SYNOPSICS
Freedom (2014) is a English movie. Peter Cousens has directed this movie. Cuba Gooding Jr.,Sharon Leal,David Rasche,Kimberly Nichole are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2014. Freedom (2014) is considered one of the best Drama,Music movie in India and around the world.
Two men separated by 100 years are united in their search for freedom. In 1856 a slave, Samuel Woodward and his family, escape from the Monroe Plantation near Richmond, Virginia. A secret network of ordinary people known as the Underground Railroad guide the family on their journey north to Canada. They are relentlessly pursued by the notorious slave hunter Plimpton. Hunted like a dog and haunted by the unthinkable suffering he and his forbears have endured, Samuel is forced to decide between revenge or freedom. 100 years earlier in 1748, John Newton the Captain of a slave trader sails from Africa with a cargo of slaves, bound for America. On board is Samuel's great grandfather whose survival is tied to the fate of Captain Newton. The voyage changes Newton's life forever and he creates a legacy that will inspire Samuel and the lives of millions for generations to come.
Freedom (2014) Reviews
Great!
Great movie... great music. True historical facts are revealed at the end. It's the first movie I've ever seen that's specifically about the Underground Railroad. Beautiful scenery and costuming. At times I felt that I was watching a Broadway show... which is a definite thumbs up. Don't listen to a negative review on this movie as the subject matter is too important! Some parts of the movie are tough to watch, for sure. Learning about the person that wrote "Amazing Grace" was fascinating. No spoilers here! You can't help but fall in love with Philip Boykin!! A great performance and a great voice! Bravo!! I'll definitely recommend this movie to friends. I'm a bit surprised I didn't hear of it when it came out. I guess it was a sleeper. (I've written 9 lines... my first review. I think IMDb should change it's requirement of 10 lines to leave a review. It's too much. Make it 6, 7, or 8 lines max.)
A Faith Based film of Calibre
Based on actual events, this period drama ticks all the boxes for acting, cinematography, set design, script and direction. It is a well- produced, emotive tale that looks like it came straight from Hollywood and proves once and for all, that faith based films don't have to be sub-standard. While the film leans heavily on the themes of faith and the freedom that comes from believing in God, it is not contrived. It's because the era and the real life characters, on which the film was based, truly behaved as such. Ultimately the lessons of the film would be that men may shackle your limbs but they cannot shackle your soul. Sin may bind your heart but God can set it free. While it is rated M for Australian viewers, my 13 year old loved it and it opened her eyes about the terrible history of slavery. In addition, the audience is reminded that there are more people trafficked and bound in slavery today, than at any other time in the history of mankind.
Beautiful and Haunting
Australian musical theatre star, Peter Cousens, has reinvented himself as a film director, and his debut feature is not a cheap slasher horror or gritty suburban crime thriller, but a big budget drama tackling important social and historical issues, shot in the US with a big name cast. Aspiring filmmakers should be jealous. I know I am. Coming hot on the heels of Django Unchained and other slavery themed productions, it is easy to dismiss Freedom as Twelve Years A Slave-Lite but Cousens' feature is a very different creature altogether. Screenwriter Timothy A. Chey runs two plot lines in parallel. The first is set in 1856, following slave Samuel Woodward (Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his family as they escape from a plantation in Richmond, Virginia and begin their dangerous journey to Canada on the Underground Railroad. Not far behind throughout their journey is slave hunter, Plimpton (William Sadler). Almost 100 years earlier, we meet ship captain John Newton (Bernhard Forcher) who is struggling with his faith and conscience as he transports slaves, including Samuel's great grandfather, to the New World. This reviewer found the second plot line to be the least effective. Although developing a human connection to his cargo through a series of incidents at sea, Newton's final expression of kindness is to pen the hymn, "Amazing Grace", not save anybody from their hell-like future existence. I suppose the song does provide Samuel and family some comfort and motivation a century later. It may also have helped my understanding of the film had I been aware that John Newton composed the iconic song. Pardon my ignorance, I assumed it was written by God. Samuel's tale, on the other hand, is a gripping tale of escape and near recapture, and I was willing Gooding Jnr. and co to get across the border throughout the whole 98 minute runtime. Although not a musical, Freedom uses music, in particular singing, as a metaphor for the humanity that we all share. I was moved by some of the numbers, sung in their entirety, such as the joyous singalong between the escapees and a troupe of theatre performers, including Australian musical theatre headliner Tony Sheldon. Less successful were a few songs, performed out of context, musical theatre style, especially Samuel's wife Vanessa (Sharon Leal) breaking into tune whilst walking inside a church. The result was being snapped out of my engrossment and remembering that I was watching a film. Freedom was shot on location in Connecticut. It looks beautiful, courtesy of cinematographer Dean Cundey (Back to the Future, Apollo 13). The cast is wonderful. I have no idea how Cousens' managed to enlist such a lineup for his first feature. Cuba Gooding Jnr. really delivers in his best performance in years as his Samuel struggles between the choice of revenge or freedom. William Sadler is capably menacing as a slave hunter with ethics. Even one of my favourites, Terrence Mann (The Dresden Files, A Chorus Line) makes an appearance. Peter Cousens has concocted a beautiful and haunting film which will appeal to a "Best Exotic Marigold" audience. Despite its religious undertones which frankly did not bother a non-believer like me, Freedom still has plenty to say about slavery, an issue which is just as relevant now as it was in 1748 and 1856.
Great story, well told
I had the opportunity to read the original screenplay when it was sent to an actor- friend of mine and it was a marvelous screenplay which I heartily recommended to everyone. It was like a multi-coloured tapestry set during the underground railroad system. As a Brit, we ended slavery before the Americans I'm afraid. However, upon watching the movie, it appears they changed so much of the screenplay it's almost unrecognizable. And that's a pity. This had all the elements of a tour de force movie, but it fell flat. Especially the ending. I remember the screenplay had the lead character saying a very profound speech which matched the motif of John Newton's character where both the slave hunter and Newton find redemption. No such thing in the movie. Anyway I give the film an 8 out of 10 for effort.
Worst movie I've seen in a long time
This is the worst movie I've seen in a long time, Faith and religion are persistently rammed down your throat throughout the movie. The 2 stories were disjointed and i felt arbitrarily linked. I don't understand why they choose to what seemed like worshiping John Newton (the captain of the ship delivering the slaves), it was like they were saying that he saved them by giving them his Bible but yet he still delivered his cargo of slaves which i feel conflicts with the intended purpose of the movie. Its like saying slavery is sufferable if you have religion. The characters were unconvincing, simple and predictable with scenes that were so over dramatic it was cringe worthy.