1776

G

Released Nov 17, 1972

2 hr. 21 min.

Musical

Comedy

List

68%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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

Marcus T

1776 is a good primer on how the Declaration of Independence came to be written and signed; a laborious process. The fact that this is a musical is sort of a strange confluence of history and entertainment. I must confess I fast-forwarded through most of the musical numbers, which are not a major part of the show. At 2:45:00 this is a commitment to get through. For the most part it is true to the historical record.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/15/23

Full Review

A B

One of the best musicals in addition to being a great historical learning tool. It should be shown in early high school civics classes. I watch every 4th of July (or as close as convenient).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/09/23

Full Review

howie9751

Great fun. 1776 is a musical comedy/drama based on the days in the Second Continental Congress leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Almost exactly taken from the stage play with a lot of the same cast. I have trouble with musicals where the characters suddenly break into song and dance, but this one is different. It revolves around the character of John Adams as he tries to convince the other delegates to vote for Independence, and a lot of it is based on his actual letters back to his wife. My wife and I watch it every year on July 4. The movie has many fun songs, as well as many heart to heart ones. The key to the story is the interaction between John Adams and Ben Franklin, and adding Thomas Jefferson. Unlike most successful musicals, none of the songs would survive outside the show, but ones that were the most fun were "The Lees of Old Virginia", "But Mr. Adams" and "Sit Down, John." In the second half look for the emotionally moving "Molasses to Rum". Not completely historically accurate, but enough for you to get an idea what the men who founded our country were like as people and the difficulty in getting all the states to agree. The movie is a little slower than the play, why I don't know, but on screen the characters get to move around more. The dialog can be subtle and fun and you appreciate hearing other people's point of view. I gave it four stars out of five because the film isn't perfect, but it is fun for the whole family except younger ones. Probably the most underrated film of all time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/06/23

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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Pauline Kael

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Every American should watch this once a year.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 26, 2010

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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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
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
Sound Mix: Stereo

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