Amazing Grace: Simply Stellar
reviewed by Carolyn McCulley
I’m in Orlando this week for the National Religious Broadcasters convention, where last night the movie about Christian abolitionist William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace, was given a pre-release showing. The movie releases nationally this coming weekend and I’m here to say get thee to the movie theatre pronto. This is a stellar movie on all levels! First, it boasts exceptional cinematography with a top-notch director (Michael Apted) and cast. Devotees of “costume dramas” will recognize beloved actors from Persuasion, Vanity Fair, Middlemarch, Great Expectations, and Elizabeth I, among other productions. Second, it features a well-written script that is neither maudlin about the horrors of the slave trade nor treacly about the motivation of faith. There is one line that elicited a chorus of “Amens” and spontaneous applause last night because of its clear Gospel presentation. All this and a wedding scene to boot! (For all the single women, I must also point out that this wedding takes place because of shared passions for the cause of abolition, not because of romantic intrigues–a refreshing perspective in a movie.)
Beliefnet describes the movie this way:
“Amazing Grace,” directed by Michael Apted, tells the story of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, who, as a member of the British parliament, navigated the world of 18th-century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. The film follows Wilberforce’s career through his 20s and 30s, when he and his fellow humanitarians made the issue of slavery a talking point, not only in political circles, but also throughout the country. They waged the first modern political campaign, using petitions, boycotts, mass meetings, and even badges with slogans to take their message to the country at large.
Strongly influenced by John Newton–who composed the hymn “Amazing Grace”–Wilberforce steered the antislavery cause through the corridors of power and ultimately opened the way for the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire. His success came after decades of fighting, when parliament finally passed the first anti-slavery bill in 1807. The movie release coincides with the 200th anniversary of that milestone.
While I enjoyed the drama of this film, it appears that some historical accuracy was sacrificed for artistic license. Therefore I also want to recommend John Piper’s new biography, Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce. It’s a short book, less than 100 pages, but it provides a much fuller picture of the God-centered reasons for Wilberforce’s tenacity. If there’s a weak spot in the movie, it’s the portrayal of Wilberforce’s conversion as being something that makes him want to sit in wet grass and contemplate spider webs. I don’t expect much better from Hollywood, but the truth as Piper reveals it is much grander in scope. In Wilberforce’s own words, abolishing the slave trade became “the grand object of my parliamentary existence. . . . If it please God to know me so far may I be the instrument of stopping such a course of wickedness and cruelty as never before disgraced a Christian country.”
So go see the movie to enjoy a well-crafted film but then get Piper’s book to better comprehend the grace that caused a man to be faithful to God’s call on his life for decades. Finally, I would urge you to get involved in ending modern slavery, particularly sex trafficking. We were told last night that the number of humans enduring modern slavery is vastly more than the numbers involved in the transatlantic slave trade hundreds of years ago. I support Shared Hope International in this cause and I would encourage you to support them, as well.
Note from The Reformed Evangelist: This movie is not to be confused with one of our favorite documentaries Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism. If you want a better understanding of reformed theology, this is one of the greatest resources on the subject!
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