`Amistad' captures history of slave revolt

`Amistad' captures history of slave revolt

Dr. S. Allen Counter

There are rare moments in the world of motion pictures when cinematic brilliance and historical reality converge to produce a profoundly moving and culturally enhancing film. This is achieved in the recently released film, "Amistad," which is based on the true story of an early 19th century uprising by captured Africans on board a Spanish slave ship. After failing to sail the ship back to Africa with the aid of only two captors kept alive, the fifty-three Africans were recaptured by the U.S. Navy in American waters and taken to prison in Connecticut. Their celebrated case was taken up by abolitionists, and their freedom and right to return to Africa were successfully defended in court by none other than former U.S. President, John Quincy Adams.

From the first moments of the opening scene, one feels the power and intensity of director Steven Spielberg's masterful craftsmanship. With the meticulousness of a neurosurgeon, he carefully exposes the sinew of the subject matter, and abrades the psychic sensibilities of the audience as he takes us into the viscera of an American past too horrific for us to imagine, and too long denied by American society. Few people in the world today could have so brilliantly handled the filmic subject matter of American slavery as Spielberg, and the producer of Amistad, Debbie Allen, who conceived and developed the project.

The careful adherence to historical fact in this film is impressive, and the casting is nothing short of brilliant. Djimon Hounsou is the reincarnation of Cinque, the valiant African who led both the slave ship insurrection that destroyed most of the crew, and later the intelligent courtroom struggle for his and fellow Africans' freedom. Anthony Hopkins, in a curmudgeon-like fashion characteristic of John Quincy Adams in his later years, gives a commanding performance. Matthew McConaughey credibly portrays the inexperienced young abolitionist, whose dedication to higher principles exceeds his abilities as a defense lawyer. The enormously talented Morgan Freeman, in a typically superb performance, lends great weight to the character of the freed slave who is confronted with the precariousness of his own status, vis-a-vis, the African in chains.

The scenes are magnificently choreographed to the script in a manner that reflects Debbie Allen's acclaimed credentials in dance and theater. For example, in a scene in which a Southern Senator is attempting to persuade the President of the United States that freeing the African captives from slavery would send the wrong message to slaveowning voters in the South, the invisible black servants project their presence through majestically delicate movements, synchronized with each harsh word while they serve food to the President and the irate Senator.

The two controversial issues raised about this film are absolutely without merit. Those who have argued publicly that Spielberg should not have directed this film are consummately wrong. It is highly improbable that any director of our time could have directed this important piece of American filmic history in a manner that both enlightens and entertains as capably as did Steven Spielberg. He deserves both credit and our gratitude for taking on and lending his name to this important film. It should be remembered, however, that this film was brought to Spielberg by producer Debbie Allen. Ms. Allen has nurtured this project for over a decade, presenting it in academic and intellectual circles as well as to movie studios. She, more than anyone, deserves special credit and the appreciation of a grateful nation for bringing this classical story of American slavery to the screen in such a poignant and compelling manner. One small detail that may go unnoticed by many, but which is representative of Ms. Allen's integrity and commitment to principle, is that throughout this entire film on racial conflicts, not a single racial epithet is used. This fact alone speaks volumes for Allen's and Spielberg's desire to produce a transcendent film with enduring qualities.

The second and most publicized controversy regarding the originality of the Amistad script and accusations of plagiarism is an unfortunate distraction from this magnificent film. Th public should be made aware of the fact that the story of the Amistad is a true story and part of American history, and in the public domain. No one can lay artistic claim to history, and there is only a finite number of combinations and permutations of this story available to any writer. A number of writers, both scholarly and artistic, have presented their versions of the Amistad story to the public. A similar controversy arose over the story "Roots," and more than a dozen opportunistic and meritless legal claims were unfairly made against author Alex Haley.

"Amistad" deals in a straightforward and honest manner with the most neglected subject of the American past, namely unrequited chattel slavery. More importantly, it informs the subject and demonstrates better than any other film on American slavery how much good can be achieved when persons of different racial and religious backgrounds work together for what is right.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of this film is that it engenders not a sense of black victory over white or vice versa, but thanks to Debbie Allen and Steven Spielberg, we leave the theater with the uplifting experience of the triumph of good over evil. This film should be seen by every person who wishes to grasp the cultural essence of America past and present.

Photo (Scene from Amistad)