virginia Vestoff, Emory Bass, Ralston Hill,
Jonathan Moore and James Noble.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made the restored director’s cut of 1776
available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced
for 16:9 displays. This is an absolutely gorgeous transfer that would
make one doubt that the movie ever appeared in any other form than the
version contained on the DVD. Every additional frame of the director’s
cut is seamlessly integrated with the theatrical version making it impossible
to tell what has been added to the body of the film without already being
familiar with the various versions of 1776. An occasional blemish
is about the only sign of age one will encounter at any point during the
presentation.
The
image on the DVD is clean, sharp and very well defined for a movie that
is thirty years old. There is a bit of grain here and there, but nothing
at all bothersome. Colors are generally vibrant and wonderfully appealing.
Flesh tones aren’t wholly natural, but they still do manage to look good.
There are no problems with chroma noise of smearing of the more intense
hues at any time during the movie. Blacks are accurately rendered and
contrast is generally smooth; however, shadow detail and image depth are
somewhat limited, either by design or due to the nature of the early seventies
film stocks used. There are no noticeable signs of digital compression
artifacts during the presentation, despite the fact that the restored
version of 1776 runs one hundred sixty six minutes.
For
this release, 1776 has been upgraded to a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack. Utilizing the original stereo music recordings as a starting
point, the new mix gives the soundtrack a sense of presence that it has
never had before. The forward soundstage seems livelier and more engaging
than it did on the stereo Laserdisc, plus the addition of musical fill
in the rear channels give the soundtrack a more enveloping feeling. There
is good channel separation across the front, and the rears occasionally
feature sound effects. Dialogue is localized to the center channel, coming
across crisply and with full understandability. The bass channel is surprisingly
active, providing the music numbers with a resounding oomph! Of course,
the fidelity of the recordings themselves is limited somewhat by age,
so one isn’t going to find the heightened clarity or the distinctiveness
in the orchestrations that are present in newer recordings. Still, I found
this soundtrack to be a marvel for its age and production history. Subtitles
have been provided on the DVD in English and French.
The
basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as some interesting supplements. Director
Peter Hunt and screenwriter Peter Stone are on hand for a detailed running
audio commentary that touches on all phases of the production of 1776-
from its development for the stage, the transition to film, the cutting
of the film, and most importantly, its final restoration to its current
form. This is an excellent commentary for fans of this particular production,
since it covers all the bases. Also included on the DVD are screen tests
for William Daniels, Ray Middleton, James Noble, Leo Leyden and Rex Robbins,
all of whom appear in full costume. Closing things out is a theatrical
trailer for 1776 as well as bonus trailers for OLIVER, THE
TAMING OF THE SHREW and PAL JOEY. The only thing noticeable
omission from the supplements is the footage contained in the 1992 reconstruction
that did not make the director’s cut.
1776
is a wonderful film made even more wonderful by its restoration. Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment have to be
congratulated for the time and effort that has gone into bringing the
film back to its original cut. The DVD looks and sounds incredible, making
it a must have for fans.
