This is one of the most powerful scenes Spielberg has ever shot. In Amistad, Cinque stands in court to deliver one of his few English language lines: “Give us us free!” It’s a moment Spielberg anticipates with his use of light, as warm sunshine enters into the courtroom when the case begins turning the slaves’ way.
The light is seen on the face of a British naval officer who defends Cinque and a bible that one of the slaves is reading. Finally, Spielberg cuts to a wide shot where the whole courtroom is bathed in a yellow glow.
