Customer Reviews

Sally Hemings: An American Scandal [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie dares to suggest that Thomas Jefferson might have loved his slave Sally Hemings. No one will ever know for sure if he loved her but if they had a relationship it would have lasted close to forty years. Can a man have a relationship with a woman for forty years and feel nothing for her, even if she was his slave and a black woman? Some people would suggest that but not this movie. Jefferson himself was a contradiction. He said slavery was wrong, yet he owned slaves. This movie focuses on the kind of relationship they may have had and the people they were. Sally is portrayed as a strong and educated woman. We know she went to France and she could have been educated while she was there. She is also the half sister of Jefferson's dead wife and she could have quite possibly looked like her. If Sally did look like Jefferson's dead wife, whom he loved dearly, could he have been attracted to her. Sally is shown as a woman that Jefferson could have loved. Jefferson is shown as a man wrestling inside with his public life and his private life. The relationship they have is tested many times but remains strong even after his death. It may be hard for some to believe that these two people loved each other but this movie suggests that they just didn't love each other but that they were devoted to each other. I like how it focuses on Sally's life because she is the one people know little about. It goes into detail about the kind of life she might have lived with her children and the joy and sadness she might have felt, living during this time. This movie offers a refreshing description of Sally Hemings and her life. If you are interested in history, Sally Hemings or Thomas Jefferson I recommend that you watch this movie. It might change everything you know about these two people. This is a great movie and I highly recommend it to everyone.

I liked the mini-series "Sally Hemings: An American Scandal," however, I was put off by a few things in the movie that I felt should have been more realistic, such as the casting, or were rip-offs from other movies. I really liked Carmen Ejogo in the title role, however, I believe a woman who looked more like the real Sally Hemings, who not only looked Caucasian, looked like Thomas Jefferson's wife (Sally and TJ's wife were half-sisters) should have played Hemings. The same goes for the role of James Hemings, played by a wonderful Mario van Peebles. Given that we do not know that much about the real Ms. Hemings, the writers had to make up a lot of information to make the movie interesting. Sally was made a civil rights activist, of sorts, for her time (she helped slaves escape to freedom), there were no records of her being whipped or beaten, and she hardly talked to her children in the film about their heritage. I realize that the story had to be interesting given the little information we have about this woman, but it is an educational piece of work that should have been written with a little more discipline.

Personally I'm tired of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, what's so shocking about a man taking a mistress whether they are white, black, purple or green. Why is Jefferson put on this golden pedestal? What's so shocking about finding out that this man ascending to heaven had flesh just like everyone else.

Personally, I came away feeling angry about the movie. Can't people to any more research than what they do? James Callender was scrupulous, yes, but he was a reporter and jailed under the Alien and Sedition Acts. He could have been reward a little from his trouble, after all Jefferson couldn't be happier when he was publishing his History of 1797 against the Federalists. If it wasn't for James Callender we probably wouldn't even be seeing this movie and the gossip that came of it would have died a gradual death. Next is Dolly Madison. Did any of those people actually look at a picture of Dolly Madison? She had black hair not red and that table scene when James Callender was asking her about her and Aaron Burr in New York. She wasn't even in New York; she was in Philadelphia burying a husband and a son from the yellow fever epidemic. There were other things I could point out as well but the average person doesn't realize the mistakes and that's what makes me so angry.

I see historical movies and how they botch things up makes me so mad and what I get angry over is the fact that people see these movies and believe what they see. They don't bother to look for themselves to find the truth.

Besides the great criticism I did enjoy Sam Neil as Jefferson I thought his manner seemed fitting, better than Nick Nolte in Jefferson in Paris. Mare Winningham was perhaps the best as Martha Jefferson constantly struggling between the duties of a mistress of the plantation, daughter to her father, and his relationship with Sally. When it was all over, it was entertaining and that is the number one motive behind this movie.

Sally Hemings" An American Scandal" shows great preformance with Sam Neil and Carman Ejogo. It clearly states and clarifiys the relationship in Paris. It is a great source of infomation to any local Virginia historian. It gives a fantastic source of infomation on the relationships of slaves and their masters in the early 1800's. This has to be my favorite movie ever. if you have really enjoyed this movie and are intersteaded in Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, you should read Sally Hemings by Barabra Chase-Riboud. It is a fictional tale but does give great words on the life of Sally Hemings from 1773 until 1836. This movie has lifed my soul.

This movie should be understood more as a historical love story more than an attack on TJ's charactor. While we will never know the whole truth about his relationship with Sally Hemmings, I think this movie treated it well-- as a true love affair, and as Jefferson maturing over time.

I found the movie both enlighting and puzzling. First of all we will never truely know what kind of love Sally and thomas really shared. Things that are written could have been fiction yet some may be true but we will never know the truth. I like the way the movie portrays thomas jefferson as a true mans, man and also showed the love that he had for his children.

I thought this film was very good and kinda sad. It showed that love just happens...love doesn't discriminate, it doesn't matter what race u r or what religion or anything, love just happens. This miniseries deserved more attention than it recieved. It's truly great. A good love story also!

This was a very good movie as long as you forget who the main characters are supposed to be. Jefferson was not really as weak as he was portrayed nor could Ms. Hemings be as forthright. The love affair portrayed could not have happened. Jefferson was still a racist and could only allow himself so much sentiment where a woman of color was involved...and love was too much. I thought, however, that it did a very good job in outlining the hypocrisy of the south and miscengenation laws--laws that Jefferson himself wrote and apparently broke. I also thought it did a great job of outlining what the Hemings family was known for and came to be known for: artistry, intelligence, courage, and their aid in the underground railroad. (no Sally was never captured and beaten as far as we know). Being a mini-series, it unfortunately could not go into detail about the lives of Eston and Madison Hemings, the children we actually know the most about, nor about the matriarch of the family, Betty Hemings. For more historical fiction on this family, try Barbara Chase-Riboud's "Sally Hemings" and "The President's Daughter" or Fawn Brodie's biography of Thomas Jefferson. The screenplay was written with much of Ms. Riboud's psychology in mind...and her Sally Hemings was more believable for the times.

Sure I like historical movies. But I really dislike haveing to re-learn all my history each time a new one comes out.

Ahh but what can you expect ? All the information in the world abot Sally Hemmings as a person could probably fit on a 3x5 index card. Sally Hemmings the DNA profile is a good bit longer than anything else we know about her.

That said -- I liked the Sally they invented for this movie. I wanted her to be smart and well educated and full of poise and grace. Why not assume the best ? And so the movie-makers have done just what we all have wanted. They have turned what was scandelous history into starcrossed lovers.

Sally is reputed to have been quite light skinned. This was a growing problem in the south after the importation of salvery ceased in the early 1800's. While in our day and age we think it foolish to judge a man by the color of his skin - it is shown to be even more foolish in this film. Many of Jefferson's children by Hemmings are portrayed by actors that we would call "White". How nicely this points up the fallacy of judging a many by his skin color.

Go ahead watch it. Just because you want to. Just don't use it for a history report at school.