Amistad (1997)

In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer:

David Franzoni

Stars:

Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Morgan Freeman	...	Theodore Joadson
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Martin Van Buren
Anthony Hopkins	...	John Quincy Adams
Djimon Hounsou	...	Cinque
Matthew McConaughey	...	Roger Sherman Baldwin
David Paymer	...	Secretary John Forsyth
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Holabird
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Tappan
Razaaq Adoti	...	Yamba
Abu Bakaar Fofanah	...	Fala
Anna Paquin	...	Queen Isabella
Tomas Milian	...	Calderon
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Ensign Covey
Derrick N. Ashong	...	Buakei
Geno Silva	...	Ruiz

Storyline

Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been sold into slavery in Cuba, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. As the ship is crossing from Cuba to the U.S., Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship. They continue to sail, hoping to find their way back to Africa. Instead, they are misdirected and when they reach the United States, they are imprisoned as runaway slaves. They don't speak a word of English, and it seems like they are doomed to die for killing their captors when an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. The case finally gets to the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | slave ship | escape from slavery | la amistad | amistad | 

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Taglines:

A true story.

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some scenes of strong brutal violence and some related nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mende Spanish Portuguese

Release Date:

25 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amistad - Das Sklavenschiff

Filming Locations:

Marble House - 596 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,661,866, 14 December 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$44,175,394, 5 April 1998

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,200,000, 15 March 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Producer and Director Steven Spielberg, some U.S. actors were furious with him for casting a Welsh actor as The President, as they felt the role should have gone to an American performer. Spielberg did the same thing again, by casting Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012). By that time, casting Britons as American Presidents had almost become commonplace (for example, Sir Anthony Hopkins in Nixon (1995), Michael Gambon in Path to War (2002), Alan Rickman in The Butler (2013), and Tom Wilkinson in Selma (2014)).

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Goofs

No presidential candidate campaigned in person until very late in the 19th Century.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ruiz: [to Pedro Montes] That one wants us to sail them back. That one thinks he can sail all the way back without us.

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Crazy Credits

The events depicted did not historically occur at Fort El Morro

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Alternate Versions

The board of film censors of Jamaica have excised the opening scenes, depicting a violent slave uprising on a ship, from all copies of the film released in Jamaican theatres.

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Connections

Referenced in Making 'Saving Private Ryan' (2004)

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Soundtracks

Amazing Grace
Written by John Newton

User Reviews

Another fantastic film from Spielberg.

Amistad is one of them films that when the credits roll you just sit there and think what a wonderfull film that was ,what a well directed and well acted movie i have just seen. The acting is some of the best i have ever seen. the performances from Mathew McConaughue,Pete Postlethwaite and Morgan Freeman are Brilliant but check out the acting from Anthony Hopkins and Djimon Hounson,they are superb. The story is gripping and moving at the same time. The scenes on the Amistad ship are quite distressing and really show you how repulsive the slave trade was but this just adds to the realism and wonder of this fantastic film. A masterpeice. 9 out of 10.