'Tis the season for British movie successes. Following in the wake of The Queen's award season storming, Amazing Grace, the historical biopic about English abolitionist William Wilberforce, might be an early Oscar contender for 2008. Its message, actors, costuming and scenery are all idyllic and inspirational - but some small creative stumbling blocks could bar the film's way to Hollywood success.
Amazing Grace follows the more than 20-year crusade by Wilberforce to end the slave trade in Britain and the staunch opposition he faced. Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) is powerful and perfectly in his element as the activist. The rest of the characters are well-cast, too. Romola Garai, playing Wilberforce's wife Barbara Spooner, is serene as the female lead, and Benedict Cumberbatch, as William Pitt the Younger, flawlessly captures the dignified essence of the 18th century in his character's personality and mannerisms. Erin Brockovich's Albert Finney, as John Newton, the pastor/mentor to Wilberforce and composer of the hymn "Amazing Grace," is brilliant as always, as is Youssou N'Dour - though it is a shame how little screen time the two share.
Unfortunately, artistic inspiration detracts from an otherwise superb picture; disjointed sequencing and misplaced vignettes jumble the storyline into one confusing mass. Not enough historical background information is given about the main characters, and the "Amazing Grace" tie-in is not incorporated into the story very well, reflecting the fact that the film was originally meant to be a biography of Finney's character.
When the next set of Oscar noms rolls out, these faults could affect the film's chances, though they do not fully detract from the experience of watching Wilberforce's struggles. Ultimately, thanks to Gruffudd, Finney and the rest of the cast, Amazing Grace rises above its narrative blunders.
