1776

Set in Philadelphia in 1776, this historical drama follows the delegates of the Continental Congress as they debate whether the American colonies should break from British rule. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams assign Thomas Jefferson the task of drafting the document that will announce the new nation's independence, while the assembled representatives argue over the terms of the government they are trying to create. The film centres on the months of deliberation that preceded the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Peter H. Hunt directed the film, which was the first of the two features he made, followed years later by Secrets. Peter Stone wrote the screenplay, and Jack L. Warner produced. William Daniels plays John Adams, Howard Da Silva portrays Benjamin Franklin, and Ken Howard appears as Thomas Jefferson, with Blythe Danner, Donald Madden and John Cullum among the credited cast of 26.

Released in November 1972, the film runs 141 minutes. Made for a budget of about 6 million dollars, it returned roughly 3 million dollars worldwide. On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 89 votes, while a film critics' rating stands at 7.1 out of 10 from 19 reviews.