Amistad (1997)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer (WGA):

David Franzoni (written by)

Release Date:

10 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Mystery

Tagline:

A true story.

Plot:

AMISTAD is about a 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship that is traveling towards the Northeast Coast of America. Much of the story involves a court-room drama about the free-man who led the revolt.

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Slave Ship | Mutiny | Slavery | Supreme Court

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Amistad (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Amistad - Das Sklavenschiff (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Amistad (France) [fr]
Amistad (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Amistad (Slovenia) [sl]
Amistad (Finland) [fi]
Amistad (Denmark) [da]
Amistad (Greece) [el]
Amistad (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

155 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mende | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Brazil:14 | Philippines:PG-13 (cut) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #35700)

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

In Spanish, the word "Amistad" means friendship.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: There is a scene where the men are shown lying on their bunks and their heads are all moving to the rocking motion of the ship. However, there is a chain hanging nearby that is not moving at all. This is because the ship was in port when this scene was filmed and someone out of view was leading all the actors to move their heads to give the impression that the ship was sailing on the high seas.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Take Off: Making 'The Terminal' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Andante From Quartet No. 2 In B Flat Major

An amazing story of history and freedom

While theatergoers in 1997 were being amazed by special effects on another ship, this magnificent story given to us by the master director Steven Spielberg gives us the true story of our country and what it means to be American.

We are not free as long as one of us is in chains. As John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) so eloquently put it, "...what are we to do with that embarrassing, annoying document, The Declaration of Independence? What of its conceits? "All men created equal," "inalienable rights," "life, liberty," and so on and so forth?" The Civil War was, indeed, the last battle of The American Revolution.

What a cast! You can search for Fool's Gold or you can watch Matthew McConaughey in her greatest performance as the lawyer who risked it all.

Djimon Hounsou may Never Back Down this year, as he certainly didn't in this film.

Morgan Freeman certainly knows about "Freedom: A History of Us" and he helped the Africans find theirs.

One of the very best films I have ever seen.