One of the challenges in studying history is being able to identify with it. When reading a history book, you are presented with a sanitized version, a catalog of events that clinically detail the moments. But people respond to personal stories. That is why documentaries and memoir reading will always resonate with us far more. They attempt to help us get to know the people in history, why they did what they did. 1776 is a very good film despite its average and somewhat unmemorable music. It wisely plays the drama at center stage and relegates the musical numbers to the fringes. At its centerpiece are the debates over independence, debate over slavery, and especially the final vote and signing. You feel like you are in the presence of great and flawed men, understanding their minds in the midst of this tense period of history. That our founding fathers are also portrayed as tired and horny men pining to get back to make love to their wives who they haven't seen in months, just adds to the humor and I dare say realism. I could soooo see them behaving that way, guffawing and rowdy. And yet despite their carnal nature, their brilliance and cleverness shines through, particularly in Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin, who steal the show. If this could have been a straight up drama without the musical numbers, it could only have made a better film. Some of the songs are so unmemorable that they kill the film's pacing in parts. A real pity. That's why this gets a 7 instead of a higher rating.
