Scarcely any subject in U. S. history can compare with Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings. In her biography of Jefferson, Fawn Brodie concludes that, without additional evidence, "we must remain forever baffled about the feelings of Sally Hemings during the whole of her life." Nonetheless, Brodie concludes that Sally's relationship with Jefferson was "a serious passion that brought Jefferson and the slave woman much private happiness." Similarly, this film, written by Tina Andrews, portrays their relationship as a true romance, and Sally as an intelligent, inquisitive, and assertive woman.
Unfortunately, this docudrama skips over the origins of the Hemings family and begins with Sally's voyage to France accompanying Jefferson's daughter Maria ("Polly"). Sally, about 14 years old when she arrives in Paris, is not just another slave girl. She was said to be "light colored and decidedly good looking." And she was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife, whom she might have strongly resembled. In her massive book about the Hemings family, Annette Gordon-Reed comments, "there was virtually no way that Hemings and Jefferson could talk with each other without the conscious or unconscious memory of Martha Wayles Jefferson hovering between them." Indeed, in the film, Jefferson tells Sally, "You look exactly like my wife." In her initial intimate encounter with Jefferson, Sally behaves like a sexually experienced woman-we are almost left to wonder if she is seducing Jefferson, rather than the other way around.
In those days, mature, even middle aged, men did develop romantic interest in teenage girls. Gordon-Reed cites the cases of Madison and John Marshall. The movie shows how James Callender's article publicized the Jefferson-Hemings relationship-but it had little political impact. Southern whites denounced miscegenation in public, but practiced it in private. Jefferson had the examples of his father-in-law John Wayles and his slave mistress Betty Hemings, and his mentor George Wythe, whose black maid was evidently his concubine. The film shows Sally negotiating with Jefferson the conditions of her return from France to Virginia, although her mother wanted her to remain in France.
Andrews' movie includes some events that seem highly improbable. It shows Sally in Paris, acquiring the manners of society, learning to read and write English and French, asking Jefferson pointed questions about the applicability of "liberty" as written in the Declaration of Independence, challenging Jefferson's derogatory description of blacks, quoting to Tom Paine some of his own words, and dancing with him at a Paris function. In the film, Sally assists runaway slaves, and is captured, and whipped by a slave catcher. One improbable scene finds Sally on the back stairs of the Presidential Mansion (now known as the White House), where Dolley Madison tells her, "Ultimately, we are women aren't we? Even to the same second-class concerns no matter our color." But back at Monticello, Sally occasionally gives orders to the overseer. The film creates a fictional Henry Jackson, a Monticello slave who is in love with Sally.
Andrews assumes that Sally's first pregnancy produced a son, Tom. This Tom has an important role in the film, but Madison Hemings said that Sally's first child died soon after it was born, and does not list Tom as one of Sally's children. There was a Tom (Tom Woodson) of the appropriate age, but DNA evidence does not show a connection between him and the Hemingses.
Sally's daughter Harriet (played by Amelia Heinle, now CEO of Newman Enterprises on "The Young and The Restless") is shattered when a young white man, who is attracted to her, discovers her true identity and attacks her. Like some of her siblings, Harriet finds that her racial status could prevent her from having a home, a family, and a chance to be free. She and her brothers Beverly and Eston (all of whom were 90 per cent white) eventually move into white society.
As Sally, Carmen Ejogo, daughter of a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother, very effectively conveys her character as conceived by Andrews. But we may doubt whether Sally was the intelligent, inquisitive, and assertive woman shown in the film. As Betty, Diahann Carroll is convincing-Gordon-Reed feels that Betty was "the central (and most compelling)" person in the Hemings family. Sam Neill portrays Jefferson as a sympathetic figure, torn between his philosophical discomfort with slavery and the economic imperatives of plantation operation. Mare Winningham deserves great credit for her portrayal of Martha ("Patsy") Jefferson. Martha's life was not easy-she had to raise a dozen children, contend with the debts of her father and her husband, and cope with her husband's emotional issues, which eventually led to their separation. She must have been profoundly uncomfortable with her father's relationship with Sally. As Jefferson's other daughter, Maria ("Polly"), Jessica Townsend is given limited screen time. Sally and Polly spent five weeks together during their voyage to Europe, which must have forced some interaction between them-but we know little about it. The film implies that Polly was friendlier than her sister to Sally. Mario Van Peeples gives a plausible interpretation of James Hemings, whose motives and concerns are not fully understood. But Rene Auberjonois, cast as the muckraking journalist James Callender, is almost too sleazy.
The Andrews' film accurately reveals how Jefferson's life style, together with the poor productivity of his plantation, produced massive debts. It deviates from history in some details, for example, we see Monticello's slaves contentedly singing and dancing, and the slaves being sold while Jefferson was still alive, whereas they were not actually sold until six months later. Although one may question its presentation of Sally's personality, of plantation slave life, and of Jefferson's treatment of his slaves, the film suggests the issues that must have arisen in connection with Jefferson's private life. It certainly conveys the pathos surrounding Jefferson's final days. Neill is especially compelling as the aging and feeble Jefferson. The camera work is effective-in some scenes, we feel we are actually at Monticello.
Unfortunately, this docudrama skips over the origins of the Hemings family and begins with Sally's voyage to France accompanying Jefferson's daughter Maria ("Polly"). Sally, about 14 years old when she arrives in Paris, is not just another slave girl. She was said to be "light colored and decidedly good looking." And she was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife, whom she might have strongly resembled. In her massive book about the Hemings family, Annette Gordon-Reed comments, "there was virtually no way that Hemings and Jefferson could talk with each other without the conscious or unconscious memory of Martha Wayles Jefferson hovering between them." Indeed, in the film, Jefferson tells Sally, "You look exactly like my wife." In her initial intimate encounter with Jefferson, Sally behaves like a sexually experienced woman-we are almost left to wonder if she is seducing Jefferson, rather than the other way around.
In those days, mature, even middle aged, men did develop romantic interest in teenage girls. Gordon-Reed cites the cases of Madison and John Marshall. The movie shows how James Callender's article publicized the Jefferson-Hemings relationship-but it had little political impact. Southern whites denounced miscegenation in public, but practiced it in private. Jefferson had the examples of his father-in-law John Wayles and his slave mistress Betty Hemings, and his mentor George Wythe, whose black maid was evidently his concubine. The film shows Sally negotiating with Jefferson the conditions of her return from France to Virginia, although her mother wanted her to remain in France.
Andrews' movie includes some events that seem highly improbable. It shows Sally in Paris, acquiring the manners of society, learning to read and write English and French, asking Jefferson pointed questions about the applicability of "liberty" as written in the Declaration of Independence, challenging Jefferson's derogatory description of blacks, quoting to Tom Paine some of his own words, and dancing with him at a Paris function. In the film, Sally assists runaway slaves, and is captured, and whipped by a slave catcher. One improbable scene finds Sally on the back stairs of the Presidential Mansion (now known as the White House), where Dolley Madison tells her, "Ultimately, we are women aren't we? Even to the same second-class concerns no matter our color." But back at Monticello, Sally occasionally gives orders to the overseer. The film creates a fictional Henry Jackson, a Monticello slave who is in love with Sally.
Andrews assumes that Sally's first pregnancy produced a son, Tom. This Tom has an important role in the film, but Madison Hemings said that Sally's first child died soon after it was born, and does not list Tom as one of Sally's children. There was a Tom (Tom Woodson) of the appropriate age, but DNA evidence does not show a connection between him and the Hemingses.
Sally's daughter Harriet (played by Amelia Heinle, now CEO of Newman Enterprises on "The Young and The Restless") is shattered when a young white man, who is attracted to her, discovers her true identity and attacks her. Like some of her siblings, Harriet finds that her racial status could prevent her from having a home, a family, and a chance to be free. She and her brothers Beverly and Eston (all of whom were 90 per cent white) eventually move into white society.
As Sally, Carmen Ejogo, daughter of a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother, very effectively conveys her character as conceived by Andrews. But we may doubt whether Sally was the intelligent, inquisitive, and assertive woman shown in the film. As Betty, Diahann Carroll is convincing-Gordon-Reed feels that Betty was "the central (and most compelling)" person in the Hemings family. Sam Neill portrays Jefferson as a sympathetic figure, torn between his philosophical discomfort with slavery and the economic imperatives of plantation operation. Mare Winningham deserves great credit for her portrayal of Martha ("Patsy") Jefferson. Martha's life was not easy-she had to raise a dozen children, contend with the debts of her father and her husband, and cope with her husband's emotional issues, which eventually led to their separation. She must have been profoundly uncomfortable with her father's relationship with Sally. As Jefferson's other daughter, Maria ("Polly"), Jessica Townsend is given limited screen time. Sally and Polly spent five weeks together during their voyage to Europe, which must have forced some interaction between them-but we know little about it. The film implies that Polly was friendlier than her sister to Sally. Mario Van Peeples gives a plausible interpretation of James Hemings, whose motives and concerns are not fully understood. But Rene Auberjonois, cast as the muckraking journalist James Callender, is almost too sleazy.
The Andrews' film accurately reveals how Jefferson's life style, together with the poor productivity of his plantation, produced massive debts. It deviates from history in some details, for example, we see Monticello's slaves contentedly singing and dancing, and the slaves being sold while Jefferson was still alive, whereas they were not actually sold until six months later. Although one may question its presentation of Sally's personality, of plantation slave life, and of Jefferson's treatment of his slaves, the film suggests the issues that must have arisen in connection with Jefferson's private life. It certainly conveys the pathos surrounding Jefferson's final days. Neill is especially compelling as the aging and feeble Jefferson. The camera work is effective-in some scenes, we feel we are actually at Monticello.