The 1997 film “Amistad” revolves around the story of a group of Africans, led by Cinqué, who were wrongly seized from the lands of Sierra Leone and then sold as slaves in Cuba.
The movie began on a stormy night at the L’Amistad, when Cinqué strived to pull out the nail that advertently secured his chains. After a few bleeding fingers and a lot of painful struggles, he managed to remove the nail and release himself. The other slaves freed themselves then revolted against the white people on board. The bloodshed between the captives and the crew slowly came to a close, and the Africans decided to leave the owners be, with hopes that they will be returned to their homeland.
The ship continued to set off, heading northeast and with Cinqué at the helm. Weeks later, the ship is once again seized, and a jury debated as to whether the captives were to be pressed with murder charges. After more weeks or so, they learned that the slaves weren’t to be prosecuted as the setting of the crime was beyond their jurisdiction.
The cruel treatment of their owners and up to the countless trials and hearings the Africans went through weren’t in vain as they achieved their sought-after freedom in the end, with the help of Theodore Joadson, Roger Sherman Baldwin, James Covey, and John Quincy Adams.
From a subjective point of view, “Amistad” was certainly a substantial film. Not only did it succeed to impart knowledge and wisdom to the audience, but it also tugged the heartstrings of many. The vivid portrayal of a man’s fight for freedom was thoroughly emphasized in the movie. “Amistad” may have only lasted for three hours—yes, longer than the usual film which takes up to two hours—but it certainly created a lasting memory to me. A lot of morals were highlighted in the story–courage, resiliency, and fairness being some of them.
As mentioned above, I learned resiliency and courage, and I learned them from the first few minutes of the movie. The lesson was pounded on me when Cinqué worked his hardest to set himself free from his chains, all while ignoring the pain that ensued. His face and his groans seemed to say he would do anything it takes just for the sake of freedom. It was also evident in the flashbacks when he shared what he and his fellow had been through in their journey to the United States. I couldn’t forget the scenes where their owners tied a rock at the end of the chains and released some of the slaves out into the ocean. It was also very disheartening to watch how the sick captives weren’t fed and left for dead. Another scene that made an impact in me was when a mother, was carrying a child then, sat on the edge of the ship and then jumped. Honestly, I couldn’t blame the woman, but I’m not so sure if I would do the same if I were in her shoes. There were those who didn’t give up, so why would I give up too? On the other hand, life as a slave was never an easy task. But without these hardships, how would one know about the value of resiliency? Or courage?
Fairness was a moral that was portrayed by Roger Sherman Baldwin and John Quincy Adams, who defended the Africans, and Judge Andrew T. Judson, who preceded the trial before the one held in the Supreme Court. Despite everything the slaves had been through, it was lifting to know that not all white people discriminate. Who are we to consider ourselves superior among others, anyway? We are all created equals. We have our fair share of shortcomings and imperfections. Needless to say, we also have our share of beauty and goodness.
I was truthfully infuriated by the young Queen Isabella II. She was Spain’s queen, yes, but she was still a nobody. She certainly did not make a mark in our history, something that’s worth remembering. Well, unless tolerating slavery counts. Personally, I consider her as the perfect epitome of our society’s elitists. She only put her attention to insignificant matters, and was ignorant of what was happening around her. Furthermore, some references say her reign was troubled by strife and instability, and that only infuriated me even more. Nevertheless, it wasn’t only the queen that raged me; it was the concept of slavery itself. I could and perhaps would never understand how people can tolerate such cruelty. Playing god? Treating human beings like trash? We are supposed to act civilized and more humane, but those actions definitely contradicts our society’s ethics, principles and morals.
Perhaps, like Queen Isabella II, I am also ignorant. Perhaps my ideals will most likely be changed in the near future, but I believe as of now, and I continue to hope that peace among nations and everyone will be attained.
