Amazing Grace the movie

Posted on April 23, 2008 by admin in Homeschooling, Random Thoughts

My girls and I watched the movie Amazing Grace again last night. Here’s the trailer from YouTube:

I’m not a big fan of Hollywood - they tend to muck up a history to bump up entertainment value but in this case, I think they did really well.

Although the trailer says the movie is the story behind the song, that’s not really the case. Certainly the song’s author, John Newton, is an integral part of the story line of the movie and his history as a slave ship captain who repents during a violent storm at sea is the reason for writing the song. But the movie is really the history of Wilberforce and his fight to end the slave trade.

I don’t remember learning much about William Wilberforce during my school days. In fact, I don’t think I learned about him at all. We’ll be studying more about him now in our homeschooling adventure in the days to come because here is a man who truly changed the world for the better. I’d encourage you to run to your library and borrow the movie or rent it.

Better yet buy it from Amazon and watch it a few times. The second time we watched we found new insights about the supporting characters that we missed in the first pass. I found that I went from liking the movie to REALLY liking the movie enough to recommend it to others with a second viewing.

And, just for fun, here are the words to the song from that slave ship captain turned priest that we all know and love. Try to turn off the “tune” that automatically goes into your head and really read the words if you can - they’re powerful:

“Amazing Grace” (words from Wikipedia)

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

John Newton, Olney Hymns (London: W. Oliver, 1779)

My hymnbook has another verse:
When we’ve been there
ten thousand years
bright shining as the son
We’ve no less days to sing God’s grace
than when we’d first begun

And then, even for more fun, here’s Amazing Grace as it should be sung!