An Analysis of Amistad
Juanita Hosley
P.5 #14
English 2 For this assignment, I chose to watch the intercultural movie Amistad. Amistad is a 1997 historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg based on the notable uprising in 1839 by Mende tribesmen who had been abducted in Africa. They took control of the ship La Amistad where they were being held captive while it was odd the coast of Cuba the movie explains the international legal battle that followed their capture by a U.S. revenue cutter. It became a United States Supreme court case in 1841. The exposition of the movie was when the Africans revolted on the slave ship and were recaptured by the Americans. The setting is on a ship used to transport slaves. the protagonist, who is named Cinque, is introduced. The setting then changes to the United States where the other main characters are introduced, which include Rodger Baldwin (the lawyer for the Africans played by Matthew Mcconaughey), and Theodore Joadson, a freed slave who convinced Mr. Baldwin to represent the Africans. As could be expected, much of the movie was devoted on to the rising action. The most important points of the rising action are as follows. The Africans get an attorney Rodger Baldwin. Mr. Baldwin helps find a person who speaks the Africans' native language as well as English, which allowed them to communicate and develop a defense for the Africans. Cinque who was the leader of the Africans, testified in court, "Give us free!" When the case was heard before the U.S. Supreme Court, Rodger Baldwin asked for the help of former President John Quincy Adams played by Anthony Hopkinz. Former President Adams, gave the oral argument on behalf of the Africans before the U.S. Supreme Court. These were the pivotal moments in the rising action. In the movie, these actions created the tension and led to the climax. So it was clear these made up the rising action. The climax of the movie occurred when the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court was announced. The U.S. Supreme Court was found that the treaty with Spain was inapplicable. Therefore, the Africans couldn't be property of Spain, which was one of the parties claiming ownership of the Africans. The court decided that the crew of the U.S. cutter that recaptured the Africans was engaging in illegal slave trading since these Africans were abducted from Africa. Capturing new slaves from Africa had been illegal by this point in history. Therefore, the owner of the cutter could not own the Africans either. The court decided the Africans were free people with certain and moral rights, including the right to engage in insurrection against those who would deny