Ben at work
Michael Douglas takes history tour in ‘Franklin’
As a Founding Father, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s first postmaster general, Ben Franklin remains a multi-faceted, larger than life figure in American history.
“Franklin,” an 8-part AppleTV+ series starring Michael Douglas, explores his years-long crucial diplomatic work in France that, literally, secured victory in America’s Revolutionary War against England.
Douglas did dutiful research on the many amazing aspects of Franklin’s life.
“His spectacular career was fascinating. But what I really didn’t know about,” Douglas,
79, said in a Zoom interview, “was when he went to France in 1776, the middle of the war with the British.
“I did not know that they said, ‘We need you to go over to France and get their support. Because otherwise we’re going to lose this war. We don’t have any weapons, the military, the budget or anything.’
“So he took his grandson Temple (Noah Jupe); he thought it’d be a great educational process. And he’s 70 years old! I have no idea what 70 would equal to today’s world. I mean, I know that in 1800, the average lifespan was 39.
“Ben and Temple got on a boat for 60 days going across the Atlantic and when they arrived in France he had no idea what he was going to do. It was a real gamble and it became this extraordinary eight years, worming the French out of money, supplies and everything else. Basically, France is the only reason why America exists.
“Because they were able to support us through that hard time and then George Washington ended up winning it all.”
“Franklin” revels in its epic reveal of the King’s court in Versailles with its rivalries, romances, spies, assassinations. Franklin, so sly, so witty, and so ridiculously good at diplomacy, is sandbagged by the arrival of his rival John Adams (Eddie Marsan), a man who is Franklin’s opposite.
“That actually was one of the parallels to our present situation,” Douglas said. “You have that sense as you watch the two of them go out, representing different political poles of this brandnew country.
“But within that, they had a mutual respect. Their fights and their struggles were for the better of democracy. It wasn’t to destroy each other. It was to try to make a better country.
“It rings true to me today in the fact that I see too much partisan fighting with each other, rather than saying, ‘We’re bigger than this.’
“It’s important to realize this conflict has always existed in our new country, which is going to be 250 years old in three years. We should always remember that our goal is to protect our democracy.”
“Franklin” streams 3 episodes April 12 on AppleTV+