Jefferson in Paris (1995)

I wish that this was available on DVD

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Nov 13, 2001

This is a wonderful film that captures a small period of history and brings it to life. It depicts the beginnings of the French Revolution while spotlighting our own failings with the American Revolution to bring liberty to all of our own residents....Nolte is brilliant as Jefferson the man, not the god that we have come to think of him from our history books. I grew up believing that Jefferson was a modern man in an 18th century life. Years of study and reading have led me to an opposite conclusion, that he was more likely a 17th century idealist catapulted into the 18th century. Nolte breathes life into the man. Before seeing the film I couldn't imagine Nolte portraying Jefferson, but now believe that no one else could ever capture him as well.All the members of the cast are wonderful as well, especially Paltrow, Newton, and Scacchi. James Ivory's direction takes its time in depicting this piece of history, and I enjoyed the meticulous attention to detail.The film was controversial when it was released since it depicted a romantic affair between Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, his young slave and property. At the time, most historians refused to believe that the Hemmings family was descended from Jefferson. Recent DNA tests have generally proven that Jefferson did father at least one of Sally Hemmings children, and most now admit that he probably fathered all of them. Fawn Brodie, author of “Thomas Jefferson : An Intimate History”, had been ridiculed by many of her contemporary historians for her advancement of the theory of an intimate relationship between the two, and it is unfortunate that she did not live to see her research and writing vindicated by science. I have to believe that Jefferson, very much a scientist, would have been amused all the while hating his privacy being invaded.I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys history and wishes to take a 2 hour time travel back to what that interesting time might have been like, and a fascinating portrait of a very complex man. Read more Less