Hamilton: A Story For Today’s America (Film) - Jillian Lederman
Picture from RadioTimes.com
On July 3rd, a filmed version of Hamilton, complete with the original cast, was released onto Disney+. Having seen the musical in New York in 2018 (and having listened to the album so many times that nearly every word is now permanently seared into my brain), I looked forward to the film with frenzied excitement. It did not disappoint. Of course, there were some components of a live performance that were inevitably lost. The television screen slightly mutes the thrill of being in the same room as real-life performers, and nothing compares to sitting in a darkened theater, surrounded by anticipation, while one world stops and another begins. That being said: wow.
Very few people had the opportunity to see Hamilton with the original cast, and the filmed musical (or Hamifilm, as many are calling it) finally brought that experience to the public. I got chills seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose hand crafted this masterpiece, step into centerstage for the first time with Hamilton’s name on his lips. Miranda embodies the role with such enthusiasm and passion that you can’t help but be in awe of the man’s talents. Not to overlook the rest of the cast, who are so unbelievably impressive that it is hard to come to terms with the fact that they’re doing it all live. Leslie Odom Jr., who plays Aaron Burr, is magnificently expressive, and his portrayal truly makes the audience feel sympathy for a man who on the surface occupies the villainous role in the story. Daveed Diggs, both Lafayette and Jefferson, provides a significant portion of the comic relief in the show, and his rapping ability is astounding. Renée Elise Goldsberry is absolutely perfect, flawlessly embodying both Angelica Schuyler’s irrepressible intelligence and her selfless love for her sister, Eliza. Speaking of Eliza, Phillipa Soo is gorgeous in the role of Hamilton’s wife, and she manages to steal nearly every scene that she is in through her enthralling communication of Eliza’s love, anger, devastation, and strength. So, all in all, I was incredibly impressed by Hamifilm, and I will likely watch it time and time again in the years to come. But what struck me about the film, in addition to the cast’s performance, was its strangely timely message.
Several times throughout the musical, Hamilton and three of his friends, Hercules Mulligan, John Lawrence, and Marquis de Lafayette, gather together to “raise a glass to freedom.” They speak of their battle against Britain, acknowledging that while they may die before obtaining independence, they will “gladly join the fight.” Referring to their limited numbers, the four men predict that “Tomorrow there’ll be more of us.” A literal interpretation of this phrase would suggest that they were talking about increasing numbers of Patriot troops against the British army in the days ahead. To me, however, “tomorrow” does not refer to an obscure day in the 18th century that has already long passed, but rather to our tomorrow.
Hamilton is a story of America then, told by America now, for America now. About halfway through the musical, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton sing “Dear Theodosia,” a song during which they speak to their newborn children about the country they are fighting to create. “If we lay a strong enough foundation,” they sing, “we’ll pass it on to you. We’ll give the world to you and you’ll blow us all away.” It is a song bursting with pure hope and idealism, revealing Hamiton and Burr’s dreams for the future of the United States. Listening from America now, one can only wonder what our Founding Fathers would think about all that has occurred in the country they left for us. Right now, in America, we face ongoing debates about equality, about freedom of speech, and about the neverending conflict between liberty and safety. On the Fourth of July this year, social media exploded with posts imploring people not to celebrate the holiday in the midst of Black Lives Matter protests, and many complied. This, in my opinion, was a mistake.
Every single person should learn about the flaws of this country, both those that existed long ago and those that persist today. In the time period portrayed by Hamilton, slavery was rampant throughout what would become the United States. Today, racism continues to plague the lives of many in our society, making them feel excluded from the promise of equality enshrined in our Declaration of Independence. These grievances are important, and they should be addressed. But the idea that the United States is so dirtied by its flaws that it would be wrong to celebrate its existence at all is entirely backwards, and if it persists, it may lead to the downfall of the country altogether.
A couple hundred years ago, a group of imperfect, brash, passionate people fought to create a country forever tied to the ideas of natural rights, equality, and freedom. Knowing that the fight would long outlive them, they prayed that “tomorrow there’ll be more of us.” Well, the fight continues, and tomorrow lies ahead. Will we join it? Or will we disregard it as a lost cause? There can be no brushing over the ugly parts of our history. But how dare we brush over the beautiful ones? Look at what we’ve made: a country where no one can be prosecuted for the words they speak, the religion they practice, or the beliefs they hold. A country where horrific actions spark counter-movements, where we vote for our leaders, where everyone has a voice. A country that has changed and evolved and grown, that has shed some imperfections and accrued others, that was, is, and will continue to be an experiment of epic proportions.
There is no better representation than Hamilton of the overwhelming complexity of our history. After all, the central message of the musical is one that entirely disregards mutual exclusivity. Jefferson, despite being president and crafting one of our nation’s most treasured documents, was a slave owner—as was Washington. Aaron Burr, the “villain in your history,” was also an earnest, ingenious man who simply wanted to be in “the room where it happens” without having the slightest idea of how to get there. And Hamilton, by many accounts, was a jerk. Not only did he cheat on his wife, but he was a reckless, self-aggrandizing egotist whose inability to repress his pride led to his own death. On the other hand, he was a brilliant, driven, fiercely patriotic genius without whom the freest, most powerful country in the world would never have been built. Our Founding Fathers were remarkable people living in a remarkable time, but they were human beings, not heroes. And the United States is a country, not a paradise. The musical Hamilton does not celebrate Hamilton’s infidelity, just as the Fourth of July does not celebrate the United States’ muddled history of slavery and prejudice. Spending a day being grateful for the unbelievable accomplishments of this country does not constitute forgetting the goals that still need accomplishing. Rather, it means sitting back, celebrating how far we have come, and recommitting ourselves to the challenge of the perpetual improvement and evolution of the United States of America.
The sequence leading up to and following Hamilton’s death is one of the most mesmerising in the show. Right when Aaron Burr fires his gun in their duel, time slows down, and Hamilton begins his last monologue as the bullet inches toward his ribcage. “Legacy,” he says, “what is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” As his time runs out and his desperation grows, he exclaims: “America, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me. You let me make a difference, a place where even orphan immigrants can leave their fingerprints.” That is what we celebrate on the Fourth of July. We celebrate this amazingly unique country, where for so many people, opportunity knows no race, religion, or creed. It would be a lie to say that such is true for all people, because after all, this symphony remains unfinished. At its formation, the United States of America may not have practiced every one of the ideas it claimed to hold, but those ideas are still worth preserving, promoting, and celebrating. I hope with everything I have that “tomorrow there’ll be more of us” to continue to do so, to believe in the good of this country rather than allowing it to become overwhelmed by the bad. After all, if Hamilton teaches us anything, it is that we are so incredibly lucky to be alive right now, and that our time on this planet is finite. So don’t waste it.
