Monroe Hill
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''Monroe Hill'' is a 2015 documentary film by Eduardo Montes-Bradley made possible, in part, through an award from the Jefferson Trust. The film traces the roots, and historical context, of James Monroe’s first home in Albemarle County, and its transformation over a period of three decades until the laying of the cornerstone at the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
on October 6, 1817. ''Monroe Hill'' premiered during the 28th edition of the Virginia Film Festival, on November 6, 2015, and was selected to compete in the Official Selection of the Richmond International Film Festival, 2016. ''Monroe Hill'' premiered on PBS on March 28, 2016.


Synopsis

Through a number of interviews with experts and academics, ''Monroe Hill'' unearths the history of the site that contains the last remaining structures of the late 18th century southern plantation. These surviving structures are silent witnesses to Monroe's struggle as a farmer and a politician from 1789 through 1817. The film includes the chapter of James Monroe's life as Minister to France and his relationship with
Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...
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Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...
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Adrienne de La Fayette Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette (2 November 1759 – 25 December 1807), was a French marchioness. She was the daughter of Jean de Noailles and Henriette Anne Louise d'Aguesseau. On 11 April 1774, she married Gilb ...
,
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
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Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
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James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...
and
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
. Featuring extensive documentation, interviews, and footage from
D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...
's ''America'' and '' Orphans of the Storm'', the film brings to light an unexplored period of the life of James Monroe. The director resorts to the backdrop of
Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
in the late 1910s and early 1920s—as seen in Griffith's ''America''—to recreate the experience of Monroe in
Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
at the turn of the 18th century: sequences and isolated scenes from ''Orphans of the Storm'' will also serve the purpose of illustrating the life of James Monroe from 1794—shortly after his arrival as
Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...
in 1794—until his return to the United States. ''Monroe Hill'' is an investigation of a space stationary in time, an archeologically challenging experience that explores a place as well as the people that helped to transform it; thus, challenging the idea of a mythical birthplace of the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
. The film also explores other similar properties owned by James Monroe during the last decade of the 18th century, such as Limestone Plantation. Monroe Hill was shot on location at the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
and various other locations in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, Philadelphia, Richmond, Washington, Fredericksburg and New York. The film was made possible with an award of $85,000 from the Jefferson Trust, an initiative of the Alumni Association of the University of Virginia.


Billing Block

Heritage Film Project presents ''Monroe Hill'' a film by Eduardo Montes-Bradley made possible through an award from The Jefferson Trust in collaboration with Brown Residential College , School of Education and Human Development (formerly the Curry School of Education) , Ash Lawn-Highland with the support of the Office of the Provost & Vice Provost of the Arts , The Papers of James Monroe , Washington Papers , The James Monroe Museum and Library , The Presidential Precinct historical consultant Dan Preston additional consultants William Ferraro & Scott Harris featuring interviews with Dan Preston , Scott Harris , Sara Bon-Harper , Benjamin Ford , Kat Imhoff , William Ferraro , Louis Nelson , Kyle Edwards , Carl O. Trindle , Erik Midelfort , Anne McKeithen & Richard Guy Wilson sound mixer Kathleen Mueller executive producers Melissa Thomas-Hunt , Stephen Plaskon , Eduardo Montes-Bradley , silent film advisor David Shepard , Soledad Liendo producer Soledad Liendo writer-director Eduardo Montes-Bradley. As many as twenty-five students worked at different times on the production of ''Monroe Hill'' the documentary. The students, all residents of Brown College, one of three residential colleges at the University of Virginia, worked on the development, production, and postproduction of the film. 60 minutes , HD , 16:9 Final credits list a dedication in memory of Kurt Hilburger, fourth-year archeology and anthropology double major who assisted Montes-Bradley’s research, and acted as his personal driver on location in Virginia. Hilburger died on September 30 from injuries sustained in a car accident, shortly before the premiere of ''Monroe Hill''.


Contributions

''Monroe Hill'' reveals details found in James Monroe’s property taxes during the decade he occupied the property known as Monroe Hill in Albemarle County. These records were used to corroborate Monroe’s presence in the plantation in the periods between his deployment astute senator in Philadelphia and in Paris as Minister Plenipotentiary. These records also constitute clear evidence of the number of slaves working on the plantation on a permanent basis. In the sample document provided for the year of 1797, Monroe is listed as a single resident with 12 adult slaves, 1 slave age of 12 to 16, and 11 horses. The research also shows that Monroe purchased from
Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...
the enslaved woman named Thenia Hemings with five daughters. According to ''Monroe Hill'', Thenia Hemings was
Sally Hemings Sarah "Sally" Hemings ( 1773 – 1835) was a Black people, black woman Slavery in the United States, enslaved to the third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, inherited among many others from his father-in-law, John Wayles. Hemi ...
sister, six years her senior. The information concerning the purchase of Thenia Hemings was corroborated by the filmmakers on
Annette Gordon-Reed Annette Gordon-Reed (born November 19, 1958) is an American historian and law professor. She is currently the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University and a professor of history in the university's Faculty of Arts & Sciences. She ...
’s The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. However, based on the correspondence between James Monroe and Joseph Jones, the filmmaker’s research goes further into the personal life of Thenia Hemings. According to ''Monroe Hill'', Thenia Hemings gave birth to a sixth child during the winter of 1795, and Thenia died a year later in the plantation. ''Monroe Hill'' also suggests that Thenia was presumably buried in the African American cemetery recently discovered and reconsecrated on grounds at the University of Virginia and that her partner and possible father of her children was the enslaved man known as Peter, the gardener. The film also explores the period in which James Monroe resigned in Paris as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States revealing aspects of his relationship with
Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...
,
Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a revolutionary exponent of Irish independence and is an iconic figure in Irish republicanism. Convinced that, so long as his fellow Protestantism in ...
, and
Adrienne de La Fayette Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette (2 November 1759 – 25 December 1807), was a French marchioness. She was the daughter of Jean de Noailles and Henriette Anne Louise d'Aguesseau. On 11 April 1774, she married Gilb ...
.


Structure

''Monroe Hill'' is a documentary structured and edited as a written essay or dissertation. Includes a
Preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literature, literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface o ...
, seven chapters and a coda or
epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...
. The dynamic-script developed with research, interviews, and findings while the film was being filmed and edited. With regards to the experience of working over an extended period of time, and without an established agenda or script William Ferraro said that: "''Monroe Hill'' has been a much more dynamic experience. Rather than one day sitting in a room with a group to chart scenes and another afternoon on a stage filming comments, (the director) has encouraged reaction and rethinking to various cuts of the film and sought out a variety of settings for both their visual appeal and historical significance. His goal has been to place modern scholars in dialogue with each other in a way that initiates a conversation about Monroe’s property and its place in the launch of the new nation. This is much different from using modern scholars in a didactic manner to tell viewers something final and conclusive."


Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed exclusively of vintage recordings with a clear vinyl undertone. Most of these recordings originated from the catalog of Discos Qualiton and include the Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K. 457 and "Six sonatas for flute and harpsichord" by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
, Mozart’s aria "Misero! o sogno", K.431; "Warum?" from '' Fantasiestücke'' by Robert Shumann, and " Carry me back to old Virginny”. The final mix for the soundtrack was completed at In Your Ear Studios in Richmond, Va.


References


External links

* University of Mary Washingto

* Jefferson Trus

* Radio Interview. Soundboard WTJU , 91.1 FM Charlottesville / 102.9 FM Richmond Producing On ''Monroe Hill'' with Eduardo Montes-Bradle

* * {{James Monroe 2015 films American independent films American documentary films Films directed by Eduardo Montes-Bradley 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language documentary films