Amistad
Amistad DVD Cover
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Debbie Allen Steven Spielberg Colin Wilson
Written by	David Franzoni
Starring	Morgan Freeman Anthony Hopkins Matthew McConaughey Stellan Skarsgard Djimon Hounsou Justice Harry Blackmun
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Janusz Kaminski
Editing by	Michael Kahn
Distributed by	DreamWorks Distribution
Release date	December 10, 1997
Running time	152 minutes
Language	English Mende Spanish
Budget	$40 million USD
IMDb profile

Amistad (Spanish for "friendship") is a 1997 Steven Spielberg film based on a slave mutiny that took place aboard a ship of the same name in 1839, and the legal activity that followed. Image File history File links AmistadDVDCover. ... Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (born December 18, 1946) is an American film director. ... Debbie Allen (born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress, choreographer, film director, television producer and a member of the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities. ... Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (born December 18, 1946) is an American film director. ... Colin Henry Wilson (born June 26, 1931) is a prolific British writer. ... David Franzoni is a screenwriter. ... Freeman in Batman Begins, 2005 Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and film director. ... Sir Anthony Hopkins Sir Anthony Hopkins (IPA: ) KBE (born December 31, 1937) is an Oscar-winning Welsh-born actor. ... Matthew McConaugheys mugshot Matthew David McConaughey (born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. ... Stellan Skarsgård (born June 13, 1951, Gothenburg, Sweden) is a Swedish actor and father of Alexander Skarsgård and Gustaf Skarsgård. ... Djimon Gaston Hounsou (born on April 24, 1960) is an African actor, dancer and fashion model who was born in Cotonou, Benin. ... Justice Harry Blackmun Harry Andrew Blackmun (November 12, 1908 – March 4, 1999) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 to 1994. ... John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is one of the most widely recognized composers of film scores. ... Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (born June 27, 1959) is an Oscar winning cinematographer and film director who has photographed all of Steven Spielbergs movies since 1993s Schindlers List. ... Michael Kahn (born in New York, December 8, 1935) is a widely recognized film editor, whether from his work on Hogans Heroes or feature films directed by Steven Spielberg, having won the Academy Award for Film Editing in 1998 (Saving Private Ryan), 1993 (Schindlers List) and 1981 (Raiders... DreamWorks, L.L.C., doing business as DreamWorks SKG, is a Big Ten studio based in the United States which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games, and television programming. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Mende language is a major language of Sierra Leone, with some speakers in neighboring Liberia. ... This article is about general United States currency. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1997. ... Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (born December 18, 1946) is an American film director. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... La Amistad (Spanish: Friendship) was a 19th century Spanish two-masted schooner of about 120 tons. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... (Spanish: friendship) was a Spanish merchant ship on which a rebellion by the African slaves it was carrying broke out in 1839 when the schooner was traveling along the coast of Cuba. ...

Plot

This movie begins with Joseph Cinqué (whose true name was Sengbe Pieh), an African on the slave trader ship La Amistad, leading a revolt that frees the other Africans and kills most of the crew. They force the ship's captain to steer back to Africa, but the captain tricks them and heads to the United States where the Africans are captured and jailed. Joseph Cinqué. Portrait by Nathaniel Jocelyn, 1839 Sengbe Pieh (1815 – ca. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ...

Word gets out immediately to U.S. President Martin Van Buren, Queen Isabella II of Spain, and a group of abolitionists. The group of Africans are charged with mutiny and murder. There are also property claims by the Queen Isabella II of Spain, the captain of the ship, the people who captured the Africans, and others. A young lawyer, Baldwin, is brought on the case by the abolitionists. This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the eighth President of the United States. ... Look up queen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Isabella II (October 10, 1830 – April 10, 1904), Isabel II in Spanish, was queen of Spain. ... This article is about the abolition of slavery. ... Roger Sherman Baldwin (January 4, 1793–February 19, 1863) was an American lawyer involved in the Amistad case, who later became governor of Connecticut. ...

Baldwin finds a translator and talks to Cinqué, who has become the leader of the group of Africans. In flashbacks, Cinqué tells about his life. He was captured in Africa and brought to the Caribbean Islands by an infamous Middle Passage slave vessel named the Tecora. Cinqué tells of the various horrors of the Middle Passage, such as when fifty people were drowned to save rations. Cinqué was finally taken to the Caribbean Islands, where he was illegally sold to the owners of La Amistad. Central America and the Caribbean (detailed pdf map) The Caribbean (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe; Dutch: Caraïben; Portuguese: Caribe or Caraíbas) is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. ... The Middle Passage was the leg of the Atlantic slave trade that transported slaves from Africa to slave markets in North America, South America and the Caribbean (The Americas). ... The Tecora was an infamous Portuguese slave ship of the early 1800s. ...

In the district court, Baldwin brings as evidence a book he found on the ship. It conclusively proves that the Africans did indeed come from Africa. U.S. law at the time outlawed anyone who wasn't the child of a slave from being enslaved, therefore outlawing the slave trade. This meant that those held aboard La Amistad were being traded illegally, and were officially abducted citizens of West Africa. President Van Buren, under pressure from the South, then replaces the judge with a younger judge who Van Buren can influence. However, the new judge also rules in favor of the Africans.

The prosecution then appeals the case to the Supreme Court, where seven of the nine justices are slave owners. Baldwin finally convinces former president John Quincy Adams to help him on the case. After some communication with Cinqué, Baldwin and Adams are ready to present the case (Baldwin making the case to the Supreme Court isn't shown). John Quincy Adams then gives a speech on slavery and the case in general. The Supreme Court then (March 9, 1841) rules in favor of the Amistad Africans, in an opinion by Justice Joseph Story. Story was played in the movie by an actual retired Supreme Court justice, Harry Blackmun. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the judicial branch of the United States federal government. ... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American lawyer, diplomat, politician, and President of the United States (March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829). ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... American jurist Joseph Story Joseph Story (September 18, 1779 - September 10, 1845), American jurist, was born at Marblehead, Massachusetts. ... Justice Harry Blackmun Harry Andrew Blackmun (November 12, 1908 – March 4, 1999) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 to 1994. ...

The end of the movie notes that Cinqué returned to Africa, the slave fortress he went through was destroyed by the Royal Navy, and the Civil War was fought over many issues, slavery among them. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederate) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties Killed in action: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 Killed in action: 93,000 Total dead: 258...

Awards

• Academy of Motion Pictures, AMPAS (1998) Nominations: Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Anthony Hopkins; Best Cinematography, Janusz Kaminski; Best Costume Design, Ruth Carter; and Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, John Williams.

Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States and most watched awards ceremony in the world. ...

Quotes

• Cinque (through his interpreter): I am resolved it is better to die than be a white man's slave.

• Cinqué: Give us......Free.

• John Quincy Adams: Do you understand what the Supreme Court is?
• Joseph Cinqué (through his interpreter): The place where they finally kill us.

[His advice on trying cases]

• John Quincy Adams: Whoever tells the best story wins.

• John Quincy Adams: He is a black man, you can see that, but if he were white, we wouldn't be here today. He would be someone to tell our children about in school, like Patrick Henry and other such heroes.

• Secretary of State Forsyth: The only thing John Quincy Adams will be remembered for is his middle name.

[After the Supreme Court trial]

• Joseph Cinqué (through his interpreter):What words did you say to them?
• John Quincy Adams:Your's.

Taglines

• Freedom is not given. It is our right at birth. But there are some moments when it must be taken.

Trivia

• The writer Barbara Chase-Riboud tried unsuccessfully to sue the producers, in order to prevent the release of this film. She claimed that the screenplay copied portions of her novel Echo of Lions ^[1].
• Djimon Hounsou learned a certain amount of Mende, the language of Sierra Leone, for his role as Cinque. He only speaks five words of English in the entire film.
• The Slave Fortress destroyed at the end of the movie is actually El Morro, an old colonial fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• A song "No Shelter" by Rage Against the Machine references the film:

Spielberg the nightmare works so push it far

Amistad was a whip, the truth was feathered and tarred

Memory erased, burned and scarred

Trade in ya history for a VCR

• This was the second film in which Anthony Hopkins received an Academy Award nomination for playing a United States President. He was also nominated for playing Richard Nixon in Nixon (1995).

Aerial view of El Morro. ... San Juan from outer space, July 1997 Flag Seal Nickname: The Walled City Location Location within the island of Puerto Rico Government Country Puerto Rico Mayor Jorge A. Santini Padilla (PNP) Geographical characteristics Area     City 199. ... Rage Against the Machine, also known as Rage or RATM, was an American rock band noted both for their diligent political conscience and for their pioneering blend of hard rock and rap which over time would come to be known variously as Rock, Rap Rock, Hard Rock, Funk Metal and... Sir Anthony Hopkins Sir Anthony Hopkins (IPA: ) KBE (born December 31, 1937) is an Oscar-winning Welsh-born actor. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... Nixon is an Oliver Stone film that tells the story of the political and personal life of former President Richard Nixon. ...

See also

• Supreme Court of the United States in fiction

Like many institutions that draw public interest, the Supreme Court of the United States has frequently been depicted in fiction, frequently in the form of legal drama. ...

References

1. ^ Legal resources on the Amistad film and lawsuit by Michael Peil

External links

• Amistad at the Internet Movie Database
• Rogert Ebert Film Review
• Review Sally Haden (Educational POV)