Jefferson In Paris Details

Nick Nolte bursts through the usual polite tapestry woven by director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant in this study of the hypocrisy inherent in the lifestyle of US President-to-be Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was a man of upright conviction, yet was a mass of contradictions. He drafted the Declaration of Independence asserting that all men are created equal and, while appointed American ambassador to France in the late 18th century, had an affair with a married artist (Greta Scacchi) and children by his household slave (Thandie Newton). That Nolte makes the man at all tolerable is an indication of his acting skill, but, despite his efforts, he can't hide the fact that he is too modern an actor for this period role. Gwyneth Paltrow, who went on to win an Oscar for her role in Shakespeare in Love, appears as Jefferson's daughter.

In 1785, some ten years after he drafted the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson became America's first... read more on Time Out