1776 (1972)

(On Cable TV, October 2020) As a buff of both American politics and movie musicals, it was inevitable that I’d eventually make my way to 1776. I only realized a few minutes in the film the clear link between 2010s′ Hamilton and this 1970s′ 1776: Both, after all, adopt the musical as a way to talk about the founding days of the United States in decidedly unheroic fashion, with personal interests overriding national concerns, and the messiness of the process that led to documents and ideas that people now perceive as set in stone. This version of history focuses on the backroom machinations in Philadelphia as the founding fathers hashed out the details of their new country in a series of trades and compromises. The focus here is on John Adams, as a self-deprecating protagonist around which the conversations take place. It’s all wonderfully personal, quirky and unheroic, although Howard Da Silva deservedly gets the lion’s share of bon mots as Benjamin Franklin. It’s a musical comedy, but the songs are not particularly impressive—but that’s fine, given that the dialogue in between the songs is by far the most interesting part of the film. Wikipedia notes that the film is substantially accurate all the way to some of the most striking lines of dialogue—often taken from contemporary correspondence or later recollections from the people involved. The overall film is not perfect, but it’s surprisingly good: Even at more than two hours and a half, 1776 zips by and makes for great listening. It makes for a splendid double bill (as the first feature) to Hamilton, taking you (to borrow a phrase) in the room where it happened.