Jefferson in Paris

1995 Drama

Best known for their historical epics that examine class and social issues in British life through a thick lens of tasteful production design and good manners, director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant set their sights on an American protagonist for a change with Jefferson in Paris. As the title suggests, Jefferson in Paris deals with the five years that Thomas Jefferson (Nick Nolte) spent as U.S. ambassador to France prior to the French Revolution; while Jefferson is sympathetic to the revolutionary forces in France, he's become well enough acquainted with the ruling aristocracy that he finds himself torn between the two sides of the issue. Jefferson, a recent widower, also becomes friends with Maria Cosway (Greta Scacchi), who is married to a foppish British artist; while it's obvious the two are in love, neither is in a position to do anything about their infatuation. And while Jefferson's daughter Patsy (Gwyneth Paltrow) loves her father, she's very upset with him when he sends her to a convent school. In this midst of this personal turmoil, Jefferson's younger daughter Polly (Estelle Eonnet) arrives in Paris, with her slave Sally Hemmings (Thandie Newton) in tow. Attractive and bright (if uneducated), Sally catches Jefferson's eye, and a friendship develops that grows into something deeper; in time, Sally becomes pregnant, and her family claims that Jefferson is the father. At the time Jefferson In Paris was released, the question of Sally Hemmings' relationship with Thomas Jefferson was a matter of lively historical debate; since then, genetic evidence has shown that, while Jefferson's paternity can't be proved beyond a doubt, it is likely that he did father children with Hemmings. more..

Director: James Ivory

Starring: Nick Nolte, Greta Scacchi,Gwyneth Paltrow,Simon Callow, Thandie Newton

Reviews

  • But, as with any other Merchant Ivory film, this one provides pleasures beyond the ordinary.

    Allison Benedikt - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • Jefferson in Paris is a rich confection indeed, filled with tidbits about fashion, customs, art, and commerce in 18th-century France and America. But like a meal consisting of nothing but petits-fours, this lavish biopic is too much dessert and not enough main course.

    - TV Guide

    26 April 2013

  • The movie tells no clear story and has no clear ideas.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • Bereft of any flesh-and-blood honesty, the last half of the movie plays like a ludicrous PBS version of "Mandingo."

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • The team of producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala drops the ball with this droopy, snail-paced prigs-in-wigs movie.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • James Ivory

    Cannes Film Festival (1995)

     
  • Best Sound Editing - Music (Foreign & Domestic)

    Motion Picture Sound Editors (1996)