Jefferson in Paris (1995)

Director:

James Ivory

Writer:

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (written by)

Release Date:

31 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Plot:

One of the obsessive speculations in American history is whether Thomas Jefferson, in the years before he became president...

Plot Keywords:

U.S. President | Paternity | Black Woman White Male | Mistress | City Name In Title

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Nick Nolte	...	Thomas Jefferson
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Patsy Jefferson
Estelle Eonnet	...	Polly Jefferson
Thandie Newton	...	Sally Hemings
Seth Gilliam	...	James Hemings
Todd Boyce	...	William Short
Nigel Whitmey	...	John Trumbull
Nicolas Silberg	...	Monsieur Petit
Catherine Samie	...	Cook
Lionel Robert	...	Cook's Helper
Stanislas Carré de Malberg	...	Surgeon
Jean Rupert	...	Surgeon
Yvette Petit	...	Dressmaker
Paolo Mantini	...	Hairdresser
Frédéric van den Driessche	...	Mutilated Officer (as F. van den Driessche)

Also Known As:

Jefferson à Paris (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature theme, some images of violence and a bawdy puppet show.

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #33642) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 (bw) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Gwyneth Paltrow's real life mother, Blythe Danner, played Martha Jefferson in 1776 (1972).

Goofs:

In the movie, while Sally Hemmings is in Paris, she says she is pregnant. Her first child (Thomas) was actually born a year after they returned to America.

Quotes:

Thomas Jefferson: I kept having a debate between my head and my heart.
Maria Cosway: Which in your case, the head always wins.
Thomas Jefferson: Not this time. My poor head was simply whirled around by my unruly heart.
Maria Cosway: Oh-dear-God.
Thomas Jefferson: It kept telling me I love the lady and will continue to love her forever. If she were on one side of the globe and I on the other, I would pierce through the whole mass of the world to reach her.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

Soundtrack:

CONCERTO GROSSO OPUS 7, NO. 6 La Follia, in d. MINOR

Watch this film!

I watched this movie last night. Unbelievably, Channel 4 (tv channel here in the UK) scheduled it at 2.15am - right in the middle of the night! Who on earth is likely to watch it at that time? I just hope some people decided to record it & watch it later.

I think its a great film. I couldn't stop watching it. It gives you an insight into Thomas Jefferson and his personal life, and into the French society of the time. The film is also visually great.

But, as with any movie, it has its flaws. My main criticism is that it was too much like an historical documentary. It didn't have the courage to speculate more about the relationship between Jefferson and Sally (the black slave girl). Jefferson must - in real life - have displayed more emotion with the slave girl than is depicted in this film, especially behind closed doors. Yet we don't see it. We see Jefferson being more affectionate with his daughter (Jefferson hugs her at one point in the film), than with Sally the slave girl, and yet he is supposed to have been passionately involved with Sally & fathered her children. Therefore it has a documentary feel to it, without any fictional element, which leaves the viewer somewhat detached & disconnected.

But credit to the maker's for tackling the subject, and it's certainly made me interested in learning more about the man.