I'm really looking forward to do an interview this afternoon with Ken Wales, the Hollywood producer of the film of William Wilberforce's life, AMAZING GRACE. I've just seen the trailer and I was in tears at the end of it. God knows what seeing the whole film will be like! The interview will be on 18 Doughty Street tonight at 8pm, and I'll link the archive version on here when it's been uploaded.
UPDATE: You can watch the interview HERE.
That means neither of you will have to go and watch Dave/id Cameron's HUMBUG at the Wilberforce Lecture 2007. Where did he and his Bullingdon chums get their millions? And is it true that most of them banked with Barclays to spite the NUS Anti-Apartheid Campaign? And will Dave/id apologise for those dog whistle attack adds aimed at appealling to racists in Howard's campaign.
ReplyDeleteAs this is an american film about an English national hero, no doubt Mr Wilberforce will be American who, half way through the film, finds himself winning the Battle Of Britain by teaching RAF Spitfire pilots how to be brave and shoot down Nazi planes.
ReplyDeleteAnd is it true that most of them banked with Barclays to spite the NUS Anti-Apartheid Campaign?
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for them, but I know I certainly did.
You might just ask why there is only one token black in the cast and no black extras? Is this not writing them out of history? Creating a sort of censored rewriting of history?
ReplyDeleteJailhouse, if you want unfair history loon no further than the beebs "documentary" last Friday. You'd think Wilberforce had done nothing the way it went on, it was just another excuse to try an guilt trip people over slavery.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Arabs feel guiltly over slavery, given that they still control the slave trade. I wonder if the African tribes that sold their fellow Africans into bondage feel guilty.
ReplyDeleteVerity, I was wondering about this myself, because the way I see it slavery has been around for thousands of years, so why should the collective guilt of all mankind be layed at the feet of anyone born white. There was a million white slaves in Morocco in the 17th and 18th Century, the Turks had slaves, the Romans had slaves, the Egyptians had slaves. Why is it made out like Britain somehow invented slavery! Then a man like Wilberforce's work is devalued because he is somehow connected in the biased beeb's mind to guilt for the slave trade in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI would have complained to the BBC, but we all know that if I suggest the show was biased, I'll be dismissed as a racist instead of someone who just wants to see a fair press for a politician I've always admired.
* "of anyone born white"
ReplyDeleteThat was meant to read of everyone born white, in that guilt is not race specific.
amillionpieces: Don't let your fear put you off complaining, one of Iain's pet subjects is the BBC's bias.
ReplyDeleteAll the best people come from Hull!
ReplyDeleteAndy Percy: I'll second that motion. Them that inhabit Westminister Village, inside the M25, don't know about life outside of it let alone about life up North. Are you up for ending the modern slavery in your neck of the woods?
ReplyDeleteIain: I saw the 121 with the producer of Amazing Grace. Here's a big compliment, not a complaint, it was amazing. I am a tad amazed that you were amazed about the power of the trailer to sell the message. Admit it, it was more powerful than A world without America. It needs to sell bums on seats. It is a money making venture just like slavery was back then and modern slavery is still today in Hull and throughout the UK.
The difficulty as I see it is that some people will have difficulty sitting down with their heads stuck up their bums.
I will probably see the film, if only to see if its all its cracked out to be. But, I suspect it will be a very sanitised version to suit most people's palate.
I understand that David Davis is a MP for somewhere around this area. Not exactly high profile on this slavery issue is he? Or I would know where is was MP for. I could Google it. But, why should I? If he can't be arsed to make contact why should I bother to look him up?
It's not just the power of bloggers. It's the power of the people as expressed through blogs. Tories up North are like Audis in a matchbox.
The Wilbeforce March is heading for London, why not join them and do an outside broadcast? The walk would do you good after sitting too long in your Audi. Bit of adventure never harmed nobody. Except those who died in the search for it.
To sum up. Amazing interview. Let's hope the film turns out to be as good for its artistic merit. It could turn out to be another Shawshank Redemption.
Cheers for that jaihouselawyer. Hull is a great place, as is our region as a whole.
ReplyDeleteDavid Davis is MP for Haltemprice and Howden, basically Cottingham, Willerby, Kirk Ella and all points west to Howden.
The posh end of town you mean?
ReplyDelete