Jefferson in Paris (1995)
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- Director(s):
- James Ivory
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG13
- Category:
- Romance
My RatingTheatrical Release Information | See Details About All Versions
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. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 139 mins
Complete Cast:
- Nick Nolte - Thomas Jefferson
- Jean-Pierre Aumont - D'Hancarville
- Seth Gilliam - James Hemings
- Michel Lonsdale - Louis XVI
- Todd Boyce - William Short
- Tim Choate - Reporter
- Thandie Newton - Sally Hemings
- Philippe Mareuil - Liberal Aristocrat
- Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu - Head and Heart Game
- Elizabeth Kaza - Card Player
- Vincent Cassel - Camille Desmoulins
- Bruno Putzulu - Liberal Aristocrat
- Bob Sessions - James Byrd
- Ismail Merchant - Tipoo Sultan's Ambassador
- Elsa Zylberstein - Adrienne de Lafayette
- Lambert Wilson - Comte de Lafayette
- Cicely Tyson
- Martine Sarcey - Head and Heart Game
- Jean-François Perrier - Liberal Aristocrat
- Thibault de Montalembert - Assistant
- Vernon Dobtcheff - King's Translator
- Jacques Herlin - Savant
- Greta Scacchi - Maria Cosway
- Simon Callow - Richard Cosway
- James Earl Jones - Madison Hemings
- Marisa Berenson
- Catherine Chevalier - Lady in Court
- Gwyneth Paltrow - Patsy Jefferson
- Daniel Mesguich - Mesmer
- Nancy Marchand - Abbesse
- Laure Killing - Lady in Court
- André Julien - Savant
- Catherine Samie - Cook
- Nicolas Silberg - Monsieur Petit
- Steve Kalfa - Dr. Guillotin
- Humbert Balsan - Mutilated Officer
- Beatrice Winde - Mary Hemings
- Anthony Valentine - British Ambassador
- Christopher Thompson - Interpreter
- Yvette Petit - Dressmaker
- Stanislas Carre de Malberg - Surgeon
- Charlotte de Turckheim - Marie Antoinette
- Philippe Girard - Post Office Spy
- Herve Hiolle - King's Messenger
- Director(s):
- James Ivory
- Writer(s):
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
- Producer(s):
- Ismail Merchant, Donald Rosenfeld
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG13(Questionable for Children, Brief Nudity)
- Categories:
- Romance
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
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