This six-hour long miniseries is currently viewable on YouTube, where it has been uploaded in two segments. If you want it to be an enjoyable watch, please for heaven's sake divide it into at least three or four viewings.
It's quite enjoyable taken in three or four doses of approximately equal length. Otherwise, it's too sprawling, with too many plotlines and characters, and starts to pall and seem a tad soapy or wearying.
But in three or four parts it's quite enjoyable, and one can savor the fine cast, the plot elements, and the historical changes as well. The cast includes a wonderful array of talented folks, both big and medium names. And the unknown Gregory Paul Martin, as one of the leads, is a handsome and talented revelation as a working-class Italian immigrant trying to make good.
Peter Riegert is wonderfully watchable and a delightful performer as an Irving-Berlin style Jewish composer. Faye Dunaway is beautiful, appealing, and believable as a suave actress, and rightfully won a Golden Globe for her performance. Richard Burton AND his daughter have prominent roles, and this miniseries was his final work on screen.
All in all, given the large and fine cast and the entertainment value, I'd say this miniseries is quite watch-worthy, providing you have the discipline to divide it up into three or more segments. If you try to watch more of it than that in one day, because it is so sprawling I don't think you are doing it the justice it deserves.
