Jefferson in Paris

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.

Initially, Nolte may seem an odd choice--he doesn't resemble the familiar visage on a nickel (or $2 bill). Still, Nolte's performance and his contemporary feel lend a credibility and immediacy to the fascinating story--however true or apocryphal it may be. --Nadine Mendoza