Amistad - DTS

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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

Customer Reviews:

A movie that must be seen.......2007-09-10

I loved this movie, it is one of my very favorites. It is a very powerful story that must be told. All the acting is amazing, Mogan Freeman especially fives a stand-alone performance. One of the best films of 1997.

Great Presentation, Difficult Topic .......2007-08-20

I believe the movie is a balance between known facts about the Amistad affair and Hollywood's need to sell movies (I.e. A Beautiful Mind, The Hurricane, etc). There are many well done aspects of this film that I believe warrant its viewing and of course any well done docu-DRAMA should arouse the viewer's interest for further research. Speilburg is to be applauded for taking the very difficult subject, Slave Trade in the Americas ......and presenting known facts about this particular incident to varied audiences around the globe....no matter how uncomfortable for the audiences. Isn't that what well done films are supposed to do??

politically correct twaddle.......2007-07-01

In an age in which "truth"is sidetracked by the thought police,and political correctness substitutes for history,a film like "AMISTAD"could not help being forced upon the public..Such films almost always distort history more than they tell it..Sure,the slavetrade was a bad thing...who can argue with that?But the slavetrade was not confined to the united states,and europeans did not originate it...Indeed,most of the black slaves were sold to the europeans by other,rival blacks..You don't believe me?Read a book sometime...start with the encyclopedia...But,of course,in our alledgedly enlightened times any black-on-black elements of the slavetrade are either downplayed or ignored in order to point the finger at the big bad white man..It is get whitey that motivates film-makers,not accurate history...Slavery is STILL a problem,both in africa and the middle-east,but do you see any films about it being made by the Speilbergs of this world,or starring the likes of Sir Anthony Hopkins?Not on your life!Instead we get repetitive jolts of fake history like this,where the poor black man is a victim of the bad white men,and the few elements that would redeem the white man's honor,like the abolitionists that figured in the real life story that this pathetic film is patterned after come off looking coldly self-righteous...
Wake me up when some BALANCED historical drama about the slavetrade is available,because twaddle like this puts me to sleep

Powerful Drama.......2007-05-12

Yet another winning performance by Morgan Freeman. Realistic in everyway, great for all who love a good drama, filled with emotion.

Invoke your ancesters when in trouble.......2007-04-11

I could not watch it over and over the intelligence and the loyalty as well as the discipline is to be admired. I am told it is not a true story though. I do believe that we need to learn a lot from the way they were dressed going back home. Africans of the past were very modest people they did not show their skin in public. The story needs to be redone with better and truer facts. Africans were the founders of civilizations dress is important to civil behavior.

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