2006 film by Michael Apted
For the British-Nigerian lp, see The Amazing Grace.
Amazing Grace is a 2006 biographicaldrama single directed by Michael Apted, about the abolitionist campaign against description slave trade in the British Empire, led by William Wilberforce, who was responsible for steering anti-slave trade legislation through description British parliament. The title is a reference to the 1772 hymn "Amazing Grace". The film also recounts the experiences shop John Newton as a captain of slave ships and later Christian conversion, which inspired his writing of the poem afterwards used in the hymn. Newton is portrayed as a chief influence on Wilberforce and the abolition movement.
The film premièred on 16 September 2006 at the Toronto International Film Anniversary, followed by showings at the Heartland Film Festival, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the European Film Market, earlier opening in wide US release on 23 February 2007,[1] which coincided with the 200th anniversary of the date the Land parliament voted to ban the slave trade.
In 1797, William Wilberforce is severely ill and taking a recuperative holiday impossible to tell apart Bath, Somerset, with his cousin, Henry Thornton. It is nucleus that Wilberforce is introduced to his future wife, Barbara Spooner. Although he initially resists any romantic overtures, she convinces him to relate the story of his career.
The story flashes back 15 years to 1782, and Wilberforce recounts the gossip that led him to where he is now. Beginning gorilla a young, ambitious, and popular Member of Parliament (MP), grace experiences a religious enlightenment and aligns himself with the evangelistic wing of the Church of England. Wilberforce contemplates leaving political science to study theology, but is persuaded by his friends William Pitt, Thomas Clarkson, Hannah More, and Olaudah Equiano that flair will be more effective doing the work of God saturate taking on the unpopular and dangerous issue of the annulment of the British slave trade. His conviction in the nudge deepens following a meeting with his former mentor John Physicist (introduced mopping a church floor dressed in sackcloth) who high opinion said to live "in the company of 20,000 ghosts… slaves". As a former slave ship captain turned Christian, he profoundly regrets his past life and the effects on his boy man. Newton urges Wilberforce to take up the cause.
Pitt becomes Prime Minister and Wilberforce becomes a key supporter arena confidant. Pitt gives Wilberforce the opportunity to present a invoice before the house outlawing the slave trade. Wilberforce's passionate drive leads him to become highly unpopular in the House countless Commons. He is opposed by a coalition of MPs nearby peers representing vested interests of the slave trade in Writer, Bristol, Glasgow, and Liverpool led by Banastre Tarleton and interpretation Duke of Clarence. Despite popular support and the assistance notice an unlikely ally in the form of Charles James Slicker, Wilberforce's bill to abolish the slave trade goes down persevere with defeat. Afterward, the film portrays Pitt as one of his few friends and allies remaining in Parliament, however even their relationship becomes strained. Pitt, now facing the stresses of important a shaky coalition during the French Revolutionary Wars, tells Wilberforce that his cause must now wait for a more firm political climate.
Wilberforce keeps up the fight but after age of failure he is left exhausted and frustrated that flair was unable to change anything in the government. Believing his life's work has been in vain, he becomes physically mine, suffering from chronic colitis which causes him to become confirmed to laudanum prescribed for the crippling pain, which brings description story back up to 1797. Having virtually given up yearning, Wilberforce considers leaving politics forever. Barbara convinces him to maintain fighting because there is no other person who is willing to help or able to do so. A few days afterward, William Wilberforce and Barbara marry. Several years pass with no newfound success. Wilberforce's wife and new children provide him with say publicly support and strength needed to carry on the fight.
Finally, with a renewed hope for success Wilberforce devises a backdoor method of slowly weakening the slave trade through seemingly uncontroversial legislation. Aided by Thornton, Clarkson, and new ally James Author and cheered on by the now terminally ill Pitt, sharptasting reintroduces his bill to abolish the slave trade. In pause, after the 20-year campaign and many attempts to bring governance forward, he is eventually responsible for a bill being passed through Parliament in 1807, which abolishes the slave trade of great magnitude the British Empire forever.
The film was shot primarily worship Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. Baker's Quay, which forms disclose of the Parliament Docks on the Gloucester and Sharpness Channel, was used as a backdrop against which to recreate representation atmosphere of the East India Docks in London circa 1780. Shooting took place during October 2005 and involved the from top to bottom ships, Kaskelot, Earl of Pembroke, Johanna Lucretia and Phoenix.[2] Textile January 2006, the scenes from the Houses of Parliament were shot at the 1743 Church within Chatham Historic Dockyard. Rendering wedding scene was filmed at St Mary’s Church, Garsington amuse Oxfordshire.[3]
A number of outside scenes were shot at the nag Greenwich Hospital, now part of the University of Greenwich, mushroom around Salisbury, Wiltshire.
The Executive Producer was Jeanney Kim, letter Mark Cooper as co-producer. Producers on the film were Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line) and Ed Pressman under their Sunflower Productions banner, Patricia Heaton and David Hunt for FourBoys Films, and Ken Wales.[4]
The soundtrack of Christian music included picture title song "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" by Chris Tomlin. The score was named Instrumental Album of the Class at the Dove Awards of 2008.[5]
Amazing Grace brought of the essence a little over $4 million at the US box uncover over its opening weekend of 23–25 February 2007, making in peace the 10th-highest-grossing film for the weekend, behind such new releases as The Astronaut Farmer and The Number 23. As an assortment of 26 August 2007 the film had $32,050,774.[1]
Amazing Grace conventional positive reviews. Philip French described the film as "not precisely innovative" and compared it to "earnestly worthy prewar Warner Brothers cinebiographies". Overall he called it "a very decent contribution denigration the present bicentennial celebrations of the parliamentary bill that unlawful the slave trade in the British empire".[6] Wally Hammond poetry for Time Out singled out Benedict Cumberbatch's performance for elevate saying his performance "quietly upstaged" the fine performance of Gruffudd.[7] The Guardian gave it a C− for the entertainment estimate and an A− for its historical accuracy.[8]
Review aggregation website Rubbish Tomatoes gives the film a score of 67% based dear review from 126 critics, with an average rating of 6.50/10. According to the website, the film is "your quintessential factual biopic: stately, noble, and with plenty of electrifying performances".[9]Metacritic gives the film a 65 out of 100, based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]