Jefferson in Paris

Starring:Nick Nolte, Gwyneth Paltrow, Estelle Eonnet, Thandie Newton, Seth Gilliam, Todd Boyce, Nigel Whitmey, Nicolas Silberg, Catherine Samie, Lionel Robert, Stanislas CarrÃ© de Malberg, Jean Rupert, Yvette Petit, Paolo Mantini, FrÃ©dÃ©ric van den Driessche, Humbert Balsan, Nichel Rois, Bob Sessions, Jeffrey Ribier, Marc Tissot
Director: James Ivory
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
While American history buffs and Gwyneth Paltrow fans will want to own this movie just because, it actually compels the viewer to examine the life of our third president a little more closely. Jefferson focuses on the mid-1780s, when widower and pre-presidency Jefferson (Nick Nolte) replaces Benjamin Franklin as the U.S. representative to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. A lively period, to say the least. And lively, too, is Jefferson, keeping time with a married woman (Greta Scacchi). Also in Paris is one of Jefferson's six children, his eldest daughter Patsy (Paltrow), who went on to have 12 children of her own--remarkable for the time. When another daughter dies back in Virginia, Jefferson sends for his youngest, who brings along her slave, Sally Hemings (a luminescent Thandie Newton), then 15. As nearly everyone knows now, Jefferson allegedly had a long relationship with Hemings and, reportedly, several children with her. This Merchant-Ivory production, written by frequent collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, languidly attempts to depict a complete portrait of the obviously complex and conflicted Jefferson, who kept slaves but penned the Declaration of Independence.

Amazon.com

While American history buffs and Gwyneth Paltrow fans will want to own this movie just because, it actually compels the viewer to examine the life of our third president a little more closely. Jefferson focuses on the mid-1780s, when widower and pre-presidency Jefferson (Nick Nolte) replaces Benjamin Franklin as the U.S. representative to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. A lively period, to say the least. And lively, too, is Jefferson, keeping time with a married woman (Greta Scacchi). Also in Paris is one of Jefferson's six children, his eldest daughter Patsy (Paltrow), who went on to have 12 children of her own--remarkable for the time. When another daughter dies back in Virginia, Jefferson sends for his youngest, who brings along her slave, Sally Hemings (a luminescent Thandie Newton), then 15. As nearly everyone knows now, Jefferson allegedly had a long relationship with Hemings and, reportedly, several children with her. This Merchant-Ivory production, written by frequent collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, languidly attempts to depict a complete portrait of the obviously complex and conflicted Jefferson, who kept slaves but penned the Declaration of Independence.

Description

Hollywood favorite Nick Nolte (I LOVE TROUBLE, THE PRINCE OF TIDES) stars with the sexy Greta Scacchi (SHATTERED, PRESUMED INNOCENT) in this impassioned story of forbidden love! During one man's unforgettable visit to liberal and socially permissive France, he meets and falls in love with a worldly and mysterious woman! But when the alluring charms of another prove irresistible, he finds himself courting scandal in a heated triangle of passion and desire! Another acclaimed triumph from Merchant-Ivory Productions, award-winning creators of HOWARDS END, THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, and A ROOM WITH A VIEW -- JEFFERSON IN PARIS delivers stylish and highly provocative big-screen entertainment!

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-04-03

I saw this in school, years ago. At first I was disappointed because I thought the teacher said we were going to watch "the Jefferson's in Paris". So I was a little bummed when George and Weezy never showed up, but the part where Thomas jefferson trips over the log is as funny as anything that was ever on the Jeffersons.

Pretty good.......2007-02-27

This isn't the best Merchant & Ivory movie, and the plot is subtle to the point of non-existent, but the production values are fantastic, and Nick Nolte warms up to being pretty good. (And I think he really looks a bit like Jefferson, too.) The music is fantastic and very well researched. Most of the historical detail is very well done. There are minor errors that only a Jefferson fanatic like me would notice (Jefferson says his first child died young, but actually his first child was Martha, the only one who survived him; Jefferson tells his daughter he's been asked to be secretary of state, but he didn't actually learn about this till he had returned to America--and other minor flaws). But there is much here for the Jefferson fan to love.

A Film About Nothing.......2007-02-07

Jefferson in Paris didn't have the feel of a Merchant-Ivory production. Perhaps I was used to seeing the work of these two master craftsmen set in Edwardian drawing rooms instead of the parlors of late-Bourbon France, but nevertheless I was left feeling that this was a lightweight film that wimped out entirely in the Sally Hemings segment of the story, erroneously given central billing here alongside another relationship Jefferson, acting as his nation's envoy to the French court, undertook with a married Englishwoman, Madam Cosway. There was so much more that could have been focused on in the story of Jefferson's 1780's stay in Europe, so why this film went in the directions it did makes little sense. Also Nick Nolte was simply unconvincing and unwelcoming as Jefferson, even if there was a boldness to a filmmaker finally allowing him to speak with the Virginia drawl it has been noted he possessed. A bored and boring Gwyneth Paltrow was even more miscast as Patsy, the future President's daughter, and all in all by the halfway mark I was disenchanted with the entire movie. When Jefferson in Paris was over, I was stunned that we had been spoon-fed such a weak, watered down hack-job of a film. How anyone could mistake for a masterpiece this story of one of the great men of the Age of Reason defies, well, reason.

Subtly racist elements.......2006-11-15

While watching this movie and the scenes between Sally Hemmings and jefferson it makes me cringe with disgust. I concur another poster who mentioned how dispicable it was portraying the sexual relationship between a young girl and a man as a love story, and a slave girl at that. For anyone who takes a brief glance at american slavery and reads slave testimonials should know that most slave woman involved in sexual relations with their slave masters were more or less raped, coerced, or theatened, yet somehow the story of Sally Hemmings and Jefferson's sexual relationship is depicted as some sort of exception to the general rule. In this paticular film, Thandie Newton plays Sally Hemmings who is portrayed as having some sort of school girl crush on Jefferson, and in many scenes is almost flirting with him. The film portrays her as activley persuing, /borderlining seducing Thomas Jefferson which made me boil with anger for it enforces subtle elements of the black jezebel/tragic mulatto stereotypes traditionally projected onto black females(if you dont know what that means, look it up) This is not the first film that has attempted to "clean" up the relationship between Jefferson and Hemmings and distort it into some sort of romance, all for the sake of perserving the squeaky clean reputation of our american forefather. Because god forbid someone portray Thomas Jefferson for the man he really was: a rapist.

Lovingly reconstructed history.......2006-11-10

I'm a historian and this film loves history. The opera, the balloon, the debate on slavery, are all lovingly reconstructed by people who know. Even the moose is the same moose that Jefferson sent to Buffon to prove that things in the New World are not "degenerate" or reduced in stature.

Average customer rating:

ENJOY THIS MINISERIES!
Disappointed
I wanted to like this movie more than I did
At Last...
Lousy DVD transfer from Madacy

A Will of Their Own
Starring: Lea Thompson , Thomas Gibson , Sonia Braga , Ellen Burstyn , and Faye Dunaway
Director: Karen Arthur
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000094FE1
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Customer Reviews:

ENJOY THIS MINISERIES!.......2006-12-03

Despite the other reviewers, I ENJOY this miniseries! I like how is shows our historical past. Yes, the acting isn't the greatest, but I can overlook this and be entertained by the content. I love mushy stories with all the drama and find this story charming in most parts. Warning for younger viewers: An adult shown preview this whole miniseries before letting their preteen view it. Overall: Oscar quality? No. Enjoyable? YES!!!

Disappointed.......2006-05-25

I bought this movie based on the amazon reviews and was very disappointed. The acting was terrible in this movie and I can't tell you how much "DRAMA" was over done in this movie. I would have given this movie 0 stars if possible.

I wanted to like this movie more than I did.......2006-01-09

I wanted to like this movie/miniseries more than I did. With good viewer feedback and an impressive cast, I was looking forward to watching an engaging story about several generations of women finding their own voice in an often hostile society. Unfortunately, the script for this film was so abysmally bad that even some highly experienced actors couldn't rise above it. Often the film plays like a simplified eighth grade educational drama about the history of women's rights, with a lot of speechifying quite obviously meant more for the film's audience than the individuals speaking to each other.

Despite a running time of 225 minutes, character development is almost non-existent. A Native American boyfriend comes and goes from the story with apparently no emotional effect on the lead character Amanda when she is forced to move across the country from him, presumably forever. A woman is introduced who we are later to assume becomes the Amanda's best friend for years, although we don't know anything about the basis of their friendship. Villains, such as an evil landlord and Amanda's daughter's husband, twirl their mustaches, and Ellen Burstyn struggles with little success to add a more human dimension to Amanda's ever-rigid grandmother. The level of melodrama in the story reaches unintentionally comical proportions in such scenes as an unwed mother and baby being turned out into the cold by a rapacious landlord. Lillian Gish managed to pull off this kind of material, but that was almost 100 years ago in cinematic history, and she had the benefit of having D.W. Griffith as a director.

Most of the acting in A Will of Their Own is very stilted, but I blame that primarily on extremely poor dialogue and character motivation. The best performances came from some actors in small parts: Reiko Aylesworth as the immigrant mother of Amanda, Tovah Feldshuh (I believe) as a motherly Jewish neighbor in Amanda's tenement building, and Emmy Rossum as Amanda's young daughter. All of these actors managed to pull surprising subtlety out of a very poor script. I'm giving the film 2 stars because it did draw me in enough to finish watching it, but this is a sad example of a film that could have been so much more with a better writer and director.

At Last..........2004-12-07

I have seen this miniseries on TV when it first came out and for years I have been searching for a copy. Finally I could obtain it. It is a very uplifting experience and a great entertainment but most of all I admired Ms. Thompson's performance although she was in the company of a very talented and superior cast. I have always seen her in comedy and the stellar dramatic performance she has brought to this work is a genuine living proof that she is indeed a great actress and a rare talent.

Lousy DVD transfer from Madacy.......2004-08-21

This is a marvelously produced and very well acted TV miniseries. What a shame that Madacy released it and no other company picked it up. After approximately the first hour (maybe 65 minutes) of play, the soundtrack goes out of sync. There's probably a 3-minute lag between visuals and the appropriate sound. Mouths open without sound and, conversely, a male voice may be connected with a female visual. -- Inexcusable!

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Pretty good
A Film About Nothing
Subtly racist elements
Lovingly reconstructed history

Jefferson in Paris [Region 2]
Starring: Nick Nolte , Gwyneth Paltrow , Estelle Eonnet , Thandie Newton , and Seth Gilliam
Director: James Ivory
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Sally Hemings: An American Scandal
The Europeans - The Merchant Ivory Collection
The Bostonians - The Merchant Ivory Collection
The Golden Bowl
Heat and Dust / Autobiography of a Princess - The Merchant Ivory Collection

ASIN: B0001IMCC0

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-04-03

Pretty good.......2007-02-27

A Film About Nothing.......2007-02-07

Subtly racist elements.......2006-11-15

Lovingly reconstructed history.......2006-11-10

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger talks about Iraq, Algeria, Saddam Hussein, Bosnia, NATO, and foreign policy; Then, a conversation with filmmakers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory about their new film, Jefferson in Paris, and Thomas Jefferson. Finally, Frank Deford on the new HBO sports magazine show, Real Sports.

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