You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say you did not know.” That was William Wilberforce’s conclusion to his three hour debate in the Houses of Parliament before Members of Parliament voted on his Abolition Bill in 1789. And this is how “Amazing Grace” became a song no one will ever forget.
William Wilberforce was born into the age of the Great British Empire, when the country’s influence around the globe was at its most powerful. It was, however, an age when the rumblings of social discontent were emerging and a time when reformers faced an uphill struggle to be heard.
A good friend and staunch colleague of England’s youngest ever Prime Minister, Pitt the Younger, Wilberforce was entrusted with the policy for the Abolition of Slavery. Torn between a life of spirituality and a career in politics, he was inspired to take his desire for the equality of all mankind into the House of Commons. Seeking the advice of John Newton, a former slave trader who turned to the Church in order to atone for his earlier life, Wilberforce became the rallying voice in Parliament for a fragmented group of like-minded people to fight for the cause and make the people of Britain, and ultimately the world, acknowledge the horror of the Slave Trade.
The sugar trade was at the heart of the British economy, and it depended entirely on slave labour. With the majority of MPs representing the sugar and slave trades opposing Wilberforce in the House of Commons, he faced a mammoth task in attempting to persuade them to abolish slavery. His prowess as an orator, coupled with his firm belief that abolition was his vocation, made Wilberforce a formidable opponent. Throughout his turbulent career, he was keenly supported and inspired by his wife Barbara’s love and commitment to the cause.
“Amazing Grace” follows Wilberforce’s career through his 20’s and 30’s, 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. Wilberforce steered this 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 - “Amazing Grace.”
STARRING: Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai
DIRECTOR: Michael Apted
STUDIO: IDP
RATING: PG (For thematic material involving slavery, and some mild language)
When Did You Last See Your Father?” - Arthur Morrison (Jim Broadbent), and his wife Kim (Juliet Stevenson), are GPs in the same medical practice in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. They have two children, Gillian (Claire Skinner), and her older brother Blake (Colin Firth), from whose perspective the story is told. Blake is 40, married with two children, an established author, and having to face the fact that his father is terminally ill. The film opens during a summer bank holiday family trip in the late 1950s. Arthur hits the hard shoulder to skip a long queue of traffic at a car racing event, and eight year old Blake, and the rest of the family, are crippled with embarrassment. It’s the first of many flashbacks that illustrate Arthur’s bluff attitude to life and his pride in getting something for nothing. These childhood episodes also introduce Beaty (Sarah Lancashire) and her daughter, Josie. It soon becomes clear that Beaty and Arthur are more than just friends and that Josie is potentially Arthur’s child. Adult Blake strives to find out the truth about Josie, and in doing so uncovers the interesting parameters of his father’s marriage. The essence of this father and son relationship is further expressed through flashbacks to Blake’s teens - a family holiday, a fumbled affair with the au pair - where the awkward and introverted Blake is constantly crushed by his father’s flirtatious ways and need to be the centre of attention. There are happy and tender memories too; of Arthur teaching Blake to drive, a camping trip in the rain, and Arthur saying goodbye to Blake as he leaves for university. In the present it becomes clear that Arthur still dominates his grown-up son, a dynamic to which Blake is resigned much to his wife, Kathy’s (Gina McKee) annoyance. But when he and his family confront the reality of Arthur’s cancer, Blake is forced to reconcile himself with the past. Blake’s recollections are interspersed with heart-rending and often uncompromising scenes of Arthur’s decline and submission to the disease that is killing him. It is ironic that Arthur’s battle with his failing health is paralleled by Blake’s struggle to come to terms with their relationship but there’s a human inevitability here we can all identify with. It is only after Arthur’s death; only when the tears come, that Blake is finally able to make peace with his memories.
STARRING: Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson, Gina Mckee
DIRECTOR: Anand Tucker
STUDIO: Sony Classics
RATING: PG-13 (For sexual content, thematic material and brief strong language)
“Jodhaa Akbar” is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa. Political success knew no bounds for Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan). After having secured the Hindu Kush, he furthered his realm by conquest until his empire extended from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Himalayas to the Godavari River. Through a shrewd blend of tolerance, generosity, and force, Akbar won the allegiance of the Rajputs, the most belligerent Hindus. But little did Akbar know that when he married Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai), a fiery Rajput princess, in order to further strengthen his relations with the Rajputs, he would in turn be embarking upon a new journey – the journey of true love. The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer, Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar’s biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of Jodhaa – a love hidden deep below resentment and extreme prejudice. “Jodhaa Akbar” is their untold love story.
STARRING: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai
DIRECTOR: Ashutosh Gowariker
STUDIO: UTV Motion Pictures
RATING: Not Rated (Adult Situations)
