Jefferson in Paris
Jefferson in Paris
PG-13 | 31 March 1995 (USA)
Jefferson in Paris Trailers

His wife having recently died, Thomas Jefferson accepts the post of United States ambassador to pre-revolutionary France, though he finds it difficult to adjust to life in a country where the aristocracy subjugates an increasingly restless peasantry. In Paris, he becomes smitten with cultured artist Maria Cosway, but, when his daughter visits from Virginia accompanied by her attractive slave, Sally Hemings, Jefferson's attentions are diverted.

Reviews
Blucher One of the worst movies I've ever seen
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
richard-1787 I've enjoyed several earlier Merchant-Ivory films very much: Remains of the Day, Howard's End, Maurice. But this one, though it has all the same basic ingredients - director, script writer - left me flat. It moved far too slowly, and never caught me up in Jefferson the man - though I have always found Jefferson very interesting. We never see any conflict in Jefferson between his supposed vows to stay faithful to his first, deceased wife and then his feelings for either Maria Cosway or Sally Hemmings. Indeed, we really get very little sense of his feelings for Hemmings at all, and certainly they would have been complex. Nor do we ever learn why Jefferson's older daughter wants to convert to Catholicism - that, too, given her upbringing, would have caused conflicting emotions. There is also very little connect between Jefferson and the Revolution getting underway. The costumes and sets are all very beautiful, of course, and no doubt very well-researched. But I got no sense of Jefferson from this movie. (I leave to one side the issue of whether Jefferson did actually father Hemmings' children; this isn't a documentary, so that's not relevant.)
Tim Johnson This film did not make too much of a splash when it was in the theatres here after its initial release but I was fortunate to watch it last evening on a purchased video. I am glad that I saw this film and that, at least for me, it did not just pass into the oblivion of movies that do not make waves when released. I found the film absorbing; the characters were well formed-Nolte particularly was out of the stereotyped roles he is usually landed with and Scacchi played her role to her usual excellence. The stars, however, where Sally and her brother who stole the show from these aforementioned veterans. They nuanced their roles perfectly and brought substance to the many layers of history and social maneuvering that was so much a part of this turbulent period.This was not a lazy persons afternoon time filler. This film demands attention from the viewer because those many layers must be watched carefully or else the whole film loses its continuity. The story is composed of many distinct pieces forming, not only Jefferson's domestic concerns but also the historical whirlwind of this convulsive period in French history. I thought James Ivory did a marvelous job of stitching together the many facets of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's insightful script. This was a momentous period and I do not believe the script was too complex-anything less would not have done justice to this complexity, interest and beauty of this turbulent period in history.I believe the movie works on many levels and I am hugely happy that even late I was able to see this great film.
PeachHamBeach POSSIBLE SPOILAGEI enjoyed JEFFERSON IN Paris for the most part. The costumes, wigs and makeup were splendid, and the cast was charming.Nick Nolte is great as Pres. Jefferson, who goes abroad to France to serve as an ambassador there. The royal family of France is hated by the commoners, who are starving and dying while they enjoy wealth and frivolous spending. These events lead to the French Revolution and, although it doesn't happen on screen, the execution of Marie Antoinette by guillotine. Interesting tidbit: the inventor of the guillotine and his mini demonstration!!!Jefferson's daughter Patsy (impressive Gwyneth Paltrow) goes to live in a convent, and comes to love the Catholic religion. She wants to become a nun, but she wages a tug of war with her devotion to her father's every need, request, etc. For a great amount of the film, Jefferson has an affair of sorts with a married woman named Maria Cosway (charming Greta Schacci) but after one of his daughters back home falls ill and dies, Jefferson changes in many ways. His feelings for Cosway cool off, and the appearance of his teenaged slave Sally (played flirtatiously by Thandie Newton) seems to throw his thoughts off balance. The altercation between Patsy and Sally reaffirmed my belief that given the right material, Paltrow is a powerful actress. Her performance is subtle and latent, and that's what makes it extraordinary. One disappointment is that the characters played by James Earl Jones and Sarah Windh are not revisited in the end sequence. I felt that some closing commentary was needed by them to give a more satisfying end to the story.Nevertheless, an interesting mini epic. I'd give it an A-.
tommysfavegirl Even though this film's trailer and poster imply that Sally Hemmings was an important character, I might not have been as shocked to discover she was just a minor (and I do mean Minor) character if this movie was suppose to being told by Sally's very own family! I mean if you are going to tell the story of a member of your family that has been ignored by history, would you really tell it with the man who relegated her to obscurity at the main character? His other lover (who happens to be white) as the actual love interest? I know I wouldn't! I am as pale as they come and normally a big fan of Merchent~Ivory flicks, but I couldn't stomach this film's treatment of poor Sally Hemmings.
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