Directed by Michael Apted, Based on a true story, In 1784, 21-year-old William Wilberforce was elected to the British House of Commons, and soon established himself as a politician with a conscience. Several years later, his close friend William Pitt became prime minister, and together they made a bold plan to introduce a bill banning slavery before the English legislature. Wilberforce was aided by anti-slavery activists Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson; however, pro-slavery hard-liners Lord Tarleton and the Duke of Clarence spearheaded a hard-fought opposition to the legislation, and despite Wilberforce’s best efforts, his bill went down in defeat. In 1797, Wilberforce left politics due to poor health and a battered spirit.
