A True Expression of Pre-Civil War America

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2016)

Spielberg expressed the 1839 Amistad story through a compelling courtroom drama. This movie exposes the absolute brutality and violence during this disturbing era. This movie changes people's perceptions of slavery and the early American slave trade. The story revolves around the journey of Cinque, the leader of the rebellion. Spielberg's use of flashbacks shows the endless struggle and the overall value of human life. Looking back, we see Cinque with his wife and family in their small African village living a peaceful and simple life, until he is ambushed and captured and sent across the world into a life of pain and misery. After, we witness the excruciating travels upon La Amistad. This scene, especially, portrayed the absolutely horrendous and deplorable conditions the slaves lived in on the ship; Illness, starvation, abuse, and suicide. The Amistad explores the will and cry for freedom, as it portrays the disturbance in American history. I believe Spielberg successfully expressed the rebellion, and Pre-Civil War America. If you can look past the graphic scenes and the disturbing violence portrayed in this film, you will enjoy it.