Amazing Grace (2006)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Michael Apted

Writer (WGA):

Steven Knight (written by)

Release Date:

23 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

Behind the song you love is a story you will never forget.

Plot:

The idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.

Plot Keywords:

Slave | William Wilberforce | Slave Ship | Social Justice | Love

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ioan Gruffudd	...	William Wilberforce
Romola Garai	...	Barbara Spooner
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	William Pitt
Albert Finney	...	John Newton
Michael Gambon	...	Lord Charles Fox
Rufus Sewell	...	Thomas Clarkson
Youssou N'Dour	...	Olaudah Equiano
Ciarán Hinds	...	Lord Tarleton
Toby Jones	...	Duke of Clarence
Nicholas Farrell	...	Henry Thornton
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Marianne Thornton
Jeremy Swift	...	Richard the Butler
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	James Stephen
Bill Paterson	...	Lord Dundas
Nicholas Day	...	Sir William Dolben

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic material involving slavery, and some mild language.

Runtime:

117 min | USA:111 min | Canada:111 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG | Ireland:PG | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:I | Australia:PG | South Korea:All | Netherlands:6 | South Africa:PG | Finland:K-7 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Ashridge Park, Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

FourBoys Films

Trivia:

A special screening of the film was shown in Buncrana, Co. Donegal in Ireland. This was in celebration of John Newton's link with the county, when in 1748 his slave ship, the Greyhound, came ashore after surviving a terrible storm. This event began the spiritual journey for Newton, which culminated in his authorship of the song, Amazing Grace.

Goofs:

Continuity: William Pitt's deathbed scene: when Pitt says "I'm scared", a blob of pale yellow discharge can be seen beneath his left eye. The shot then cuts to Wilberforce, but as soon as it cuts back to Pitt (after about a second) we can see that the blob has vanished.

Quotes:

Pitt the Younger: It's your wedding day - I agree with everything you say.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Amazing Grace

Moving period drama

I was well impressed with Amazing Grace; the period was superbly captured, and the interplay of the main action (the fight of William Wilberforce to abolish British slavery) with the other great events of his time (the American and French revolutions) was well presented. The film stirs the emotions but informs the mind. Ioan Gruffudd as Wilberforce is believable and depicts the tenacious Yorkshire MP with both his bodily weakness and great spirit well. Albert Finney as John Newton renders a moving portrayal of the ex-slave trader turned evangelical minister who influences Wilberforce's decision to remain in politics rather than entering the ministry of the church. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a strong representation of William Pitt, and the overall impression of the film is one whose history has been well researched. Well worth a viewing.