Good movies about US presidents?

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Hi all,

 

The offspring are going through a phase of being very interested in the history of US presidents. This is definitely something I want to encourage.

 

Can anyone recommend any movies about US presidents, that would be appropriate for schoolaged kids? All I can think of off the top of my head is JFK and W, which I don't think are age appropriate.

 

A few scenes of sex, language, or violence are OK, as long as they don't pervade the entire movie.

 

TIA.

[xDreamerx]

Hmm. I don't know if these will fit your restrictions so you might want to view them first.

-The Kennedys (a six episode miniseries...Caroline and Maria Shriver didn't approve and thus it didn't air on History in the US. But as a Kennedyphile I just loved it. Didn't find it unfair at all). There is some sex, drug use, language....but it isn't shown for long. The drugs is to do with doctor feelgood. The language is hell, damn, and so on. I don't think there's a fuck in there. The sex is implied, but I don't think it shows much more than some kissing and a fade to black type of thing).

-Thirteen Days (ADORE this movie. Some swearing and drinking. Lots of smoking. The events of the Cuban Missle Crisis. Just so great. It's also the story of Jack, Bobby and Kenny O'Donnell.).

-John Adams (War related violence, small pox. No swearing that I can recall. Some kissing).

-The Conspirator (Some brief minutes of goriness when Lincoln is murdered. Minor swearing and drinking. Though this movie is centered around Mary Surratt).

-Jefferson (a PBS doc, not a movie)

-Bobby (though this was more about that moment in time and what the assassination meant to America than it was about Bobby).

-Frost/Nixon (though I do not enjoy Nixon, the interviews were a watershed moment).

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Thanks, I'll have to check those first 2 out. Kennedy is a favorite. Last time we were in Downtown Dallas, Offspring # 2 kept asking, "Mom! Where's the guy that shot the president? Where's the guy that shot the President?" :lol:

[PennySycamore]

Even though they weren't yet President, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are two of the principal characters in the musical 1776. It's wonderful. It has the arguments the Founding Fathers had about declaring independence and the closing tableau is just stunning. I try to watch it every Fourth of July.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Even though they weren't yet President, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are two of the principal characters in the musical 1776. It's wonderful. It has the arguments the Founding Fathers had about declaring independence and the closing tableau is just stunning. I try to watch it every Fourth of July.

Is that a movie or a Broadway type musical?

[PennySycamore]

Is that a movie or a Broadway type musical?

1776 was first a musical on Broadway which was then made into a film in the early 70s. It's fairly clean with mild swearing, a bit about how Jefferson really needs a conjugal visit from Mrs Jefferson and there's at least one joke about one of the delegates going to the outhouse, but that's about it. The film stars William Daniels as John Adams, Ken Howard as Jefferson and Howard da Silva as Benjamin Franklin. Da Silva was blacklisted in Hollywood during the 50s, btw. Blythe Danner plays Martha Jefferson.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

1776 was first a musical on Broadway which was then made into a film in the early 70s. It's fairly clean with mild swearing, a bit about how Jefferson really needs a conjugal visit from Mrs Jefferson and there's at least one joke about one of the delegates going to the outhouse, but that's about it. The film stars William Daniels as John Adams, Ken Howard as Jefferson and Howard da Silva as Benjamin Franklin. Da Silva was blacklisted in Hollywood during the 50s, btw. Blythe Danner plays Martha Jefferson.

Sounds good.

I'm not that worried about sex/violence/occasional swearing; what I really wanted to rule out was movies with so much nudity/blood that the scenes couldn't be skipped if needed.

[Ajaminor]

If I may, I suggest "The Crossing" with Jeff Daniels portraying George Washington. While there are a few not quite accurate things (such as there was no actual dock, John Glover was actually from Massachusetts not Maine) I believe many historians find it to be a good accounting of the battle that quite literally "turned the war". The film captures the feel of the hardships our soldiers were up against and helps you grasp just how dedicated they, along with Washington, were to win their freedom and establish a new country and government. You may want to fast forward past the scene at the guardhouse, but overall it is an excellent film, one of my favorites.

[tabitha2]

Back Stairs at the White House-the true story of African American Lillian Rodgers Parks and her mother Maggie Rodgers who served as maid and seamstress from the the Taft to Kennedy terms.It was a miniseries broadcast in the 70's but now available on DVD.Amazing :)

Backstairs at the White House works on several levels. It is the inspiring personal story of two extraordinary women who had a unique and privileged perspective of the people and events that shaped the first half of the 20th century. It also presents vivid snapshots of the presidents and their families in all their quirks (Mrs. Taft felt that bearded servants brought bad luck), failings, and greatness, as well as such now-obscure personages as New York critic Alexander Woolcott. The stellar cast is comprised of stage and screen veterans and TV favorites. Robert Vaughn (as Woodrow Wilson), Celeste Holm (as Florence Harding), and Ed Flanders (as Calvin Coolidge) were nominated for Emmys, as was Roots costar Louis Gossett Jr. as houseman Levi Mercer. Also notable are a pre-Airplane Leslie Nielsen as chief White House usher Ike Hoover, Cloris Leachman as the chilly supervising housekeeper Mrs. Jaffray, Victor Buono and Julie Harris as reluctant president William Howard Taft and his more formidable wife "Nellie," Eileen Heckart as energetic Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harry Morgan, giving 'em hell as Harry Truman. Backstairs at the White can be melodramatic ("You're not married to me, you're married to the White House," Lillian's estranged husband tells her at one point), but it never descends to soap opera. The Emmy-winning makeup is convincing, and the Emmy-nominated screenplay does an admirable job of compressing more than 50 years of history. "What is heard within the walls of the White House is to be forgotten," Maggie is instructed early in her employ. Luckily, daughter Lillian ignored this directive to create a compelling document that puts a human face on the occupants of the real West Wing.

[OddlyAmused]

Just want to second the suggestions for Thirteen Days,John Adams, and 1776. 1776 has some historical inaccuracies, but it's still a lot of fun to watch. The other two are really interesting and really well made.

[galaxygirl]

Agreeing with John Adams, I absolutely loved it. Very well made and acted, and I learned a lot about what went on(I knew about some of it, but it's great to get more details about that era). The small pox scenes were really gross though.

[patsymae]

Sunrise at Campobello is about FDR coping with polio.