‘Amazing Grace’ Twenty Years Later: Producer Bob Beltz on the Legacy and Relevance of the Pioneering Film
The faith-based film industry is booming, thanks in large part to pioneering films that proved stories of faith could be not just inspirational but also captivating works of cinema.
Many people rightly point to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004) as the genesis of today’s faith-based film industry. Amazing Grace, a film released two years later, is often overlooked, but its contribution was significant. Today, the cinematic portrayal of the life of William Wilberforce, a pivotal figure in the anti-slavery movement in England, remains as relevant as it was when the film was first released 20 years ago.
Speaking with The Collision, producer Bob Beltz (who also produced the Chronicles of Narnia films with Walden Media) shared that the time is right for Amazing Grace to reach new audiences. “There is a little bit of a resurgence in the area of faith among many young men and women today,” Beltz said. He also noted that he considers William Wilberforce to be “one of the most remarkable human beings that has ever walked the planet. He changed the world and had an immense impact that we still experience today . . . . Hopefully this next generation will be encouraged to be the kind of person he was and to make a difference.”
A central narrative tension in Amazing Grace is William Wilberforce’s struggle to reconcile his calling as a Christian with his platform as a politician. It’s a tension Beltz has experienced himself while serving as a Christian minister and a special advisor for Walden Media. He joked that he should write a book called “What’s a Nice Pastor Like You Doing in Hollywood?” He has never lost his minister’s heart, but he also recognizes the power of cinema and the impact it can have on the Christian mission.
Twenty years ago, faith-based movies were criticized for their poor quality. But Beltz argued that by creating films like the Narnia series and Amazing Grace, the team at Walden Media were “pioneers.” He claimed that their mission “was to make high-quality films that can have an influence.” In hindsight, he’s proud that the success of those projects “opened the door for a moment of openness to films with faith.” Two decades later, he’s encouraged by The Great Awakening and other Christian films that “utilize these instruments to make an influence in culture.”
In an era in which many people believe cultural change is only achievable through angry outbursts and violence, Wilberforce’s peaceful tactics demonstrate a noteworthy alternative. And having joined Parliament at just 21 years old, his story is an example of a member of the younger generation leading the charge for social justice.
“He made a change,” Beltz reflected. “So much of the upper classes of England got engaged in these societies that he had started to take on education . . . and healthcare for the poor. They tried to tackle everything . . . They took on every evil in British culture. We hope that the film will have that kind of an impact on this new generation.”
In honor of Amazing Grace’s 20th anniversary, there are plans to make the film more widely available so new audiences can be inspired by the incredible story of William Wilberforce.
Beltz pointed out that Wilberforce “set out to change the world and did. What you and I might be called to do might not have the drama or the scope of what he did. Yet all he did was respond to what he sensed God wanted him to do. Our hope is that people will . . . be motivated to step out, perhaps with a new kind of courage that maybe they didn’t have before.”
For more information, visit https://www.amazinggracemovie.com/
