"Thomas Jefferson" (1997) TV mini-series

Director:

Ken Burns

Writer:

Geoffrey C. Ward (writer)

Genre:

History

Plot:

A biographical film about The United States' influential and profoundly enigmatic Founding Father.

Plot Keywords:

TV Mini-Series | American Revolution | Independence Movement | Slavery | Character Name In Title

Cast

Blythe Danner	...	Martha Jefferson (voice)
Ossie Davis	...	Narrator (voice)
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Jefferson's grandaughter (voice)
Michael Potts	...	Isaac
Sam Waterston	...	Thomas Jefferson (voice)

Runtime:

USA:180 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

American Lives Film Project

Unlike the rights of men, its truths are not inalienable

I had my doubts about whether a programme of these dimensions, pitched at the general public and about a figure from the 18th century, could sustain the interest of the viewer - particularly as the focal point, Thomas Jefferson, is one of the more esoteric and mysterious in American history. My doubts were, to an extent, justified because the whole thing was just too damn long. It drags on and on, is too melancholic in tone and construction, and asks questions but fails to adequately address them (a frustrating thing for any viewer). That said, it is certainly a more thorough source of information about Jefferson - and perhaps early America - than you'll find elsewhere on video. It's just a shame that you'll have to sit through three hours of viewing to acquire what you could in an hour or two of reading.

Where it is excellent is its analysis of Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence - it effectively (and stylishly) encapsulates and considers the crucial importance of this document to the Revolution and Independence. Some mythologizing about Jefferson consequently occurs, but no moreso than most other accounts. Where "Thomas Jefferson" is weak is the the so-called moral contradiction about Jefferson - it spends a considerable amount of time and narration considering why it is a man who believed in equality could keep slaves. But this is all in vain, because the question is a moot one, and must ultimately be answered by the viewer, not the documentary itself. So too with the queries about his relationship with Sally Hemmings; a more prudent question Ken Burns might have asked is whether we as historians are judging Jefferson's sexual morality, or his apparent ideological hypocrisy in sleeping with Negroes ... and indeed, should we be judging at all?

This film lacks the vibrancy and dynamism of "Liberty" and may only be of specific interest to Jefferson aficionados (however it may raise as many questions as it answers).