Thomas Jefferson – A
View From The Mountain
(Documentary)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C Documentary: B
The jokes about Thomas Jefferson and his sexual affairs
with African-American women, namely Sally Hemings, had an ongoing cycle of
jokes and comments that likely were all a reaction to still prevalent racism
and waves of conservatism since the 1980s.
After all, how could they bash any minority when one of the founding
fathers engaged in an opposite manner?
Martin Doblmeier, who did such a fine job on his documentary Bonhoeffer
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) is back with a surprisingly strong look at
that figurehead in Thomas Jefferson – A View From The Mountain (2004),
which he happens to be the on-camera host of.
Running 109 minutes, this program feels longer and richer
in a good way, covering the contradictions between his written words of
equality and actions of being a slave owner.
Of course, it is far from that simple, or this would not be so long, so
good and so rich in detail. Unlike the
stills show approach that has become a cliché in the work of Ken Burns,
Doblmeier comes up with a far more interesting and lively way without trying
hard to bring the history alive. Though
he has star guest readers (Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Robert Protsky, and
Edward Herrmann “as” Jefferson) and even interviews with persons who are
leaders and history buffs, his own appearances are the actual plus that brings
a sort of warmth to the show that is sadly lacking in most others on history.
It not only makes him three-dimensional, his story is so
interesting and the rise and fall of his family and their wealth and power is a
piece of great American history that is not being told enough and is the
obvious impetus for the whole project.
By the time this was finished, I realized how great Jefferson was and
what a great documentary filmmaker Doblmeier happens to be. It lays low any of those jokes considered
and will make it much harder to watch James Ivory’s problematic Jefferson In
Paris (1995) even longer that its 145 minutes than ever.
The full frame 1.33 X 1 image was made on professional
videotape and suffers a bit as a result, not having the detail of High
Definition and feeling more dated than it should. The source is clean otherwise.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no serious Pro Logic surrounds, another
odd thing that makes it seem older than it should, but the program manages to
override that feel with its energy.
That only makes up for the performance limits so much, though. Extras include two brief featurettes adding
to the main program, brief text on Doblmeier and trailers for this and a couple
of other solid First Run DVDs.
What is so ultimately great about this, despite all the
tragedy witnessed is that this is the kind of history brought alive that makes
certain we never forget the past, as well as honor its legacies and
achievements. “Race, Slavery and The
New Nation” is the program’s subtitle and it covers all of that too. It is really worth checking out, especially
if you have been complaining or debating as to whether Michael Moore is a
documentary filmmaker or propagandist.
If you have no problem with Moore’s work, you will especially want to
see this one.
- Nicholas Sheffo
