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FilmSkool — a free film school

Amistad (1997)

Name: Amistad
Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: drama film, trial film, white savior film
Duration: 152 min
Rating: 7.3

Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · Shot by Janusz Kamiński · Cut by Michael Kahn · Music by John Williams · 152 min

How it was made

Djimon Hounsou had just ten days to learn the Mende language for his role as Joseph Cinqué, and resorted to phonetically reciting some lines while making sure to fully understand the words in the most important scenes.
Hounsou performed scenes in real chains and shackles, which he said was among the hardest parts of the shoot and made him consider quitting on the first day.
The production spent four days filming at Mystic Seaport, which doubled as 19th-century New Haven, using around 300 extras; courthouse scenes were shot at the Old Colony House and prison scenes at Fort Adams.
The entire film was shot in 51 days on a budget of around $39 million.

Behind the scenes

Amistad (1997) | Behind the Scenes — DVDXtras · 27 min

Elsewhere

More by Steven Spielberg

Bullitt
The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara
Escape to Nowhere — 1961
Firelight — 1964
Amblin' — 1968
Duel — 1971
Murder by the Book — 1971
Something Evil — 1972
Watch Dog — 1973
The Sugarland Express — 1974
Jaws — 1975
Close Encounters of the Third Kind — 1977
1941 — 1979
Raiders of the Lost Ark — 1981
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — 1982
Twilight Zone: The Movie — 1983
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — 1984
The Color Purple — 1985
Empire of the Sun — 1987
Always — 1989
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade — 1989
Hook — 1991
Jurassic Park — 1993
Schindler's List — 1993
The Lost World: Jurassic Park — 1997
Saving Private Ryan — 1998
The Unfinished Journey — 1999
A.I. Artificial Intelligence — 2001
Minority Report — 2002
Catch Me If You Can — 2003

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