AMISTAD
SYNOPSIS:
In the summer of 1839 on a stormy night off the coast of Cuba, 53
Africans held captive in the cramped cargo holds of the Spanish
slave ship LA Amistad break free. Led by Cinque (Djimon Hounsou),
they take control of the ship, relying on the two surviving
members of the crew to guide them back to Africa. But they are
tricked. After two months on the ragged course up the Eastern
seabord, the Amistad is captured by an American naval ship off
the coast of Long Island and the Africans are charged with
murder. In the beginning, the Africans are championed by
abolitionists Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman) and businessman
Lewis Tappan (Stellan Skarsgård), plus a young real estate
lawyer, Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey). However, as the case
becomes a symbol of a nation divided, two great Americans lock
horns in the debate: pro-slavery President Martin Van Buren
(Nigel Hawthorne), seeking re-election, is willing to sacrifice
the Africans to appease the South, along with the 11 year old
Queen Isabella of Spain (Anna Paquin). Van Buren is challenged by
former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins), who comes
out of retirement to fight the Africans’ cause in the US
Supreme Court. It is a case that challenges the very foundation
of the legal system, but for the Africans on trial, this is a
fight for the basic right of all people – freedom.
"The subject is personal freedom, the story is
historically significant, and the medium is Hollywood cinema.
These three elements are not always happy bedfellows, the needs
of the latter often burdening the needs of the former. While
agreeing with most of what my colleagues on this page have to say
positively about Amistad (but siding with those who are critical
of McConaughey as the lawyer) I have some reservations. The
‘look and feel’ of the film is faultless, so is the
music; the responsibility for the bigger emotional punches lie
with two men who superbly deliver it in spades – Hopkins and
Hounsou. My first reservations concern the casting of not only
McConaughey, but Paquin, the game little girl from The Piano,
where her accent was a seamless part of her character. Here, she
struggles with an accent that borders on a form of brogue while
trying to get the flavour of a Spanish onion into it. Indeed, it
can be argued her presence in the film is superfluous and
distracting. More serious, however, is a dramatic lapse or two:
for one, the powerful courtroom scene (of which there are
several) when Cinque utters his first words in English, begging
for freedom. This should have shattered us all, but it was
neither set up adequately, nor brought to a satisfactory
conclusion. The juxtapositioning of scenes in a film is often the
key to their effectiveness; I was disappointed in
Spielberg’s decisions in this case. A similar problem exists
at the end of the film, where sentimentality and smalch overtake
the filmmakers, diminishing the power of their story. But Amistad
is deserving of a wide audience and I’d like to finish on a
positive note: Spielberg errs on the side of right and moral
decency, and as a cinematic essay on a subject of universal
validity plus eternal currency, it deserves – and justifies
– genuine praise both as entertainment and as history
lesson."
Andrew L. Urban
"Steven Spielberg brings the story of Amistad to the
screen with unbridled passion and commitment, with powerful
images and extraordinary performances, notably from Anthony
Hopkins and newcomer, Djimon Hounsou. Epic in both length and
significance, Amistad is a symbol perhaps of Spielberg’s
conscience, as was Schindler’s List. Anthony Hopkins is
amazing as the former President, whose intelligence and
determination champions the Supreme Court. Deserving of yet
another Academy Award for this outing, Hopkins gives a complete
performance, convincing at every turn, strong and learned from
age and experience, with the patience and understanding that
comes with it. His scenes with Hounsou, despite the language
barrier, are ripe with communication, and it is at those moments
when true movie magic occurs. Hounsou, imposing in stature, is a
revelation, with an explosive screen presence. His amazing body
and features (as stunningly displayed in Herb Ritt’s
photographs of him), make him a model leader, and this role
offers him a strong platform. Morgan Freeman, Stellan Skarsgård
and Pete Postlethwaite offer strong support, but Matthew
McConaughey appears miscast in a role which deserves and requires
an actor that can deliver more depth. Production design,
cinematography, editing and sound are tops, while the master,
John Williams, provides a glorious, rousing score that captures
the spirit of freedom, as it envelops us in the mastery and magic
of the screen."
Louise Keller
"There are two sides to director Steven Spielberg:
there’s the crassly commercial side, as evidenced in the two
artless but effective Jurassic Park pictures; then there’s
the passionate film maker, the more personal Spielberg who
finally emerged in his extraordinary Schindler’s List.
Amistad falls somewhere between the two. For the most part, this
is an impressive work, a gloriously looking intimate epic that is
multi-faceted in its themes. At just over 2 ½ hours, Spielberg
takes his time in telling this compelling story of the African
slaves who inadvertently end up in America, a symbol of a cause
that would eventually tear the country apart. The film has many
wonderfully cinematic passages clearly directed by a master of
his craft. The opening mutiny sequence, which begins with
tranquillity erupts into intense and realistic violence.
It’s an astonishing opening. The film is glorious to the
eye, thanks to the stunning cinematography of Janusz Kaminski,
who lensed Schindler’s List. And the film has reproduced the
period to perfection. Where Spielberg resorts to a studio
mentality is in the anomaly of his casting. Casting Matthew
McConaughey in the pivotal role of the young lawyer who ends up
defending the Africans is sheer folly. With his limited
experience and maturity, one never believes that this lawyer is
out of the early nineteenth century. McConaughey’s dull
performance lets the film down. However, in a more astute moment,
Spielberg delivered some fine actors to the fold, and their
presence gives the film an added texture. Seeing Anthony Hopkins
as an aged ex-President delivering his moving monologue towards
the film’s closing, is witnessing great acting on the
screen. Hopkins is simply remarkable, from every facial and
physical nuance to the pure passion of the piece. And when he and
the equally poetic Morgan Freeman share screen time together, one
is all too painfully aware of the rarity of great acting in
today’s Hollywood. Newcomer Djimon Hounsou is a rare find, a
complete novice who brings an unexpected power, passion and
dignity to Cinque, while Britain’s Nigel Hawthorne and Pete
Postlewaite, provide invaluable support as the Africans’
adversaries. Thematically, Amistad explores the nature of freedom
and the extent one goes to in order to achieve it.
Spielberg’s mastery of film language, combined with human
intimacy, makes for an often powerful and important work, despite
his tendency to over-sentimentalise."
Paul Fischer
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 2
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 1
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As he pores over the filmmakers' notes, Andrew L. Urban says Spielberg's film issues a challenge to Australians to discover more of their own history, in FEATURES
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AMISTAD (M)
(US)
CAST: Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey,
Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, David Paymer, Pete
Postlethwaite, Stellan Skarsgård, Anna Paquin, Tomas Milian,
Austin Pendleton
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
PRODUCER: Steven Spielberg, Debbie Allen, Colin Wilson
SCRIPT: David Franzoni
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Janusz Kaminski
EDITOR: Michael Kahn
MUSIC: John Williams
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Rick Carter
RUNNING TIME: 152 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: UIP
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: February 19, 1998
VIDEO RELEASE: April 22, 1999
VIDEO DISTRIBUTOR: CIC VIDEO
RRP: $24.95
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