Jefferson in Paris

"A powerful man torn between his love for one woman and his secret desire for another."

Mar 31 1995 PG-13 2h 19m
Biography, Drama, History

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.

Plot

One of the obsessive speculations in American history is whether Thomas Jefferson, in the years before he became president, had an affair with (and fathered a child with) his 15-year-old slave Sally Hemings. JEFFERSON IN PARIS follows Jefferson to France (as the U.S. ambassador to the court of Louis XVI), following the death of his wife his friendships and flirtations with the French, his relationship with his daughters and slaves from home (especially Sally), against the backdrop of the beginning of the French Revolution.

Written by

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Directed by

James Ivory

Cast

Nick Nolte, Greta Scacchi, Gwyneth Paltrow

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America, France

Production Companies

Touchstone Pictures, Merchant Ivory Productions

Languages

English

Awards

2 nominations

Trailers
Jefferson in Paris (1995) ORIGINAL TRAILER
Scores
# of Votes
3,268
Average Rating
5.7 out of 10
Metascore
45
Popularity
NA