Amazing Grace Reviews And Comments - MAY HOLD SPOILERS
Amazing Grace - The Movie & its outreach opportunities Unlike Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Michael Apted's 'Amazing Grace' is a movie that you do not want to miss. By: Pastor Peter Rahme Posted: Friday, 11 May 2007, 14:01 (EST) Unlike Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Michael Apted's 'Amazing Grace' is a movie that you do not want to miss. This epic film re-tells the story of William Wilberforce a pro-active Christian leader and a productive concerned parliamentarian, who, after 20 years of faithful campaigning to abolish slavery, finally succeeded in 1807 in passing an act of parliament in all British colonies. Starring Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce, and Albert Finney as John Newton, Amazing Grace was released on February 23 in the USA and March 23 the UK , to mark the bicentennial of the passage of a key bill in the battle against the slave trade. The Australian release will be on July 26. Motion pictures are powerful tools in the hands of film makers, especially in these last days. Most producers are no longer satisfied in making an escape flick or an entertaining film. They desire to remould mindsets and demand to reshape attitudes; especially that of the young, the naive and the restless. Last year, we battled against the errors and inaccuracies of The Da Vinci Code. This year, we will build on the excellence and influence of Amazing Grace. Just as The Nativity Story last year, and The Passion of the Christ in 2004, Amazing Grace this year presents the Christian community general and local Churches in particular, with a golden outreach opportunity. Despite the fact that the character of John Newton appears only in 3 scenes in the film, Amazing Grace is still a timely evangelistic tool, due to the songs lyrics and the strong link the former slave trader had with the Antislavery crusader. John Newton's controversial book –“Thoughts on the African Slave Trade” helped equip and highly empowered his dear friend and beloved disciple, William Wilberforce. What godly influence and great impact! So to help you strategise with an effective plan and evangelise with an enthusiastic passion, allow me share with you few ideas and resources. ou can use my la-*test*-('") gospel tract The Man and the Story behind Amazing Grace, for leaflet drop in your area and around your church. 500,000 copies have already been printed and distributed Australia wide and overseas, with 100,000 having gone to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games outreach in 2006. Translations are also available in Kenyan, Greek and Chinese. To view or download the tract, click here. If you would like to receive a sample hard copy, you can write to me at P.O Box 5296 Chullora NSW 2190 Australia. Please include a self stamped/addressed envelop and I'd be glad to send you a complimentary copy ASAP. If you would also like to enquire about a bulk order for your church outreach, this is also available; you can email me your request on info@amazinggrace.org.au. 2. The Man and the Story behind Amazing Grace - new book Foreworded by The Rev. Hon. Fred Nile MLC and endorsed by a large number of respected Christian leaders, the inspiring new book about the world's grea-*test*-('") hymn,.is a condensed but comprehensive historical account of the soul of John Newton and the story of his Amazing Grace. What Mr. Eternity was to Sydney, Amazing Grace is to the world! This was the seed that God planted in the soil of my heart in 2002, following The Life & Legacy Of Mr Eternity's successful campaign, which, after more than 3 years of thorough research and diligent preparation, brought forth the fruit of The Man & the Story Behind Amazing Grace. The book comes in a glossy soft cover, contains 84 pages/10 chapters of facts, figures and a faithful reproduction of John Newton's quotes in an easily understood fashion. 3. Cinema Booking You can book a cinema in your local area and invite your family and friends to an evangelistic private screening. You are able to negotiate a big group discount on ticket prices. You can also arrange with the centre management beforehand not to have ads or previews before the screening of the movie. After the closing credits crawl, starting with Directed by MICHAEL APTED, over a bagpipe powerful performance of the greatly-loved title tune, and sung ever so passionately by Wilberforce (Gruffudd), you are free to go ahead and conclude with a brief gospel challenge. http://au.christiantoday.com/article/amazing-grace-the-movie-its-outreach-opportunities/2686.htm http://au.christiantoday.com/article/amazing-grace-the-movie-its-outreach-opportunities/2686-2.htm

Fighting the good fight against slavery Michael Apted's portrayal of William Wilberforce and his anti-slavery crusade is just a bit too good to be true By Manohla Dargis NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, NEW YORK Friday, Jun 01, 2007, Page 17 Ioan Gruffudd plays William Wilberforce with a touch of madness in his eyes. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LONG SHONG Amazing Grace, a prettified take on the life and times of the 18th-century reformer William Wilberforce, carries a strong whiff of piety. It isn't a bad smell; there are notes of roses and treacle in the mix, but also elements of sweat and pain. Wilberforce, born in 1759, was an abolitionist for much of his adult life and helped bring about the end of the slave trade in the British Empire and then slavery itself. He was an evangelical Christian and social conservative who rallied for animal rights and against trade unions, which makes him a tough nut to crack. It's no wonder he makes a first-rate movie saint. Serious-minded and squeaky clean, Amazing Grace is an imperfect look at an imperfect soul. It has been confidently directed by Michael Apted, who invests Wilberforce's fight with a strong sense of conviction, and written by Steven Knight, whose other credits include Dirty Pretty Things. The overall effect is part BBC-style biography, part Hollywood-like hagiography, and generally pleasing and often moving, even when the story wobbles off the historical rails or becomes bogged down in dopey romance. Wilberforce often comes across as too good to be true, which may be why the fine Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd, doubtless with the encouragement of his socially minded director, plays him with a hint of madness in his eyes. Film notes Amazing Grace Directed By: Michael Apted Starring: Ioan Gruffudd (William Wilberforce), Romola Garai (Barbara Spooner), Benedict Cumberbatch (William Pitt), Albert Finney (John Newton), Michael Gambon (Lord Fox), Rufus Sewell (Thomas Clarkson), Youssou N’Dour (Oloudah Equiano), Ciaran Hinds (Lord Tarleton), Toby Jones (Duke Of Clarence) Running Time: 120 Minutes Taiwan Release: Today The film's overly complicated narrative traces Wilberforce's journey from strapping young reformer to nearly broken member of Parliament, with periodic skips back and forth in time. The only son of a wealthy merchant, he studied at Cambridge, where he met his close friend William Pitt the Younger, the future British prime minister, brought to extraordinary life by the young British actor and relative newcomer Benedict Cumberbatch. Eventually he will also meet a woman, his future wife, Barbara (the rather too saucy Romola Garai), which pushes the story into the less engaging domestic realm. But it is his intimate, prickly relationship with Pitt that warms the action and talk, partly through the chemistry between the actors, and brings the personal firmly to bear on the political. Biographical films are generally tricky, since the on-screen personality rarely matches the real one; they're even trickier when the subject is shrouded in misty time and debate. In some quarters, Amazing Grace will succeed better as a diversion than as a nuanced record of Wilberforce's life. Historians have been divided on his legacy, with one damning him as "the mouthpiece of the party of order and of the business world." A contemporary asked Wilberforce, after he introduced a law that set back the cause of trade unions, why he paid more attention to African slaves than to Britain's working poor, whose interests he probably helped obstruct for years. Religious writers, not surprisingly, are more charitably disposed toward him. It's equally unsurprising that the filmmakers don't address these sharper criticisms. The film's Wilberforce is a fanatic, a true believer, a crusader, a man of action and God, of stirring principle and tireless will. He's at once pure and seductive, a dashing, romantic figure with a long black coat who talks to God while lying in his garden and keeps rabbits for pets. This matinee idol version might be wildly simplistic, even borderline caricature, but there is also something unfailingly attractive about a film character so wholly devoted to good. The screenplay doesn't poke into the nature of that good — whether Wilberforce's fight against slavery was truly selfless or flattered a sense of moral superiority — but it does make you think. It would be easier to dismiss Amazing Grace for its historical elisions if it weren't also filled with so many great British actors larking about in knee breeches and powdered wigs; if it weren't, in other words, an entertainment. Among the more valuable players is Rufus Sewell as Thomas Clarkson, a reformer whose passion seems to tip into zealotry when he speaks about the French Revolution; you half expect him to pull on some wellies so he can wade through the blue blood about to spill over the Place de la Concorde. And no matter how stuffy the room or the speeches, the reliably brilliant Michael Gambon, who plays Lord Charles Fox with trembling jowls and flashing eyes, brings a sense of the world and its sensual pleasures with him. The actors Toby Jones, who plays one of King George III's many sons, and Ciaran Hinds are also on hand for much of the parliamentary proceedings, delivering withering commentary and general amusement as two of Wilberforce's most powerful foes. Albert Finney also blusters in every so often as Wilberforce's mentor, John Newton, who wrote the song that gives the film its title. In many respects, Amazing Grace offers a snapshot of the British Empire at the beginning of its long decline as the dominating world power. It takes nothing away from Wilberforce and his stunning achievements to note that this film, at its best, is another reminder that no matter how diminished that political might, no one sells old-fashioned, Hollywood-style history and manners better than those acting royals across the pond. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/06/01/2003363435

Bumping this up to let you know: The Herald Sun only gave Amazing Grace 2 stars this weekend. SLAVE TO GOOD INTENTIONS A recent article suggested the handsome young Welsh actor with the unpronounceable name of Ioan Gruffudd who played the dashing Captain Hornblower was having trouble getting work. The reason is plain. Likely employers had seen early rushes of Amazing Grace in which he plays 18th century anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce and were fearful Gruffudd would bore his audience to death. (ouch!) Perhaps the Brits banned the slave trade not because of any crisis of conscience but because MPs were forming support groups in the House of Commons as they wilted under Wilberforce's sermons about its evils. The film begins in the middle and is told in two directions, forward and back, a strategy that produces among dramatic dividends in exposing Wilberforce at his lowest ebb, drained of energy and confidence and suffering bouts of colitis. The film shows him experiencing a sudden religious revelation, and for a time he even considers leaving politics. The trouble is, he's such a dull chap. While hearing him relate his story, sexy minx Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai) makes the fatal mistake of cooing: 'Tell me about your last speech before Parliament." Amazingly, this dolt does just that. You may find yourself shouting at the screen: 'She doesn't care about that, you fool.' Neither does anyone else. What makes Wil such a splendid fellow is exactly what makes him a bore for Britain. Amazing Grace is a film that is at such great pains to show where its heart belongs - right up on its sleeve - and it has little time to waste on sex (wtf, since when does sex have anything to do with a man campaigning against the slave trade? ugh!), or slaves for that matter. Where we might expect to see ships burdened down by their suffering human cargoes and hear the crack of whips across bare backs, we get powdered wigs and a coughing fit brought on by Wilkberforce's laudanum addicted guts. Steven Knight's script - did he use a wuill pen dipped in molasses? - has the pace of a slaver adrift in the doldrums. And that title? It's based on the hymn composed by John Newton, the skipper of a slaver so appalled by the cruelty he witnessed that he spent the rest of his life atoning for his sins. Clarke Forbes. ...Well...That review pissed me, quite frankly. Talk about missing the point and the comment about sex...aargh!

Well, I guess everyone's entiltled to their opinions ( :whistle ) but it all comes down to the attitude with which you see a film (reference discussion on FF2!) Mind you, I agree with the journalist, when they seem to be suggesting that the film would have benefitted from showing us a little more of Wilber and Barbera's relationship (or am I just starved of IG bedroom scenes, after the innocence of AG and FF2? Come on, Ioan! Show us your bum!) :wink:

:weeping

I agree Kaitlyn. In some movies or stories, maybe it's necessary. But in this particular one it wasn't. And as for that guy wondering if anybody was shouting at the screen: She doesn't care about that you fool! Yeah I know I didn't. And I didn't find this movie boring or dragging at all. This guy obviously hasn't seen Spiderman 3. :wink:

A graceful force for freedom
July 24, 2007 http://www.theage.com.au/news/film/a-graceful-force-for-freedom/2007/07/23/1185043026157.html Michael Apted turned Amazing Grace into a story of activism allied with faith, writes Philippa Hawker. WHEN director Michael Apted went looking for a political subject for a movie, it took him far longer than he expected to find it. Apted — an Englishman now living in Los Angeles, whose CV includes the Seven Up documentary series, Bond film Die Another Day, Gorillas in the Mist and Coalminer's Daughter — says, on the phone from the US, that he had almost given up on the idea when a movie that he had already turned down became the project that he had been looking for. He had been approached to do a film about the 19th-century reformer William Wilberforce, who for years conducted a dogged parliamentary campaign against the slave trade. It came from production company Walden Media, known for its interest in family-friendly fare. The project had been around for some time: Australian director Bruce Beresford makes several references to his interest in the film in his new memoir, regretting that other commitments meant he could not take it on. The script that Apted read emphasised Wilberforce's strong religious faith, and was constructed as a traditional biopic. It wasn't the subject matter but the form that failed to capture Apted's imagination. But the idea of doing a different kind of film on the same topic made sense: something more dynamic, with more emphasis on the intensity of the political campaign. That's how Amazing Grace, a story of activism, came into being. He pitched the producers a different approach, and they agreed: he swiftly found scriptwriter Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things), who loved the period and the idea. Walden was on board the next day. The change of emphasis "made them nervous", Apted admits, "and it was an — I won't say a struggle — an ongoing debate through the making of the film. I reassured them that I didn't want to diminish or demean his spirituality, because it was a very resonant part of his character and his story. On the other hand, I wanted the film to find a bigger audience than a faith-based audience." He wanted young actors to play Wilberforce and his wife: his central character, was, after all, only 21 when he became an MP. Ioan Gruffudd (Hornblower, The Fantastic Four) was cast as Wilberforce, and Romola Garai (Mary Bryant, I Capture the Castle) as his wife, Barbara. And, he adds, he had no trouble finding a host of leading British actors to take supporting roles. "They liked the script and the idea of the film." Albert Finney said yes at once to the small but intense role of Wilberforce's mentor, John Newton, slave-ship captain turned Anglican priest, who wrote the song that gave the film its name. "I've been trying my whole working life to find something for him to be in," Apted says. Michael Gambon, who was working at the time on Robert De Niro's directorial debut, The Good Shepherd, which was running over schedule, "really had to put himself out for this, he fought to be in the film". He brings a sardonic wit to the part of Charles James Fox, the wily political operator whose support was crucial to Wilberforce's parliamentary tactics. Apted confesses that he hadn't thought of Rufus Sewell, often cast in swaggering or villainous roles, as Thomas Clarkson, one of the most important campaigners against the slave trade. "I had the more conventional view of Rufus, but he really went after it, and I thought he was great. No disrespect to Steven or me, but I thought he made something out of nothing." (His is a fleeting role.). And as Tarleton, one of the most prominent defenders of the slave trade, Apted cast Ciaran Hinds, an actor whose authority helps convey what lay behind his character's stand. Apted told Hinds, "from your point of view, everything you say is not true but terrifyingly true". There was a climate of fear, he says, "fear of the French Revolution, fear of what might happen when the people became involved in an issue", fear that the popular support that the abolitionists were seeking "could lead to a bloody revolution and a guillotine in Hyde Park". There are, he notes, many contemporary resonances to the film, many current echoes to be found in the 19th-century debate that took place. He wanted to present the context of it, to highlight "the fog, the moral confusion, the dilemmas" and also to show that activism needs to have political savvy. "Because, for all the moral outrage against slavery, nothing could be done until someone had the spirit and will and guts to turn the campaign into an act of parliament. Activism has to end up as a political manoeuvre, and that was the great gift Wilberforce brought to the table." But it's important, he says, "in the afterburn of the film, that the audience recognises that slavery hasn't ended with Wilberforce's campaign. It wasn't solved then and there, and it's not over now. Every generation has to deal, in its own way, with slavery." Amazing Grace opens Thursday. Cinema Nova previews the film today at 6.45 pm followed by a discussion on modern-day slavery with Julian Burnside QC, Mardy Bromberg SC and Kerryn Clarke. www.cinemanova.com.au

A passionate tale July 26, 2007 12:00am SURPRISING as it might seem, 18th century anti-slave campaigner William Wilberforce has more in common with the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards than just being played by Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd. Stan Lee's elastic comic creation is a driven workaholic with a powerful sense of social justice, similar to the charismatic, real-life reformer on whose story this film is based. The two characters part ways, however, when it comes to the amount of effort they require from chisel-jawed Gruffudd, still perhaps best remembered as TV's Horatio Hornblower. Where Mr Fantastic is little more than a cardboard cut-out, Wilberforce calls on the 33-year-old's full range as an actor. In Michael Apted's historical drama Amazing Grace, Gruffudd must be saintly but still sexy; self-sacrificing but not sappy; precocious but not precious. It's a big ask, but he delivers. Coinciding with the 200th anniversary of the bill that outlawed the slave trade in Britain and its empire, the film portrays Wilberforce as a deeply religious man who was at times torn between his successful political career and a desire to devote himself to a spiritual life. Elected to the House Of Commons at the age of 21, he is persuaded by his good friend William Pitt The Younger (Benedict Cumberbatch), England's youngest prime minister, and a ragtag bunch of like-minded humanitarians, to lead the abolitionist cause. Helping him wage the first modern political campaign using petitions, boycotts and mass meetings, is Rufus Sewell's wild-haired Thomas Clarkson and Youssou N'Dour's freed slave Olaudaqh Equiano. Despite their unflagging energy, however, the radical reformers face an uphill struggle when the old guard closes ranks. Amazing Grace, which takes its title from the hymn written by Wilberforce's tortured mentor (Albert Finney), begins with the defeated politician's retreat to his cousin's country home. Haunted by his inability to right such terrible wrongs, his nightmares are exacerbated by laudanum, prescribed by doctors for his stomach pains. All Wilberforce needs to set him back on the right path, however, is the love of a good woman - Romola Garai's feisty proto-feminist Barbara Spooner - and a bit of political savvy. A handsome and passionate tale of a dynamic period in British history. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22138485-5006013,00.html

Hooray, finally a good review. Empire magazine loves it: http://www.empireonline.com.au/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=132925

I came across a film review in the magazine Cineaste. They have the Ioan on the ship picture on the cover. Overall it is positive with only a few faults listed at the end. The review is two and a half pages so a little to much for me to type out and is mostly a re-hash of the story as opposed to comments on performances. There was one sentence that paid compliment to Ioan's voice. The reviewer describes Wilberforce and ends the paragraph with this: "His only character flaw is a bit of justifiable vanity about his singing voice, a strong clear tenor that belts out a certain hymn more than once." If I come across anything else of interest in re-reading, I will post it. GG

Thanks GG! Interesting what different reporters pick up on, isn't it? Was he saying Ioan or Wilberforce was vain about his voice? I never got either from the film......

I got the impression that he was saying Wilberforce had one vanity, but complimenting Ioan's voice. Just previous to that he was saying how Wilberforce was a man of uncommon virtue; made him almost sound like a saint, so I think that's why he called the pride in his voice a vanity. But, since none of us can hear Wilberforce sing, I'll take it that the strong, clear tenor was Ioan. By the by, I love your new avatar and Frances' also. Neither was a picture I've seen before. Not that the others were bad, but these - Nice! GG

I got the impression in Amazing Grace that William was actually quite confident and had a sense of vanity in regards to his singing voice, purely going by the comment he makes outside before going in and 'belting out' the hymn. Something about showing them how to sing or whatever? Seeing as it mentions tenor, and is supposedly referring to Ioan's voice, (I agree that it is a compliment) did Ioan make himself sound like a tenor or something? Ioan's a baritone isn't he? Thanks for the posting the info, GG.