dir Steven Spielberg - Amistad is an epic telling of a remarkable 1839 shipboard slave revolt whose subsequent legal and social ramifications helped shape and forever change the mechanics of the young American political system. The story begins at sea as a would-be slave named Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) aboard the Spanish slave ship La Amistad leads his fellow prisoners in a bloody revolt that captures the vessel in a matter of minutes, killing all but two crew members needed to navigate them back to Africa. The Spaniards take them, however, into the waters off Long Island where they are imprisoned on charges of murder and piracy. Fortunately for the Africans, the case is not nearly so simple as it seems. As a consequence of the incident's unusual particulars, a host of conflicting claims plunge the issue into heated political waters, capturing the attention of President Martin Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne Madness Of King George) whose re-election hinges on maintaining good relations with the increasingly suspicious and insecure South. On the other side of the issue is a team of tireless abolitionists, including wealthy ex-slave Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman), successful businessman Lewis Tappan (Stellan Skarsgard) and idealistic young attorney Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey). Amistad must be regarded as a monumentally impressive achievement and further proof of Spielberg's ongoing maturation as an artist. Starring Wade Major, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Nigel Hawthorne, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, David Paymer, Pete Postlethwaite and Stellan Skarsgard. AA nom: Best Supp Actor (Hopkins), Cinematography (USA 1997) 152 min. AA violence, nudity Home | March Calendar | April Calendar | Cinema Info | Advertisers