Film review by Kam Williams
Life of Leading Brit Abolitionist Recalled by Brilliant
Bio-Pic
William Wilberforce (1759-1833) was born into a well-to-do
family of
British merchants. 
He attended Cambridge University which is
where he
forged an enduring friendship with William Pitt the Younger (Benedict
Cumberbatch), a classmate who would become England's youngest Prime
Minister a few years after graduation.
Rather than follow in his father's footsteps, Wilberforce
also opted
to enter politics, and was first elected to Parliament at the age of
21, representing Yorkshire. Inspired to serve more by humanitarian
interests than by blind ambition, the young philanthropist soon became
a leading advocate of social reform.
But he really found his true calling after becoming an
Evangelical
Christian when he came under the influence of abolitionists like Thomas
Clarkson (Rufus Sewell) and John Newton (Albert 
Finney), the
remorseful, former slave ship captain who had written the hymn Amazing
Grace following a dramatic religious conversion. Wilberforce
experienced a similar transformational spiritual encounter which
prompted him to lobby tirelessly against slavery for the next 20 years.
And it is this uphill battle which is vividly recounted
in Amazing
Grace, a compelling bio-pic from veteran director Michael Apted, who is
probably best known for the 7 UP series of documentaries. Here, Apted
ever so convincingly conveys the notion that an impassioned idealist is
just as capable of shaping history as the monarchs and military heroes
who are typically the subject of this sort of costume drama...
| Genres: |
Art/Foreign,
Drama, Thriller and Politics/Religion |
|
| Running
Time: |
1 hr. 51 min. |
|
| Release
Date: |
February
23rd, 2007 (limited) |
|
| MPAA
Rating: |
PG for
thematic material involving slavery, and some mild language. |
|
| Distributors: |
Samuel Goldwyn Films,
Roadside Attractions
|
William Wilberforce led efforts as
a member of Parliament in
18th-century England to end
slavery and the slave trade in the British
empire. Wilberforce was elected to the House of Commons at 21 and took
on the issue of slavery, successfully assembling a diverse coalition
that went up against the most
powerful men of the time.
Though it's not as inspiring as its makers
might have wished, it's a
solid, respectful treatment of a significant episode in the anti-slavery
movement. - Frank Swietek
Amazing Grace marks an unforgettable and regrettable
time in
world history while highlighting a few who valiantly set out to right
the wrongs. -
Diana Saenger
Like Steven Spielberg's glossy Amistad before
it, Amazing Grace shies away from the texture and complexity of
color, scurrying instead for the safer platitudes of black and white --
good and evil. - Bruce Newman
History purists will find the details enchanting, period
drama fanatics will adore the arm's-length posture
of the piece, and the true-life tale is one worth
being told. - Brian Orndorf
