Amazing Grace

Somehow this slipped past my attention. Amazing Grace is a movie that is coming out in a couple of weeks.

"Gruffudd plays Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Albert Finney plays John Newton, a confidante of Wilberforce who inspires him to pursue a life of service to humanity. Benedict Cumberbatch is William Pitt the Younger, England's youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of 24, who encourages his friend Wilberforce to take up the fight to outlaw slavery and supports him in his struggles in Parliament."

The movie's title is taken from the popular hymn by John Newton. Newton was a captain of a slave ship until he had a radical conversion after navigating his ship through a storm. Newton is quoted as saying in his journal about that day, "that the tenth of March is a day much remembered by me; and I have never suffered it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748-- the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters." (Then sings my soul, Robert J. Morgan, 2003.)

After watching the previews on the website linked above, it looks like a good movie. Go see it. It releases 2/23/2007.