Rosy Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 We just netfixed the John Adams miniseries, and I think my 8 year old would enjoy watching it, but I don't know much about the content whether it would be appropriate or not. Is there any nudity, swearing, other grown-up stuff? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9GreatKids Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 There is one scene in the last DVD of the series. His daughter had breast cancer and they show her "having it surgically removed". Other than that one scene it should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 We enjoyed the mini-series very, very much with a 12, 10, 9, and 6 year old. I can't remember anything inappropriate at all. There are a couple yucky scenes...smallpox vaccinations specifically that I remember, but nothing crass or rude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Oh yes, I forgot that. It shows the breast in that scene. I didn't feel the need to censor it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 There are definitely some items for concern. I know in the first DVD there is a tar and feathering scene that could be pretty disturbing to a child. Also, they show full male frontal nudity in that scene. The next one that comes to mind is when Abigail and John are reunited in France after several years apart. They are VERY glad to see each other. ;) I can't be sure if there is bad language because I never seem to remember it, and am always shocked later after I say a movie is OK. Those two scenes are the only two I remember. We did let our 5th grader watch large sections of it, but my dh had already seen it and knew when to fast forward. HTH, Leanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilbean05 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Hmmm..my husband and I are discussing this as I write... There is nudity: you see a breast in a medical sense, but it is right there on the screen and you see some man business when he is tarred and feathered (which is a hard scene to watch anyway). There is a lot of blood, war, dying, illness that is somewhat disturbing. Lots of death, even some children. There are some sexual scenes re: french palace, lots of undressing. They keep it classy, but it is clear this is what they are doing. There is a very graphic scene when a man passes from small pox and it was really REALLY gross to watch and see how "modern" medicine was at the time, similar to the breast scene mentioned above (a masectomy with a knife, because that is all they had.) So, after we have detailed the things that we think are a bit much, we both vote no. Highschool, yes it would be a good thing to watch, especially with the factoids on the bottom. There is much to learn! Middle school, maybe. We both think that somewhere in middle school is good, depending upon how well your child can handle very "heavy" subjects. Shew! Sorry that was a bit disjointed, but we discussed and I wrote. :) As an aside, it might be great for you to watch, with the factoids going, allowing you to see so there are no surprises AND allow you the opprotunity to think of some great ways to make it more educational than just watching it (cross referenced with living books, paintings of the era, etc) Have fun! We LOVED it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 We have watched the part up until Adams is president and are saving it for when we restart school. They use d--- and h--- a few times. The term for an illigitimate child is used right before the tar and feather scene. We watched it with an 8th, 7th and 1st. The 1st grader had to leave the room during the tar and feather scene. It has full male nudity and is pretty graphic, though dh didn't think so. When Adams takes the ship over to France, they are attacked and a man gets his leg blown off and they try to amputate and he dies. Very bloody. Dh didn't have a problem with it and let the boys watch, but then again he is an orthopaedic surgeon and sees stuff like that all the time. I made the girl leave the room. We also skipped the part where Adams found Franklin in the bathtub with his mistress. Be aware that when he is in France there are several nude paintings on the wall. Several double meaning things that will probably go over your child's head during Adams visit to a French estate for dinner. The smallpox was horrifying, but a good part of history and everybody watched that part. I, personally, would watch it beforehand and make notes like I did to ensure it matches your own family's values. It is a GREAT miniseries, by the way. Very well done. And the gruesome or gross things in it are how things were done and very eye-opening as we tend to sanitze things. I mean you know they had to amputate limbs in war, but the actual medical conditions were not what we have now!! Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 It seemed to me like there was one major scene I wouldn't have wanted my kids to see in each part of this miniseries. In the first part, a man is tar and feathered and it is very upsetting to watch. The other parts that were upsetting were the smallpox scene and the breast removal. I would have loved for my son, in particular to watch this, but I didn't feel it was appropriate for his age (9). When he is older, we will definitely watch it together. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I let my kids watch it, and my then-6yo absolutely *loved* it. There were a couple of scenes that I fast-forwarded through, and a couple more that were on the edge for me. I fast-forwarded through a dinner scene at the French court -- it was just too risqué for me -- and also John and Abigail's reunion scene in France (they meet, are very awkward, then there is basically a fully-clothed love scene -- not really any nudity, but what is happening is clear). Scenes that we watched, but that were on the edge for me included the tarring and feathering. There's nudity, but it's from a distance, so that part didn't concern me -- what was tougher was the brutality of it. My daughter was also disturbed by the small pox scenes. Oh, and the kids saw the scene where Adams walks in on Franklin and his French... "friend" in the bathtub (clothed, as I recall). They thought it was hilarious, but the meaning of that was beyond them. Overall, I think watching it together was a fantastic experience. We watched when it first came on tv, then bought the dvds as soon as they came out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 My nine year old asked that I skip the tarring and feathering. He cannot even watch that in Liberty's Kids, and he knows enough about history to know that there would be tarring and feathering. I skipped ahead, but you could still see them carrying the man off, and he freaked out. As mentioned, you do see a bare breast, two older people in a bathtub, pretty passionate reuniting between the Adams, etc (you see him pulling her skirt up, her leg, getting on top of her, etc. My 9 year old would honestly not have been interested in the entire movie though he loves history, particularly revolutionary. I just showed him a few scenes I thought would interest him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kah Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I didn't let my 3rd grader watch it. I thought it was fantastic, but each episode seemed to have one "hard to stomach" scene. There was the man being tarred and feathered, a battlefield amputation, smallpox innoculation (not just a simple shot), and the mastectomy. Actually, I don't remember how much they showed of the mastectomy, since I'd googled about it before the episode and read an account that I really wish I hadn't. I don't remember if it was based on diaries or what, but it was very specific, and left a very vivid picture in my mind that kept me awake for several hours that night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBre Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 My 3rd grader (dd) won't be watching it any time soon. The tar and feathering was a bit much and the breast removal would be WAY too much for her. We're talking nightmares and tears. But she's my sensitive drama queen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Rosy, aren't you glad you asked about this?!! :eek: I was shocked when I first watched it! I had heard from several people that it was great miniseries blah blah blah but no one mentioned the male nudity in the first episode. Thank heavens all my kids happened to be out of the room as that scene came on. Now that I know about these other scenes I'll make sure only the oldest kids watch with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I wouldn't show it to my 8yo. That's just my opinion, and others obviously disagree with me. But, I would think, if you're even asking the question you'd want to preview it first. It's so long that I wouldn't want to watch it twice, and would rent it again for my dc in a few years. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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