The greatest movie ever made..!

Better Late Then Never

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

I think I lost this the first time.I am so delighted that this terrific mini series is finally available.My mother gave the the book that it is based on many years ago. The mini is quite faithful to that book. (By the way),unless i am mistaken, Lillian Rogers Parks lived to be almost 100 years old, and was a consultant on the film.This series has one of the best ensemble cast ever assembled. Leslie Uggams and Olivia Cole as Lillian and Maggie are superb, although Uggams may be too tall...Remember Lillian was crippled by polio at a very young age, and was less than 5 feet tall, but why quibble. Robert Hooks and Louis Gossett are great as Maggie and Lillian's friends, Mays and Mercer. The Presidents and their first ladies represent the best from Television, film and Broadway. One of the best sequences in the film involves Calvin Coolidge(well played by Ed Flanders)taking on the head housekeeper, Mrs Jaffray( A wonderful Cloris Leachman.. shades of Frau Blucher!), when she attempts to tell everyone to stop tracking up "her" floor(They are trying to shore up the roof). President Coolidge says, "Mrs Jaffray, wouldn't you be happier in Buckingham Palace??Julie Harris as Nellie Taft is splendid in this film,especially when Maggie and President Taft(A rotund Victor Buono) help her learn to speak after a stroke. Also effective are Celeste Holm and George Kennedy as the Hardings.(Can we say scandal). Estelle Parsons, Harry Morgan and Nancy Morgan are also in top form. Robert Vaughn and Claire Bloom are very effective as the Wilsons. Because they come along late in the story, Andrew Duggand and Barbara Barrie seem to get short shrift as the Eisenhowers.(In a recent episode of the Food Channel's White House, reference is made to serving hotdogs to the British Royal family. According to Lillian, this really did happen at is a humorous bit when she tells the visiting royalty's staff.... you just try one with all the fixin's.An excellent history lesson very well played out by a brilliant cast!

Outstanding. Superlative. Out of this world. No other words seem adequate regarding this magnificent series.I am a retired social studies teacher. This series would have been so perfect for my grade 8 history students. It was so rich in history and personal emotions.As far as the Emmy awards go,Backstairs should have tied with Roots for the best mini-series of the season.The acting was outstanding. Robert Vaughn brought the perfect touch to Woodrow Wilson. Whoever thought that the character of Florence Harding, who died in 1924, under mysterious conditions was so interesting? Celeste Holm was simply memorable as Mrs. Harding. Eileen Heckart was memorable as Eleanor Roosevelt. Lee Grant brought the perfect touch to Grace Coolidge. Julie Harris set the tone as Nellie Taft.Actresses Olivia Cole and Leslie Uggams, in a totally non-singing role, were just fabulous as the mother and daughter who worked for so many years at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.This is another Best Years Of Our Lives. We all realize the sacrifices that were made during the extremely informative period of history. We are also shown that the White House was a scene of constant tragedy mixed with a total triumph of the human spirit.We need more series of this quality.

My husband & I have both spent years looking for a copy of the mini-series, "Backstairs at the White House." We cannot understand why this great American piece of history has never been shown again or released on video or DVD. It was well acted, informative and very entertaining. No series has ever made such a lasting impression on me. It is a timeless movie that makes a large portion of our nation's history come to life. It depicts how our nation thought, acted, lived, and worked before, during and after WWII. We were able to see our culture evolve as the country changed from an agrarian society into the world's leading industrial nation, and how daily life was effected by advances in technology, medicine, political swings, and economic ups and downs. It is a classic that every student should see when studying American history. We have waited for years to see it again. Does anyone know why NBC has never re-shown or released this great story?

I thoroughly loved this miniseries because it takes you through so much of our nations time and presidents. I wish with all my heart this series would come out on video. I know my children would learn a lot about this nation and what these men accomplished and went through.