Amistad (1997). What message is your chosen work trying to make about its depicted period and place in history? Consider whether this message is effective or accurate. Please illustrate with examples from the film and the course.

Please do not simply recite a plot summary. Focus on identifying and dissecting the film’s main theme(s) about the history in question. Please observe the standard essay writing rules, regarding formatting, length, and the like.

These are some questions that may help with writing.

• If there is a conflict, how does the film portray each side and their motivations? Is one side clearly in the right, or wrong?
• What is the relationship between peoples of different backgrounds (race, nationality, religion, class, etc.)? How are each portrayed?
• Are the attitudes and ideas in the film appropriate for the setting, or reflecting modern biases?
• Is there anything conspicuously present in the film that should not be there? Is there anything that is absent that should be in the film?
• Why did the filmmakers create this movie? Have these motives influenced the filmmakers’ interpretation of the depicted period in history?