Amistad
Specs:
2 Hrs. 35 Mins.
Color
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
English Dolby Digital 5.1
English Captions
Rated: R
Amistad is Steven Spielberg's debut film for DreamWorks Pictures. This beautifully directed film stars Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, and Matthew McConaughey. Based on a true, powerful story, the film earned four Academy Award nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Cinematography, Costume Design, and Best Original Score.
PICTURE
Once again, Spielberg has provided us with a pristine picture, and the transfer to DVD claims the same. Spielberg and Kaminski make great use out of their locations and film it beautifully.
AUDIO
For a film that is mainly dialogue driven, the audio has exceptional quality. The opening scene when the slaves take over the ship has a great sound mix between the oceanic atmosphere, sound effects (swords and guns), and every other noticeable detail that went into making the audio sound phenomenal.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Behind the Scenes Featurette: The Making of Amistad (26:33)
This short documentary contains lots of behind-the-scenes footage of Steven Spielberg working with the actors and setting up his shots. Morgan Freeman, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, and Anthony Hopkins share their experiences while making the film. There's even a snippet that goes into detail about the African actors and how they were tutored to learn about the Mende Tribe.
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer
Cast & Filmmakers' Bios
3 / 4 Stars
Review by 'The Urby Show'
