Film: Amazing Grace (2006)
Director: Michael Apted.
Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney and others
Run time: 120 minutes.
Modern colonialism brought back the ancient practice of slavery in Christendom long after it had disappeared. White colonialists, with the help of Arab-African slave traders enslaved black peoples of Africa for cheap labour in their colonies across the Atlantic. However there were conscientious men who fought the evil in the West, among whom William Wilberforce stands out.
This movie is a dramatization of his story. In the late 18th century he fought for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in a struggle lasting 18 years. Along with him, his pastor and ex-slave trader John Newton and William Pitt are also remembered. Considered an eccentric in his time, Wilberforce is remembered as the founder of the Bible society, pioneer of prison reforms and animal protection, a champion of human rights and model of Christian leadership.
18th century Britain had a flourishing slave trade feeding the labour force in its far-flung colonial plantations. While at Cambridge, William made friends with William Pitt. They later went on to become distinguished members of the British Parliament. Not a believer while young, he later confessed that instead of his finding God, God had found him. John Newton was his spiritual mentor. Newton had been a slave trader with a tempestuous life behind him, and once even been enslaved in Africa. Newton was converted in a dramatic way. This experience inspired his writing of the classic hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ from which the movie gets its title.
Newton became a Church of England pastor, and a campaigner against slavery, especially since he himself had undergone enslavement. Africans kidnapped from their countries were enchained and transported across the seas, large numbers of them perishing of hunger and disease, before reaching the slave markets to be sold.
Wilberforce’s powerful speech in the Parliament pleading for abolition in 1789 followed by his introduction of the abolition of the slave trade bill (1791) were defeated, leaving him exhausted and hopeless. During this time he converted, and considered retreating from public life. Under John Newton’s encouragement as well as his fiancée
Barbara’s support, William returns to politics under the conviction that the fight against slavery is his God-ordained mission. William Pitt, his greatest support and joint campaigner became the Prime Minister -the youngest to hold that office in history. Wilberforce used this chance to renew his fight that lasted two decades.
Slavery supporters fought back arguing that abolition would be economically disastrous to Britain and that the slaves themselves did not complain against their owners and their treatment. Wilberforce’s public exposure of the horror and the human tragedy involved wins public sympathy which, finally, helped to enact the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 1807 with an overwhelming majority.
Prof. Gigy Joseph Koottummel was Head of the Department of English SB College, Changanacherry. After three decades of teaching English Language and Literature he worked as Principal of a College. He did his doctoral work on Narratology. He is a sought after writer, translator, columnist and actor-director of Shakespeare productions.
