Amistad (DVD)

West Africa 1839. Still some slave hunters catch Africans of different tribes in order to sell them as slaves. This time they are to be sold by Spanish dealers on Cuba. But with the passage over the Atlantic the awful treated Africans can free themselves and murder their tormentors with the exception of two sailors who shall bring them back to West Africa. But the ship lands at the American Coast in New England. The Africans are chained up and accused of being murders. Further, the present legal situation forbids enslaving, however possession and trade with slaves is permitted. Thus, the representatives of the Spanish slave traders have every reason to hide the true ...

The movie is based on a historical 1839 legal battle which took place in the United States, after a group of slaves took control of a small ship, "La Amistad", and ended up on the shores of the New World, instead of their homes in Africa. The movie portrays this as having much to do with the duplicity of the Spanish navigator, whom the Africans take prisoner and unwisely decide to trust. Once in American custody, a number of claims are made as to ownership, since slaves were of course regarded as property. Among those claiming ownership are the two surviving Spaniards from "La Amistad", Queen Isabella II of Spain, and two United States army ...

Once again Speilberg shows that he knows how to push the buttons -- right from the opening scene, where the action is illuminated by lightning flashes at unrealistically short intervals. Go for the reptile brain with those flashing lights, Steve. Where this movie finally lost it for me, though, was in the courtroom. Why would Spielberg hire one of the world's great actors (Anthony Hopkins) to play one of America's great orators, have him deliver a wonderful speech, and then paste a syrupy musical soundtrack over the whole thing? This seems to me typical of the director's work -- his estimation of us is that we lack the intelligence or emotional depth to frame ...