The Movie Amazing Grace is Inspiring

It is difficult to know where to begin with my latest movie review - - "Amazing Grace." This is a truly beautiful film in every sense of the word. Cinematically, it is stunning. The acting is superb. The screenplay and direction are excellent, with one minor exception. The music is amazing (no pun intended). This movie is everything its name implies.

If William Wilberforce was covered when I was in school, it must have been well hidden in the text book. But then, our American history often tends to gloss over anything that deals with our British ancestors so chances are his story wasn't covered. What a real shame! This is the kind of commitment that children should hear everyday; one that demonstrates how one man can make a difference. There simply can never be enough examples of his kind of bravery and courage.

For as far back as I can remember, I have been horrified at the mere thought of our country's involvement in slavery. It appalls me that any group of human beings could find justification in the enslavement of another group. But then I am part Cherokee Indian so I am well aware of the cruelty and injustice that we can inflict upon one another. Still, seeing it in action is something else altogether.

"Amazing Grace" pulls no punches with the merciless picture it paints of greed, stupidity, insensitivity, and man's ability to callously dismiss the suffering of others. It is unflinchingly harsh and all too realistic. It shows how the slave ships operated with tiny little berths in which slaves were shoved to travel for weeks in agonizing pain, disease, and filth. It vividly outlines every bit of the immense cruelty experienced by these individuals whose only crime in life was having a different color of skin. It explains how women were raped and men tortured, while the weak thrown overboard to die.