This paper is a discussion of the characterization of Cinque, an African who, with many of his countrymen, was kidnapped from his home and forcibly transported to Cuba on the Spanish slave ship La Amistad. Cinque's attempts to return his people to freedom led to a series of historic trials, culminating in an appearance in 1841 before the U. S. Supreme Court, which ultimately decided in his favor. This story forms the basis of a powerful film by Steven Spielberg, Amistad, that, while not entirely factual, paints an effective picture of the brutality of slavery and the courage needed to fight it. The movie also creates a striking portrait of Cinque, the African whose place in the historical narrative is significant but about whom little is actually known. The film makes him a rich, three-dimensional character.
Amistad begins with an extreme closeup of a metal spike pinning a leg iron to a plank, as a bloodied hand finally succeeds in tearing the spike from the wood. The image is illuminated by flashes of lightning, as a terrific storm rages at sea. This opening moment neatly summarizes Spielberg's central premise, showing both the brutal horror of the enslavement of human beings and the ferocious drive for freedom that slavery can engender.
The imprisoned hand and the determination to escape belong to a man named Cinque (Djimon Hounsou). He and the other black men crowded into the hold of the Spanish slave ship La Amistad have been violently kidnapped from their home in Africa and are now being transported across the ocean to become the property of masters in the Americas.
In flashbacks, Spielberg shows the joyful simplicity of their previous life and the woman Cinque left behind. All that he has to remember her by is a small bone ornament, which he keeps hidden and treasures as his most valued possession. Flashbacks also show the terror sparked by the slavers, herding unsuspecting Africans into their nets for the te...