1776 (Restored Director's Cut)

This acclaimed film version of Peter Stone's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, which was one of the last big-budget studio musicals, stars William Daniels (TV's Saint Elsewhere) as John Adams and Howard Da Silva as Ben Franklin. A rollicking, anachronistic treatment of the creation of the Declaration of Independence, with the American forefathers conducting themselves with uncharacterstic--and comical--indignity. Academy Award Nominations: Best Cinematography (Harry Stradling, Jr.)