An Inspirational Tale of a Life Spent Fighting for a Fairer World

Amazing Grace is one of those films you just don’t want to miss. There are few films that leave me feeling inspired and wanting more to know more; this was one of them.

The story of William Wilberforce and his campaign against the slave trade, the film undoubtedly put a decidedly romantic gloss on affairs, particularly (no doubt inevitably) in the romance with his wife-to-be, Barbara. Wilberforce in real life is described as rather small and sickly – I’m not sure actor Ioan Gruffudd would welcome that description! And the film’s title, taken from the John Newton hymn that is sung during the film, didn’t actually gain the tune until years after. But these and other inaccuracies are minor, and didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the film which deserves to be celebrated and enjoyed in its own right. I knew little of Wilberforce’s personal history, and particularly his links with William Pitt (I need now to go off and read William Hague’s apparently excellent biography), his links with Newton, or his evangelicalism.

But what inspired most was simply the story of an inspired man; one who spent most of his life pursuing a single goal, not being put off by the frequent failures and ridicule. It reminds us of the importance of never giving up the fight for a just and humane world.

There are some excellent performances, particularly by Michael Gambon as Lord Fox and Albert Finney as John Newton, who is haunted by his past as a slave ship captain. One of the few films that inspires you to turn back to the history book.