Inaccuracy In Amazing Grace

The film Amazing Grace takes place between the 1780s and 1800s in England, mainly in London. The film shows the events leading up to the slave trade, specifically focusing on the work of William Wilberforce. The film shows the dedication and effort one man put into outlawing the cruel injustice of the slave trade. The setting also includes the house of parliament and reveals the parliamentary workings behind the abolition of the slave trade. The issues brought up in the movie include slavery and (...). The main purpose of the film inform people about the work of Wilberforce and potentially inspire people to fight for something that they believe in.

The major themes in Amazing Grace include repentance, standing up for what is right and the

abolition of slavery. The theme of repentance is shown in the movie through the presence of John Newton. John Newton was a former slave ship captain. After converting to Catholicism, he saw had a miraculous change of heart and renounced the slave trade. He felt intense remorse for his participation and wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace”, in which he expresses how he felt saved by his new found religion and commitment to abolition. John Newton’s role in the film highlights the theme of repentance and transformation. Another theme portrayed in the film is stepping up and fighting for what is right. William Wilberforce was not the only one who fought against the slave trade. He played a key role in it but the film makes it seem like he is the only one of his time actively fighting against slavery. This portrayal emphasizes a theme of being a leader even in the face of adversity. The most important theme in the movie is the abolition of slavery.
The movie had very good acting with especially good performances by Benedict Cumberbatch as William Pitt the Younger and and Albert Finney as John Newton. Overall non-content aspects of the film were good. The actors, the setting and the props did well together to portray late 1700s/early 1800 in Britain. The film was more straightforward, avoiding hidden meanings behind. Most symbols were said directly in the film. I do not think a young person would be interested in the film because the mood of the movies never changes from serious to light-hearted. It continues with intense events throughout the entire film.
The film does have a few historical inaccuracies.

A major inaccuracy in the film is the portrayal of Wilberforce as a sole advocate against the slave trade. Many more people were involved and played major parts of the process but the movie failed to portray these people. Another inaccuracy that coincides with that is the lack of black people in the film. The one prominent slave in the film is Olaudah Equiano. While he was involved, there was many more involved and the film. Another inaccuracy is the role of Barbra Spooner. Although Wilberforce was very fond of Spooner and they were madly in love, in real life Spooner was very timid and was not really one of the main people who inspired Wilberforce to continue fighting. In the film, Dundas is seen as almost a villain due to adding the word “gradual” to the abolition to the slave trade. William Hague says that it was actually Pitt who proposes it as “back-up plan”.
 A few weakness include the portrayal of William Wilberforce. In the film, Wilberforce appears to be the only one fighting against the slave trade. Despite it being able to highlight a major figure of the slave trade, it fails to show that many other people of the time period were advocates for abolition. Along with being the only one protesting slavery, he also is portrayed as perfect. He makes no mistakes and his vices are results from someone else not him. Another weakness is the lack of African actors. Strengths of the movies include excellent acting

especially from Benedict Cumberbatch and a continued flow of events that keeps the audience captivated. Overall I enjoyed the movie but feel that some important changes could have been made.