Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
The story of William Wilberforce, who spearheaded the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in 18th century England. As a Member of Parliament Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) successfully challenged entrenched interests by assembling a diverse coalition of slavery opponents. Also with Albert Finney, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Gambon and Romola Garai. Directed by Michael Apted. [1:51]
SEX/NUDITY 2 - In a public house, men kiss the necks and cleavage of women who wear period low-cut dresses. Women wear period low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage. ► A husband and wife kiss in a few scenes. ► A man and a woman try to arrange a romantic meeting between a man and a woman.
the review continues below...
VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - We hear about a slave ship burning and of many people dying, and we see a boy engulfed in flames. ► A man shows shackles and talks in detail about the conditions of slave ships. in several scenes. We see the hold of a slave ship and a man talks about women being shackled and raped. ► A horse is brutally whipped and kicked by two men (we hear the animal whimpering), and another man tells them to let the horse rest and stop hitting it. ► A man suffers from the memories of commanding a slave ship, and is unable to forget the horrific sights that he experienced. ► A man gambles using his slave as a bet, and another man refuses to participate using these stakes. ► We hear that people were buried alive. People talk about many people dying from dysentery while traveling on slave ships and about problems with waste disposal. ► A man shows a scar from being branded as a slave. A man who has lost his legs pulls himself along the ground using his hands. We see that a man is missing fingers on one hand. A man collapses from abdominal pain in a few scenes. A man appears very sick and weak through most of the movie. ► A man yells at a woman.
PROFANITY 2 - 1 anatomical term, 4 mild obscenities, 2 derogatory terms for Africans, 2 religious exclamations. [profanity glossary]
SUBSTANCE USE - A man takes laudanum in many scenes. A man drinks alcohol from a flask and shares it with another man, men and women drink alcohol in several scenes, several men drink alcohol and gamble, and people are shown drinking wine at a dinner. Men smoke pipes. A man takes medicine to help him sleep. A man talks about opium.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Slavery, politics, appeasement, justice, humanity, morality, gambling, change, guilt, regret, dysentery, caution, brutality, finding God, charities, fear, compassion, friendship, making a better world, political activism, solitude, forgiveness.
MESSAGE - Moral and political progress are slow in coming, but well worth fighting for.
A CAVEAT: We've gone through several editorial changes since we
started covering films in 1992 and some of our early standards were
not as stringent as they are now. We therefore need to revisit many
older reviews, especially those written prior to 1998 or so; please
keep this in mind if you're consulting a review from that period.
While we plan to revisit and correct older reviews our resources are
limited and it is a slow, time-consuming process.
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