Amistad

UPC: 667068416220

Studio: DreamWorks

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Watch With Your Teen]

Summary: This Steven Spielberg-directed exploration into a long-ago episode in African-American history recounts the trial that followed the 1839 rebellion aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad and captures the complex political maneuverings set in motion by the event. Filmed in New England and Puerto Rico, the 152-minute drama opens with a pre-credit sequence showing Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) and the other Africans in a violent takeover of the Amistad. Captured, they are imprisoned in New England where former slave Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman), viewing the rebels as "freedom fighters," approaches property lawyer Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), who attempts to prove the Africans were "stolen goods" because they were kidnapped. Running for re-election, President Martin Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne) overturns the lower court's decision in favor of the Africans. Former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) is reluctant to become involved, but when the case moves on to the Supreme Court, Adams stirs emotions with a powerful defense. The storyline occasionally cuts away to Spain where the young Queen Isabella (Anna Paquin) plays with dolls; she later debated the Amistad case with seven U.S. presidents. The character portrayed by Morgan Freeman is a fictional composite of several historical figures. For authentic speech, the Africans speak the Mende language, subtitled during some scenes but not others. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Director – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Dramatic Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Screen Actors Guild Best Cinematography – American Society of Cinematographers Best Supporting Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association

Features: Production notes
Cast and filmmakers' bios
Theatrical trailer
Behind-the-scenes featurette

Amistad

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 05/04/1999

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 155 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Cast and Crew: Jeremy Northam  Actor 
Arliss Howard  Actor 
Razaaq Adoti  Actor 
John Ortiz  Actor 
Debbie Allen  Producer 
David H. Franzoni  Screenwriter 
Walter Parkes  Executive Producer 
Steven Spielberg  Director 
Steven Spielberg  Producer 
John Williams  Composer (Music Score) 
Colin Wilson  Producer 
Laurie MacDonald  Executive Producer 
Robert Cooper  Executive Producer 
Morgan Freeman  Actor 
Anthony Hopkins  Actor 
Matthew McConaughey  Actor 
Nigel Hawthorne  Actor 
Djimon Hounsou  Actor 
David Paymer  Actor 
Pete Postlethwaite  Actor 
Stellan Skarsgård  Actor 
Anna Paquin  Actor 
Tomas Milian  Actor 
Austin Pendleton  Actor 

Country: USA