Note: This article first appeared in Stud.Jur nr. 5, 2011.Exposition
The year is 1840, and we are to be found in the United States of America. The Civil War is 20 years in the future, peanut butter has not yet been invented and some forty slaves of unknown origin are fighting for their freedom in American courts.
The slaves were brought to the American coastline on the Spanish ship La Amistad. One of the them broke free from his chains and managed to liberate his compatriots. In the following mutiny, the slaves managed to take over the ship; with the loss of the cook, the captain and a few of the slaves. After having been tricked by the surviving Spaniards, they brought the ship to the coast of Long Island, where they were discovered and caught by the American cutter, USCR Washington.
The following case was complicated and comprised of no less than five different parties, which included the Kingdom of Spain, the surviving Spaniards, the captain and some of the crew Washington and the State of Connecticut (where the case was made) - in addition to the slaves themselves. In a welter of accusations and falsified evidence, and tension between anti- and pro-slavery movements, the slaves were able to win their freedom. But, alas, the President at the time, Martin Van Buren, appealed the case directly to the federal Supreme Court - in fear of the symbolic value the case had acquired.
Brief
The film is directed by Steven Spielberg - and that is easy to see! When it comes to the production itself, there is little to complain about. It is well filmed and put together nicely. The music is well chosen, and the dialogues are well written and performed by well-trained and capable actors, which includes amongst others Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey and Anthony Hopkins.
Unfortunately, there are certain elements that pull it a few notches. As in almost every Hollywoodian film "based on true events", the director takes several artistic liberties. This would normally be all-right, but when the proceedings are portrayed as one of the main causes of the American Civil War - two decades before it happened - it gets more than any reviewer with a shred of self-respect can handle. In addition to this, there is little focus on the actual legal disputes (which are quite exceptional), and the procedure itself boils down to an overly pompous game of rhetoric. For an aspiring student of law, this is gets quite difficult to swallow.
Ruling
The result is good, but could have been much better. A big plus for Anthony Hopkins' inspiring performance. Four out of six stars.
