Amazing Grace

At the time of its release, Amazing Grace gained notice as the feelgood sleeper-hit of the year. It's one of those good-vibes dramas that grew in popularity as buzz got generated mostly by word of mouth, and it's also an altogether slick historical production that feels relevant and is accessible to modern audiences.

Amazing Grace is the story of William Wilberforce, a 17th century English politician who relentlessly campaigned for the abolition of slavery within the British Empire. The structure of the film flits between the two stages of his life spent fighting against this injustice. At first it jars a little but eventually it makes dramatic sense, and Ioan Gruffudd (as consistent and underrated as ever) gives the film an appropriate sense of scale without going over the top. The film itself also manages to treat the subject with a dignity that many American films fail to grasp, opting to focus on the details and characters rather than sensationalising the plight of African slaves or presenting the issues of the day anarchronistically, and - most importantly - avoiding the boredom factor (something Steven Spielberg's Amistad failed to do).

An array of familiar British character actors (Michael Gambon, Rufus Sewell) add a suitable amount of colour to the proceedings, and Albert Finney puts in a moving extended cameo (give the man a bloody Oscar already!) as the repentent slave trader John Newton (writer of the song, 'Amazing Grace'). I really enjoyed this film, and I was terribly relieved that it didn't all go massively Hollywood or send me to sleep. To paraphrase one of the film's characters, it's a nice slice of history that reminds us that not all great people are warriors or men of war, and as a tribute to William Wilberforce and his tireless campaigning for human rights the film is a huge success.

DIRECTOR: Michael Apted
WRITER/SOURCE: Steven Knight, based on the life and times of William Wilberforce.
KEY ACTORS: Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Rufus Sewell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Swift, Youssou N'Dour

RELATED TEXTS:
- A film about Newton (the historical figure played as an old man by Albert Finney in Amazing Grace) was also produced and released in 2006, called The Amazing Grace.
- Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger (played in this film by Benedict Cumberbatch) also features in the film The Young Mr. Pitt and The Madness of King George.
- Steven Spielberg depicted the beginnings of the American abolitionist movement in the prestigious and rather sleepy film Amistad.