Rhode Island State House, "Amistad" - Providence, RI
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 41° 49.806 W 071° 24.896
19T E 299463 N 4633732
The movie Amistad uses the Rhode Island Capitol Building (Statehouse) in the movie to portray the Massachusetts Capitol building in 1839.
Waymark Code: WM10DW
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 12/02/2006
Views: 99
The Rhode Island Statehouse's most well known feature is its large Georgian Marble, self supporting dome, the 4th largest in the world. In the movie this distinguished facade is used as a backdrop for the exit from the Statehouse of former President John Quincy Adams (then a Massachusetts Senator) and a converstion between him and 2 abolitionists.
Based on a true story that took place in 1839, Amistad tells of the journey of a group of enslaved West Africans who overtake their captor’s ship and attempt to return to their homeland. When the Spanish ship, La Amistad is seized these captives are brought to the US where they are charged with murder. Enthralling court battles in both the State and Federal Supreme courts ensue and capture the attention of a nation questioning its current tolerance of slavery.
Amistad is Steven Spielberg’s first film for Dreamworks Pictures and stars a distinguished cast including: Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams, Djimon Hounsou as the lead character, Cinque, Matthew McConaughy as his lawyer, Baldwin, Morgan Freeman as the abolitionist, Theodore Joadson, and Anna Paquin as the 11 year old Queen Isabella the II of Spain.
The movie was nominated for 4 Academy Awards – Best Supporting Actor (Hopkins), Best Music, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design. It had 6 wins and 22 nominations for other awards outside of the Academy.
The pictures I chose from the movie show the shot of the facade and its great dome, and then the conversation between Hopkins' and Freeman's characters in front of the facade. Since the movie was filmed, a large mall has been built across from the Capitol building, making it nearly impossible to get a shot of the entire facade. The picture I took was as close as I could get on the day I was there due to more construction.
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