1776

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1776

G

Released Nov 17, 1972

2h 21m

Musical

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

68%

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19 Reviews

84%

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5,000+ Ratings

The nation's fathers harmonize their way through the founding of America in this musical adapted from a popular Broadway show. Colonial representatives gather in Philadelphia with the aim of establishing a set of governmental rules for the burgeoning United States. Benjamin Franklin (Howard da Silva) and John Adams (William Daniels) charge Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) with the work of writing a statement announcing the new country's emancipation from British rule.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

What could be more soul-curdling than a Broadway folk operetta featuring the founding fathers, and double-entendres, and national tragedy? The movie version.

Sep 28, 2023

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Matthew Rozsa

Salon.com

With "1776," political struggles that took place nearly two-and-a-half centuries ago feel as fresh and immediate as the political struggles of today.

Rated: 4/4

Aug 3, 2017

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Every American should watch this once a year.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 26, 2010

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Peter Canavese

Celluloid Dreams

Great screenplay based on the Broadway musical. Fantastic musical in an amazing 3-disc 4K/blu-ray set from Sony,

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 30, 2022

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Da Silva is a standout amongst a talented cast which may be because he has some of the best lines of the whole film and he delivers them with incredible, comedic timing.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 1, 2022

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

1776 is the rare musical to tackle American Independence with memorable tunes and does so in almost three hours.

Rated: 4/5

May 31, 2022

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Carter B

This movie is just awful. It has bad songs and nothing interesting happening. It is a boring movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/21/24

Full Review

Audience Member

1776 is Hamilton, but better. Not only does it have excellent music, stellar performances and a very interesting story, but it also perfectly captures being a member of congress during the American revolution.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/24

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Mike P

This is the 70s version of Hamilton.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/12/24

Full Review

Shaun K

Feeny! My first favorite musical about United States independence!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/29/24

Full Review

Alec B

One of my favorite movie musicals despite its weird staging.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/08/24

Full Review

Tabitha B

My absolute favorite musical ever

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/11/23

Full Review

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Peter H. Hunt

Director

William Daniels

John Adams

Howard Da Silva

Benjamin Franklin

Ken Howard

Thomas Jefferson

Donald Madden

John Dickinson

Blythe Danner

Martha Jefferson

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Synopsis

The nation's fathers harmonize their way through the founding of America in this musical adapted from a popular Broadway show. Colonial representatives gather in Philadelphia with the aim of establishing a set of governmental rules for the burgeoning United States. Benjamin Franklin (Howard da Silva) and John Adams (William Daniels) charge Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) with the work of writing a statement announcing the new country's emancipation from British rule.

Director: Peter H. Hunt
Producer: Jack L. Warner
Screenwriter: Peter Stone
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: G
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 17, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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