Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (TV 2000)

Epic television miniseries exploring the complicated relationship of Thomas Jefferson and slave Sally Hemings, who conducted a 38 year love affair, spanning an ocean, ultimately producing children, grandchildren, and lots of controversy.

Director:

Charles Haid

Writer:

Tina Andrews

Stars:

Sam Neill, Carmen Ejogo, Diahann Carroll

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Neill	...	Thomas Jefferson
Carmen Ejogo	...	Sally Hemings
Diahann Carroll	...	Betty Hemings
Mare Winningham	...	Martha 'Patsy' Jefferson Randolph
Mario Van Peebles	...	James Hemings
Rene Auberjonois	...	James Callender
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Thomas Mann Randolph (as Zeljko Ivanek)
Klea Scott	...	Critta Hemings
Jessica Townsend	...	Maria 'Polly' Jefferson
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.	...	Henry Jackson (as Larry Gilliard Jr.)
Kevin Conway	...	Thomas Paine
Amelia Heinle	...	Harriet Hemings
Peter Bradbury	...	Samuel Carr
Chris Stafford	...	Peter Carr
Kelly Rutherford	...	Lady Maria Cosway

Storyline

The story of the extraordinary, controversial thirty-eight-year relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave mistress, Sally Hemings. The teenage Sally begins her unexpected relationship with widower Thomas Jefferson in Paris where he is serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. After escorting Jefferson's younger daughter on a trans-Atlantic journey to join him in Paris, Sally is soon exposed to a world quite unlike the one in which she has lived as an illiterate slave in Monticello. While Sally serves as a nanny of sorts, Jefferson provides her with an education, fine clothes and opportunities to experience cultural events. She and her brother, James, who works as Jefferson's chef and was also educated by him, delight in the fact that they are free in France-and are treated with respect. It is under these circumstances that Sally and Jefferson become acquainted with one another and begin an affair that will ultimately lead to scandal.

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Plot Keywords:

thomas jefferson | slave | mistress | epic | children | 

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Taglines:

The true story of the controversial romance between President Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

13 February 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Monticello

Filming Locations:

Maymount Park - 2201 Shields Lake Drive, Richmond, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Productions, Craig Anderson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

251 min 172 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Early in the film, when Thomas Jefferson (Sam Neill) tells Sally Hemings (Carmen Ejogo) that she looks exactly like his deceased wife, this is a reference to Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson being the half sister of Sally Hemings, sharing the same father, John Wayles. Martha was Wayles' acknowledged daughter by his first wife, Martha Eppes, and Sally was Wayles' daughter by his slave concubine, Betty Hemings (portrayed by Diahann Carroll), with whom he had six slave children.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sally Hemings: I was born a slave, but destined to scandal.

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Crazy Credits

ON SCREEN: Sally Hemings tended Thomas Jefferson's grave until her death in 1835.

User Reviews

Carmen Ejogo made this movie worth watching!

I liked this movie, I didn't love it, however. I don't think that the relationship between Sally and Jefferson was particularly startling, I don't understand why the relationship would be a shock to anybody. Slaves are people too, so of course, people can fall in love with a slave, it's not impossible. I happen to be a black girl who likes white men, shocking? I think not. I do think that this movie did not concentrate on family, enough, I wouldn't have expected Jefferson to have long chats with his biracial children, but Sally too hardly said anything to them. And I so wish that people would quit calling Sally Hemings black, or colored. Sally was white AND black, a simple blood test would show that. Most blacks don't choose to believe that blacks should be considered less than a whole human, but they'll go for that one-drop-of-black-blood crap in a second! Carmen Ejogo didn't play Sally as well as Thandie Newton did to me, but she did a fine job!