SummaryBased on a true story, a group of enslaved Africans aboard the slaveship La Amistad overtake the ship and attempt to return to their homeland. When the ship is seized, the captives are brought to the United States where an enthralling courtroom battle ensues that captures the attention of the entire nation while confronting the very foun...
SummaryBased on a true story, a group of enslaved Africans aboard the slaveship La Amistad overtake the ship and attempt to return to their homeland. When the ship is seized, the captives are brought to the United States where an enthralling courtroom battle ensues that captures the attention of the entire nation while confronting the very foun...
Spielberg has mounted a courtroom drama to rival the finest Grisham, with a coruscating civil rights debate resonating both within the film and into the present as the audience knows it.
Becomes a too-stately courtroom drama, with the Africans in the dock, the issue of slavery on trial at didactic length, and the top-billed Morgan Freeman as an abolitionist shunted to the sidelines with too little to do. [26 Jun 1998, p. 130]
Amistad isn't as powerful as Spielberg Schindler's List, but in terms of is own story, Spielberg's is still making it very very well done and the movie is still fills with an amazing performance by all the cast and incredibly well written, Amistad might be not as powerful as Schindler's List but at least is way better than his terrible Jurassic Park sequel which was released on the same year too, The Lost World.
Dwarfed by the enormity of what it means to illustrate, the diffuse Amistad divides its energies among many concerns: the pain and strangeness of the captives' experience, the Presidential election in which they become a factor, the stirrings of civil war, and the great many bewhiskered abolitionists and legal representatives who argue about their fate.
Cinque, the rebel leader, is played by former model Hounsou, a mountainous figure who speaks in a gutteral roar and seems to embody the rage and confusion of an entire exploited continent.
Of the underutilized mega cast, Djmon Honsou shines the brightest. His portrayal of Cinque, the leader of the displaced band of African tribesmen, is devastatingly potent.
A little like looking at pictures without a text to unify them… Prestige filmmaking bereft of inspiration -- sometimes even of the nuts and bolts of craft.
This film, based on real events, tells the dramatic story of the slaves of the ship "La Amistad", who are imprisoned in the United States after taking control of the ship and subjugate its Spanish crew. Directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by David Franzoni, the film has the participation of Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman. It was nominated for four Oscars (Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score).
The film is an excellent way to convey knowledge to people, especially if they don't like to read or study. In this context, historical films gain special importance. History is the guardian of the collective memory of people (as a nation or as a human race). Most people have difficulty to understand it. And I say this because this film addresses a troublesome page of our universal history: slavery and the slave trade, which at the time was considered normal, but we now recognize that it was cruel and wrong.
The film's screenplay is excellent, no mistakes or holes. The public is able to perfectly understand the feelings and motivations of the characters, and how the problem of those slaves is handled by each of them, until turn into a diplomatic problem and a national controversy. The only thing I was not able to realize is the reason of a Portuguese slave ship in the plot, if Portugal had been one of the first countries in the world to legally abolish slave trade. If they acted illegally to English, they were also breaking Portuguese law of the time. The work of actors was also impeccable. Djimon Hounsou shone in the role of Cinque, surprising the audience with the depth of his character. Hopkins, in a relatively low profile, could be up to the challenge, as Morgan Freeman; but it was Matthew McConaughey who most impressed the film with a huge performance, full of quality.
The sets and costumes fully correspond to what one would see and wear in the historical period depicted. The technical team did everything they could to get the necessary historical accuracy. Although not an action film, the film contains strong fight scenes and some visual and sound effects very well done.
Historical drama about the efforts of idealists to eradicate slavery from the United States. The slow development of the beginning is compensated with a plot that grows like a snowball. It does not have the strength of Schlinder's List but it has its arguments that make it...
The movie is a bit cliche and the court elements are slowly boring, because they are similar in the movies. But the slavery background and the time settings with their atmosphere was well made.
I miss those old days and old actors that are ready to just let others take charge, just watch Matthew McConaughey inhale the court room.
Amistad
Spielberg has not written a long book. I know that it looks like it. But it is not. What it is, is a throwback to those old filmmaking style. And still it is not that. It still looks like a profound sci-fi space opera told with historical puzzle pieces that are mixed together for educational purposes. I mean I am not the only one saying it, even Anthony Hopkins in his final speech agrees with me. And you know what, for education. I will do it. I will go through it. I will sit by a whole three hour of lecture that is willingly participating on being user friendly.
Something that my social science book never did. The director Steven Spielberg is easily the only person who can pull this film.. nay, the pace off. The pace or a screentime is something that never bothers me. I have all the time in the world. And more the film takes its time, the more I enjoy it. And a slow steady pace always intrigues me and half way through the film I got the gist of the game.
The structure of the script is more like a do over process and when the film has to "bong!" the viewers that there is still an hour and a similar procedure to go through. What the characters are actually going through communicates with us instantly. Spielberg is a trickster in these matters. That courage that he asks from these characters and us, is a delightful conversation that is helmed by Anthony Hopkins in his room. And when Amistad starts breaking the fourth wall and looks into our eyes with a sharp wit and warmth that cradles us back to this historic event; I'd take it, I'd gladly take it, no matter how textual.
The pace within the film makes it boring in many parts. The pace made it feel slow as well. It has a few inspiring moments and some great performances which makes it mildly entertaining.