Amistad

Amistad Review

Amistad tells the story of an African group illegally captured and sold into slavery during the years following the dissolution of the international slave trade. This particular group was highly unusual in that it actually managed to break free of its chains, overthrow those in charge of the ship, and order that it be returned to Africa. Unfortunately for the Africans, they are the victims of deception once again, as the ship is sailed into American shores instead. It lands near Long Island, and the Africans are immediately arrested and taken to Connecticut, where their fate is to be determined from within the legal system. Their case passes through various different courts, but they are successful at every turn; along the way, they receive assistance from various legal and linguistic aides, abolitionists, and even ex-President John Quincy Adams. Their freedom is eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, and they are sent back home to Africa. I rather enjoyed the film, finding it to be a harrowing, emotionally engaging, and surprisingly accurate historical drama.

The film was released in 1997, produced by Debbie Allen and Steven Spielberg, and distributed by DreamWorks. Steven Spielberg is the director; Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey, and Morgan Freeman, among others, are the stars. As previously stated, it is a historical drama based on actual events; according to the interviews with the director and stars included on the DVD, much attention was paid to making it as accurate and true-to-life as possible. Of course, it is also a Hollywood film, and therefore a dramatization; to this end, it includes elements of suspense, action, and other traditional Hollywood trappings. As such, it was designed to appeal both to fans of serious historical dramas and to more general moviegoers.

On account of the factors just mentioned, the film does manage to be entertaining, despite its serious overtones and devotion to historical accuracy. It manages to hold one's attention throughout, even though it is longer than the average film and deals with more complex and less conventionally appealing subject matter. Elements of both pedagogy and entertainment are present in the film, and neither, thankfully, ever manages to get in the way of the other. Even so, it becomes clear upon viewing the aforementioned interviews, and indeed the film itself, that a key underlying them for Spielberg and his cohorts was depicting a relatively unknown incident in American history as accurately and sympathetically as possible within the confines of a Hollywood film. Proof of this exists in the attention to detail present in, for example, the choice of sets and the painstaking depiction of language.

Amistad depicts several cultures and subcultures. For example, although fleetingly, it shows glimpses of African tribal culture during the flashback scenes in which Cinqué, the tribal leader, reflects back upon his life at home before he was captured. More significantly, it portrays, in graphic and nearly excruciating detail, what it may have been like to be a prisoner onboard a slave ship. Spielberg refuses to flinch with these scenes, choosing instead to depict them with an intensity that ranges from moving to horrifying. Knowing, as the audience does, that the Africans memorialized in the film were unusual in that their experience was less trying than most others only serves to reinforce the truly ghastly horrors of the slave trade. Although elements of these scenes are inevitably based on conjecture, they are notable for their striking apparent realism; for the viewer to see fellow human beings treated in such a savage and inhumane manner truly serves to set the Africans up as genuinely human and wholly sympathetic characters. As Roger Ebert notes, this is one of the primary strengths of the film: "What is most valuable about "Amistad" is the way it provides faces and names for its African characters, whom the movies so often make into faceless victims." Not surprisingly, the film casts these Africans in an extremely positive light; they are shown to be an essentially innocent people, with a legitimate and vibrant culture of their own, who are unfairly and tragically captured and sold into slavery for no real or just reason. Few viewers, one assumes, will disagree with this presentation - on the basis of either history or the film. That said, Amistad does depict a darker side of the Africans; the dramatic insurrection scene that opens the film, for example, shows them to be quite brutal and uncompromising in their takeover of the ship, however justified such an overthrow may have been. It leaves the task of deciding whether or not this is morally right up to the viewer; it passes no judgments of its own. More significantly, it shows one undeniable but rarely mentioned fact of the slave trade; Europeans could not have undertaken it without help from Africans. The sad reality of this unfortunate state of affairs is made dramatically clear during the scene in which Cinqué is captured by rival Africans and handed over to slavers. These Africans, then, are portrayed both as the centerpiece of a dominant culture in their native area of Africa and as a subculture - that of imported slaves - in America.

The film also portrays American culture, or at least part of it, as it stood in 1840. It shows little of how everyday people lived or of what constitued popular culture at the time - but this, of course, is not the focus of the movie. What it does show, and in surprisingly vivid detail, is what it may have been like to live in America circa 1840. This is accomplished via the highly detailed and very realistic sets that are featured throughout the film. In contrast to the Africans, American society is depicted very ambivalently; one could even argue, quite plausibly, that it is cast in a generally negative light. For example, it shows American politics to be largely corrupt. Thus, President Van Buren is shown as a bumbling fool completely lacking in all moral integrity who cares only about being re-elected; this image is even further reinforced when the film has him illegally and unconscionably interfere with the trial by using his political clout to replace the judge with one he believes will be his crony. The film also emphasizes the evils of slavery, which still existed in the country at the time, thereby taking another shot at 1840 American society. Even so, it does show some bright spots in the nation, such as the abolitionist movement and the existence of at least one incorruptible politician in the person of John Quincy Adams. On the whole, though, it can be unequivocally said that the allegedly superior American culture is contrasted throughout the film with African culture, and the latter generally comes across as less arrogant and hypocritical.

This last discussion touches upon several of the film's other major themes - political corruption, the role of slavery in American society and national economy, lingering differences between the North and South, etc. The main theme of the movie, though, is undoubtedly freedom. It argues, very powerfully and convincingly, that freedom is a natural right; thus, it uses the very moving and illustrative saga of the captured Africans to make a philosophical point that, at film's end, few would be willing to refute. All of the film's underlying themes are brought to bear on this one central point, and it manages to perform the difficult task of arguing its case quite well without ever becoming overly didactic.

I was impressed with the film and found viewing it an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. It is very well done overall and contains a wealth of fine acting, cinematography, and storytelling. Amistad is truly one of those rare films that is both entertaining and informative; in this, it clearly accomplishes its goal of being a significant and meaningful film without sacrificing popular appeal. It comes highly recommended for anyone who enjoys historical dramas or wants to learn more about the issues explored in the film without having to resort to a scholarly resource. Due to the film's admirable historical accuracy, much can be gleaned from it about both the slavery issue and 1840 American society and culture. Anyone who seeks knowledge in these areas, or simply wishes to enjoy a good film, will find Amistad engaging and thoroughly valuable.

Amistad Overview

An epic journey of one mans fight for his life and his freedom. This story of courage and determination is presented by a director whose vision goes to the heart of the story and the soul of its characters. Once again steven spielberg has created a film event that will never be forgotten. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/13/2007 Starring: Morgan Freeman Djimon Hounsou Run time: 155 minutes Rating: R Director: Steven Spielberg

Amistad Specifications

Steven Spielberg's most simplistic, sanitized history lesson, Amistad, explores the symbolic 1840s trials of 53 West Africans following their bloody rebellion aboard a slave ship. For most of Schindler's List (and, later, Saving Private Ryan) Spielberg restrains himself from the sweeping narrative and technical flourishes that make him one of our most entertaining and manipulative directors. Here, he doesn't even bother trying, succumbing to his driving need to entertain with beautiful images and contrived emotion. He cheapens his grandiose motives and simplifies slavery, treating it as cut- and-dry genre piece. Characters are easy Hollywood stereotypes--"villains" like the Spanish sailors or zealous abolitionists are drawn one-dimensionally and sneered upon. And Spielberg can't suppress his gifted eye, undercutting normally ugly sequences, such as the terrifying slave passage, which is shot as a gorgeous, well-lit composition. At its core, Amistad is a traditional courtroom drama, centered by a tired, clichéd narrative: a struggling, idealistic young lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) fighting the crooked political system and saving helpless victims. Worse yet, Spielberg actually takes the underlying premise of his childhood fantasy, E.T. and repackages it for slavery. Cinque (Djimon Hounsou), the leader of the West African rebellion, is presented much like the adorable alien: lost, lacking a common language, and trying to find his way home. McConaughey is a grown-up Elliot who tries communicating complicated ideas such as geography by drawing pictures in the sand or language by having Cinque mimic his facial expressions. Such stuff was effective for a sci-fi fantasy about the communication barriers between a boy and a lost alien; here, it seems like a naive view of real, complex history. --Dave McCoy

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