Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Geoffrey C. Ward
Stars: Blythe Danner, Ossie Davis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Waterston
Ken Burns, in his unique style, portrays the life and the legacy of one of the founding fathers of the United States. In the process, he talks to many historians, and presents facts, figures, theories, fables from various corners. At he age of 33, Thomas Jefferson was the youngest to member of the Continental Congress yet he wrote the major articles that have shaped this country. This documentary looks at the complexities of the man on the outside--he was a farmer, a writer, an architect, a scientist, a musician and a reluctant politician. But more importantly, it also looks at the inherent contradictions of his actions with this written words--he chose not to free the slaves he inherited from his wife's father while many other landowners in Virginia at the time were freeing theirs; yet wrote the now immortal words "All men are created equal." This depiction of the former President doesn't shy away from the Sally Hemmings controversy either. Yet what is lacking is a non-American perspective. Jefferson was a diplomat and spent a considerable time in Europe. There are current European historians who may have other views of the man. We here nothing from non-American historians. My Rating: 7.5
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