 April
2007
This month's reviews/features:
Amazing Grace
The Amazing Mr. Wilberforce
There’s a picture out now that we should all see. It’s titled
Amazing Grace, but it might be equally well titled
Amazing Wilberforce. Many were involved in the abolition of slavery
in Britain in the early 1800s, but William Wilberforce, more than
anyone, led the charge. As the movie shows, he was truly an amazing
individual, and it seems clear that the abolition of slavery in the
British Empire laid some of the moral groundwork for its abolition
in America.
Many of us know the story of John Newton, who as a child
memorized Bible verses and hymns at his mother’s knee. As a young
man falling deeper and deeper into sin, however, he joined the
British navy, deserted, was captured and flogged, and became a
captain of ships, some of which carried slaves from Africa. On the
night of March 9, 1748, a fierce storm threatened to doom his ship.
On the next day, Newton turned to the Lord, later saying, “The Lord
came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.” Newton
eventually became a great evangelist, preacher, and foe of slavery.
He wrote hundreds of hymns, including the one so familiar to us
today.
Among other things, Newton was the friend and mentor of
Wilberforce. The film opens at the close of the 18th century, when
Wilberforce is agonizing as to whether he should lead a private life
of spiritual contemplation or a public one as a member of
Parliament. He meets a number of anti-slavery activists who tell
Wilberforce he can do both. Finally recognizing that God honors
public efforts on His behalf, Wilberforce throws himself totally
into the cause of abolition. He is aided by his friend William Pitt,
who becomes prime minister at age 24; by Lord Charles Fox, an
elderly MP who switches sides and supports Wilberforce; and by other
reformers. The picture then shows in agonizing detail the
excruciatingly difficult, seemingly hopeless task of persuading
Parliament to end slavery. Wilberforce and his supporters fail again
and again, and Wilberforce himself suffers illness and great
discouragement. In the end, though, he prevails.
The film is acted mostly by relatively unknown actors who give
excellent performances: Ioan Gruffudd plays Wilberforce and Romola
Garai the role of Barbara Spooner, the woman Wilberforce eventually
marries. The only well-known actors are Michael Gambon, who
masterfully plays the role of Lord Charles Fox; and Albert Finney,
who is a standout as Newton. In one of the movie’s most touching
scenes, the now-blind Newton tells Wilberforce he not only can
succeed in his quest, but he must. Newton’s statements ironically
recall the lines of the song: “I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.”
I have only one quibble: one would expect somewhat more focus on
Newton. A short dramatization of the storm scene would have
sufficed, or even a retelling of it. Nonetheless, Amazing
Grace is powerful and very much worth seeing. Above all, it
shows that we must persevere in our work for the Lord, no matter how
daunting or hopeless the quest may seem.
Film Rating: PG-13
Rating: 3 ¼
stars
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Index of movie
reviews...
(2003 reviews through present)
Jay Maurer, a member of West Side Presbyterian Church, is
a long-term movie buff and former college teacher of The Film as
Literature. He has written movie reviews for The Good News
(West Side newsletter) since 2002.
If you have comments or questions
about the movie (or play) reviews, please contact Jay at
dramachap@msn.com.
Ratings are expressed in
increments of ¼ star.
A rating of 2 ½ stars or higher is meant to be a recommendation.
1 star: poor
2 stars: minimally satisfactory
3 stars: quite good
4 stars: superb
Criteria for determining the ratings:
- Reflection, either explicit or implicit, of Christian values,
including suitability of language and lack of gratuitous violence
- Quality of the acting
- Originality
- Unity of the entire picture
- Substance, or in the words of C.S. Lewis, weight
Other Christian movie review Web sites:
Plugged In Online
ChristianityTodayMovies.com
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