Jefferson In Paris
Directed by James Ivory, Jefferson in Paris chronicles the years (1784-1789) that Thomas Jefferson spends as the American ambassador to France. These are significant years for him in his public and personal life, also fateful ones for France, where the Revolution is about to break out. Jefferson is 41 years old when he arrives from Virginia, accompanied by his elder daughter, Patsy, and slave James Hemings. His wife, Martha, died two years earlier, and six years before that he drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence. Three principle storylines develop throughout the movie. The first plot relates to Jefferson's affiliation with painter Maria Cosway, the second follows changes in Jefferson’s relationship with his youngest daughter’s slave, fifteen-year old Sally Hemings, and the last is an observation of how Jefferson reacts to the political events leading up to the French Revolution.
French liberals and intellectuals eagerly turn to Jefferson to guide them toward a democratic form of government. As ambassador at Versailles, Jefferson has full exposure to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. While Jefferson is sympathetic to the revolutionary forces in France, he becomes acquainted with the ruling aristocracy and he finds corruptions in their court. This leads him to give his full support to the movements for reform. Jefferson was oblivious as any French aristocrat to the horrors that the Revolution was about to let loose, and he was still in Paris when the Bastille fell on July 14, 1789. The film resounds throughout with revolutionary rumblings and turmoil. ia Cosway, a married British-Italian socialite, is attracted to Jefferson. He lives the life of a man in love about town flirting with Maria. However, once she declares her love for him, he draws away from her; Jefferson promised his wife on her deathbed
Some topics in this essay:
Maria Cosway,
James Sally,
Antoinette Jefferson,
Jefferson Paris,
Declaration Independence,
Paris Bastille,
Ambassador France,
James Paris,
Sally Hemings,
Sally Martha's,
jefferson paris,
maria cosway,
ambassador france,
sally hemings,
james sally,
declaration independence,
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Approximate Word count = 632
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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