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The Staircase

Play trailer Poster for The Staircase TV-G 1998 1h 36m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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A stranger (William Petersen) aids New Mexico nuns (Barbara Hershey, Diane Ladd) in 1878, building a circular staircase to a seemingly unattainable choir loft.

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member This is the most riveting documentary I've ever seen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Two films mixed up here. The 2004 & 2006 release dates listed here are for a 6-hour true-crime mini-series titled "The Staircase," directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. The film chronicles the actual mystery murder trial of Durham, North Carolina author Michael Peterson's wife, found dead on the couple's staircase. The original French title for that film is "Soupcons." As of this writing, that film appears to be missing from the Flixster database. The Barbara Hershey DVD cover and list of actors posted here are all for a 1998 made-4-TV 94-minute film directed by Karen Arthur, also titled "The Staircase." I've actually reported this incorrect information. TWICE. Eventually someone just punches it off as fixed ... without doing anything ... to get rid of the work queue. Then I get an email saying it's fixed. When it's not. Welcome to the new economy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I watched all 7 episodes in one day. If you like true crime this is a must see. It left me thinking about it for weeks. Just a great treatment of crime, justice, the legal system, family, and personal history. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Phenomenal documentary that will keep you hooked until the bitter end. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie was pretty, but a little boring. Nice casting of William L Petersen Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the most mesmerizing pieces of film I have seen. The film follows Michael Peterson through his trial for murder with unlimited access. The twists and turns of this trial would be unbelievable if this were a piece of fiction. Beyond that there are themes related to the workings of the American legal system, corruption through officials, experts cloaking themselves in objectivity, the role of the media in proceedings, and the bias of documentary making. It is all quite intoxicating. * The synopsis and director appear correct in the Flixster profile, though the cast and title image appear off kilter. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Staircase

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A stranger (William Petersen) aids New Mexico nuns (Barbara Hershey, Diane Ladd) in 1878, building a circular staircase to a seemingly unattainable choir loft.
Director
Karen Arthur
Producer
Marty Eli Schwartz, Art Levinson, Christopher Lofton
Screenwriter
Christopher Lofton
Rating
TV-G
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 36m