Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Amistad is a 1997 Oscar-nominated Steven Spielberg movie about West Africans on a slave ship who revolt against their captors but still must fight for their freedom in the courtrooms of America. The opening scene, showing the slave revolt on board the Amistad, is very violent, with blood and death from swords, axes, and muskets. Later in the movie, the horrors of slavery are shown in graphic detail: Men and women are forced to suffer the grave indignities of being treated like cargo, and there's male and female nudity, flogging, and implied rape. Overall, this movie demonstrates tremendous leadership, integrity, fortitude, and courage in both the revolt and in the courtroom, where much of the movie takes place. These traits are shared by both the West Africans and those abolitionists and lawyers who defend them, including former President John Quincy Adams.
Sexual
Content
Male and female nudity in scenes depicting slaves on a ship.
Violence
Very violent opening scene depicting a slave uprising: killing with swords, guns, hatchets, and muskets. The brutal treatment of slaves on a ship is graphically shown through flogging, strongly implied rape, and slaves tied to rocks and thrown off the boat to drown at sea.
Language
"Hell."
Social
Behavior
West Africans recently kidnapped from their homes fight back against their captors on a slave ship, fighting for their freedom and the right to control their own destiny. Abolitionists take up their cause and display conviction and integrity in their fight for what was then a controversial cause.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Not applicable
