WhatzUp - Leisure Time Weekly for Northeast Indiana

Amazing Grace
by Catherine Lee

Watching men argue with each other in the House of Commons, even men in big wigs and the elaborate attire of the late 18th century, isn’t activity that is highly cinematic. And if seeing the story of the abolition of slavery in Britain doesn’t spark even a twinge of interest, Amazing Grace would be easy to skip. But don’t.

Michael Apted has directed a very moving film that celebrates the remarkable victory of a few very persistent men that changed people’s minds and used the system to stop the immoral and cruel slave trade in Britain and her colonies. Amazing Grace, which includes several recitals of that very beautiful hymn written as an anti-slavery anthem, should be seen, in part because its inspirational story should be known but also because the film is quite well made and makes difficult material entertaining to watch.

This remarkable story of William Wilberforce, the leader of the British abolitionists, was released to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the date Parliament voted to ban the transport of slaves on British ships. In Amazing Grace Wilberforce is well played by Ioan Gruffudd as a smart, stubborn, well liked, good-looking fellow who early in life undergoes a spiritual conversion and cannot make up his mind between choosing a life serving God or participating in politics.

His college friend, soon to be Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, demonstrates that Wilber, as he is called by all, can serve God while working in politics. In life Wilberforce and Pitt were lifelong friends, and in the film that friendship survives many disagreements. An actor with the outrageous handle of Benedict Cumberbatch plays William Pitt. I’ve never seen this gentleman before, but he is fantastic as Pitt. He must play many ages in Amazing Grace, and he displays the differences between an idealistic young man and a pragmatic, privileged Prime Minister with complete and believable assurance. The scenes between these friends are the best in the film.

But many more familiar British names and faces make up supporting cast. Albert Finney is John Newton, the former slave-ship captain turned preacher who taught Wilberforce and composed "Amazing Grace." Rufus Sewell is Thomas Clarkson, a long-haired revolutionary. Michael Gambon is Lord Charles Fox, an early opponent and later champion of the cause. Youssou N’Dour plays Aloudaqh Equiano, a former slave who champions the cause of anti-slavery and helps open Wilberforce’s eyes to the appalling humanity of the passage from Africa to the New World. Ciaran Hinds plays Lord Tarleton, and Toby Jones is the Duke of Clarence, a son of George III, two persistent opponents. Stephen Campbell Moore is James Stephen, the gentleman who devises the clever idea for a bit of legislation that severely weakens the slave trade. Romola Garai, a memorable lovely from I Capture the Castle, plays Barbara Spooner, the woman who marries Wilberforce.

All the characters are well served by screenwriter Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) who mixes conversational dialogue and inspirational speechifying well and stays very true to the story. Amazing Grace begins midway through the struggle. The intention is to show Wilberforce physically and spiritually exhausted by his work, feeling very defeated; the film then jumps back to his early efforts and moves through to victory. It is a good impulse, but some of the back and forth feels a bit overly busy.

Director Apted, probably still best known in this country as the director of Coal Miner’s Daughter, has also taken a run at the Bond franchise with The World is Not Enough. He’s also the director of the remarkable documentary series that traces the lives of seven English kids, which began in 1964 and has checked in with those willing to be interviewed every seven years. The most recent installment, “49 Up,” was produced in 2005. He’s done other documentaries and feature films based on true stories and makes the characters in Amazing Grace seem very different from us but very believable as people with flaws and dedication to their cause. His documentary instincts are well employed, but Amazing Grace is pure entertainment.

As entertainment, Amazing Grace is easy to criticize. It is an earnest and sincere attempt to tell the story of a true crusader, and – especially at the movies – we are a cynical society that tends not to trust such endeavors or believe anymore that individuals can have such a profound influence. The filmmakers ignore current tastes and deliver an old-fashioned inspirational film of good men doing good work.

Amazing Grace is a very good-looking movie. The elegance of the privileged is nicely balanced with some country settings and the ugliness of port life for the slave ships. Garai glows in many scenes in dresses that perfectly set off her hair and skin.

Too much beauty and not enough ugliness play into a cyncial view of this story. With a PG rating there is little actual brutality portrayed. For someone as squeamish as myself and for younger audiences, this is a blessing. Amazing Grace does show the conditions in a slave ship and various hideous restraints used to transport slaves. The descriptions of the lives of slaves are ghastly, and they're repeated at key moments throughout the film.

The politics of the time are nicely integrated in to the story. Wilberforce is criticized by his opponents as an appeaser to the revolutionaries in the United States. He wants his country to end its involvement in the colonies before “10,000 more young men lose their lives.”

I can’t be too cynical about the triumph of Wilberforce and his friends. Of course, our friends the Brits faced many colonial bad habits after the abolition of slavery. But in our country we faced nearly 60 more years of the completely immoral practice of slavery and the deaths of how many more African men, women and children. And then the deaths of 1 million young men in the Civil War and catastrophic lingering effects and wounds that are still not healed. Amazing Grace is a potent reminder that dedicated effort to make the world a better place sometimes succeeds.

Catherine Lee is the executive director of Fort Wayne Cinema Center, the only independently operated movie theater in Fort Wayne, specializing in independent, foreign, documentary, specialty and classic films.