Number 3:
Amistad (1997)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Djimon Honsou
Academy Awards (winners in bold): Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score
Academy Awards it Should have been Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Djimon Honsou, Anthony Hopkins was already nominated), Best Original Screenplay
Why this movie is underrated: Amistad originally came out to mixed reviews and so I did not expect much from it. What I got was a very good film that will largely go unrecognized in the pantheon of great Steven Spielberg movies, and that is a shame. Perhaps people just didn't know quite how to deal with the racial subject matter or perhaps they didn't want too. Either way this is a very powerful movie that is well written and expertly acted.
All the technical merits of the film are done extremely well, which is to be expected coming from a master such as Spielberg. This movie represented a subject matter that could only be handled with the utmost of care that could be provided by a filmmaker like Speilberg. The depiction of slavery and how African-American's were treated in this time was realistic and portrayed as such.
It is a testament to Speilberg's mastery that he was able to nail the time period down as well as get the proper performances out of his cast that he needed. It is not easy to get solid period performances down, especially one's from a period such as this, but Spielberg was able to do it pitch perfect and I think most people failed to realize as much.
When it's all said and done this movie is vastly underrated and should be held in much higher regard. Spielberg once again proves why he is a legendary director and can direct some truly great films.
All the technical merits of the film are done extremely well, which is to be expected coming from a master such as Spielberg. This movie represented a subject matter that could only be handled with the utmost of care that could be provided by a filmmaker like Speilberg. The depiction of slavery and how African-American's were treated in this time was realistic and portrayed as such.
It is a testament to Speilberg's mastery that he was able to nail the time period down as well as get the proper performances out of his cast that he needed. It is not easy to get solid period performances down, especially one's from a period such as this, but Spielberg was able to do it pitch perfect and I think most people failed to realize as much.
When it's all said and done this movie is vastly underrated and should be held in much higher regard. Spielberg once again proves why he is a legendary director and can direct some truly great films.
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