Classics Illustrated was one of the longest running comic book titles in history, lasting thirty years and encompassing titles such as Moby Dick , Les Miserables , Robinson Crusoe , and many others. Of course, it never served as a replacement for the original works of literature. At best, it served enthralling visualizations of the most visually compelling scenes from great novels. However, it could only hint at the complexities. That's how I also feel about Amistad .
Every scene is hyped for maximum value.
Similarly, Spielberg can't resist giving us faces framed in neon blue shafts of light and spirals of rain drops. Like a kid who grew up learning about culture by reading comic books, he prefers the easy and melodramatic over the complex and the ambiguous. With Schindler's List , however, he gave us compelling personal dramas being played out against the big issues, with Ralph Finnes as the self-loathing German prison camp commandant and Liam Neeson as the industrialist who makes absolution for exploiting his Jewish workers. But Amistad lacks the compelling smaller scale drama. Only Djimon Hounsu as an African captive of the slave ship Amistad emerges with a full-blooded character.