AMAZING GRACE
Festival favourite Michael Apted brings his unique cinematic finesse to AMAZING GRACE. The film, which was the Closing Night Gala Presentation of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival®, is a captivating historical drama that appeals to both heart and mind. Ioan Gruffudd (FANTASTIC FOUR) embodies William Wilberforce, the impassioned British parliamentarian who led abolitionists in their crusade to end the slave trade, while the matchless Albert Finney (BIG FISH, A GOOD YEAR) is riveting as a former slave trader-turned-penitent man of the cloth. We first meet Wilberforce, a disillusioned shell of a man, in 1797. Not so many years before, his name had inspired reformers fighting for the future of the nation. Now, however, he is haunted by the guilt of his great failure: he had fallen just short of legislating freedom for those being shackled in the colonies of the New World. From here, the film moves backwards, introducing us to the younger Wilberforce, a firebrand politician. Attractive and charming, he becomes a prodigious idol of reformers: many a proper young woman swears off sugar when he exposes the evils of plantations. His friend – and, later, the country’s Prime Minister – William Pitt (Benedict Cumberbatch) is an ideal foil. Pitt keeps avenues open by hewing to the straight and narrow, while Wilberforce storms through the doors, hollering for reform. They harbour great hopes, but change is slow to arrive: the spoils of the slave trade funnel into the pockets of the nation’s most powerful politicians and the old guard persistently sabotage Wilberforce’s campaign. But Wilberforce would not be defeated, and Apted and his tremendous cast have crafted a brilliant account of his perseverance. Culminating with Wilberforce’s final, all-important showdown with his political foes, AMAZING GRACE is a stunning tribute to the victory of those seeking the common good over the machinations of those hiding in the dark corners of power. It is truly, deeply inspiring .
CRITICAL NOTES “[Apted’s] career-long mix of feature and documentary work holds him in good stead once more…. In the three scenes in which he appears, Albert Finney is mesmerizing as the remorseful former slave trader….” – Eddie Cockrell, Variety
Director: Michael Apted Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Ciarin Hinds, Rufus Sewell, Albert Finney Year: 2007 Runtime: 111 minutes Country: United Kingdom Language: English SCREENING DATES AND TIMES Sunday, January 27, 2008 Circuit Centre: Sarnia Province: Ontario Circuit Group Name: cinéSarnia Venue: Sarnia Public Library