amistad character analysis

Two Naval officers, Thomas R. Gedney, and Richard W. Meade, claim them as salvage while the two Spanish navigators, Pedro Montez and Jose Ruiz, produce proof of purchase. United States Attorney Holabird attacks Cinqué's "tale" of being captured and kept in the slave fortress, and especially questions the throwing of precious cargo overboard. They don't speak a word of English, and it seems like they are doomed to die for killing their captors when an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. But he (Spielberg) wanted to make a point and I understood that. The Lomboko slave fortress is liberated by the Royal Marines under the command of Captain Fitzgerald. The genre is that of a courtro… In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. Parents Guide. The captive called Cinque emerges as a powerful individual, a once-free farmer who has lost his wife and family. [...] What is most valuable about "Amistad" is the way it provides faces and names for its African characters, whom the movies so often make into faceless victims. The story of Cinque certainly deserves more attention in textbooks, but it is not an ideal story to make into a film; Nat Turner would have been a better choice for Spielberg. [1] The lyrics from "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" are from a 1967 poem by French-speaking Ivorian poet Bernard Binlin Dadié. Baldwin shows from the Tecora’s inventory that the number of African people taken as slaves was reduced by fifty. After all the slaves are removed from the fortress, Fitzgerald orders the ship's cannon to destroy it. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free. One of the astonishing facts revealed in Steven Spielberg's “Amistad” is that seven of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices in 1839 were slave-owning Southerners. And eventually, on appeal, former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) argues eloquently for the freedom of the men. Instead, they are misdirected and when they reach the United States, they are imprisoned as runaway slaves. Baldwin proves through documents found hidden aboard La Amistad that the African people were initially cargo belonging to a Portuguese slave ship, the Tecora. Slavery could, I suppose, be seen largely as a matter of laws and property--at least to those benefitting from it. Amistad is a 1997 American historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story of the events in 1839 aboard the slave ship La Amistad, during which Mende tribesmen abducted for the slave trade managed to gain control of their captors' ship off the coast of Cuba, and the international legal battle that followed their capture by the Washington, a U.S. revenue cutter. I had a moment of err, during the killings. In an unfamiliar country and not speaking a single word of English, the Africans find themselves in a legal battle. [12], Amistad was nominated for Academy Awards in four categories: Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Original Dramatic Score (John Williams), Best Cinematography (Janusz Kamiński), and Best Costume Design (Ruth E. Some of the other performances are disappointing. A scene where Cinque sees African violets in John Quincy Adams' greenhouse and is seized with homesickness. Cinque tells his story at trial: Cinque was kidnapped by slave traders outside his village, and held in the slave fortress of Lomboko, where thousands of captives were held under heavy guard. They continue to sail, hoping to find help when they land. Their case is taken to every level of the American judiciary and finally to the U.S. Supreme Court. And Cinque's memory of his wife left in Africa. The case was ultimately resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841. | [...] "Schindler's List" works better as narrative because it is about a risky deception, while "Amistad" is about the search for a truth that, if found, will be small consolation to the millions of existing slaves. Matthew McConaughey's character is necessarily unfocused as the defense attorney; he proceeds from moral blindness to a light that surprises no one, and while we are happy for him we are not, under the circumstances, much moved. Sept. 11, 2020. Entirely apart from the moral issues involved, “Schindler's List” works better as narrative because it is about a risky deception, while “Amistad” is about the search for a truth that, if found, will be small consolation to the millions of existing slaves. However, the Royal Navy's fervent abolitionist Captain Fitzgerald of the West Africa Squadron backs up Cinqué's account. Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. But in the Tecora’s case, they had underestimated the amount of provisions necessary for their journey. 5 on December 10, 1997. It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been sold into slavery in Cuba, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. I really did. Amistad is the name of a slave ship travelling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. Baldwin argues that the Africans had been captured in British Sierra Leone to be sold in the Americas illegally. La Amistad is a slave ship transporting captured Africans from Spanish Cuba to the United States in 1839. This legal distinction is not made as clear as it could have been; the international slave trade had been outlawed by treaties by 1839, the year of the landmark Amistad incident, but those who were already slaves remained the property of their masters--as did their children. I thought that was a little over-wrought. What is most valuable about “Amistad” is the way it provides faces and names for its African characters, whom the movies so often make into faceless victims. They include a horrifying scene where, with food running low on the ship, the weaker captives are chained together and thrown over the side to drown so that more food will be left for the rest. Luckily, it is a Northern court, or they would have little chance at all. Secretary of State John Forsyth, on behalf of President Martin Van Buren (who is campaigning for re-election), represents the claim of the Spanish government[a] that the Africans are property of Spain based on a treaty. Those captives that were not sold at auction were handed over to La Amistad. As a result, the movie doesn't have the emotional charge of Spielberg's earlier film — or of "The Color Purple," which moved me to tears. "[11], The film earned $44,229,441 at the box office in the United States, debuting at No. Despite refusing to help when the case was initially presented, Adams agrees to assist with the case. Bonded and Unbound: Sean Connery, 1930-2020, Disney+'s The Mandalorian Makes a Valiant Return in Season Two Opener, Amazon's Truth Seekers is Missing Jokes and Scares. “Give us free!” Cinque cries in a powerful moment in the courtroom, indicating how irrelevant a “not guilty” verdict would be to the real facts of his case. 1997 film Amistad was birthed during a historical biopic craze of the 1990s. Djimon Hounsou's performance depends largely on his screen presence, which is formidable. That John Quincy Adams wins his big case is a great achievement for him and a great relief for Cinque and his fellow captives, but in the sad annals of American slavery, it is a rather hollow triumph. Appeal, former President John Quincy Adams ' greenhouse and is successful amistad character analysis,. Wife left in Africa American judiciary and finally to the Tecora, where are... Roger Ebert was the year when a terrible rebellion took place on the. 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