Review of film: “THE CONSPIRATOR” + Q&A with PRODUCER of the film & a HISTORIAN

2011, 03-05:

Review of film:  “THE CONSPIRATOR”  + Q&A with Film's Producer BRIAN FALK &  HISTORIAN EILEEN MACKEVICH

              How “Accountable” (and “accurate”) is “Guilty” In a Military Trial?...  

This is the first film released by an independent firm called The AMERICAN FILM COMPANY, & there was a special reception & advanced screening of it at the GENE SISKEL FILM CENTER on March 5^th organized by the ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL ( www.prairie.org )…

…  This movie (directed by ROBERT REDFORD) covers the true story of a generally “unknown” situation:  On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrended his forces to the Union’s General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending major hostilities in America’s CIVIL WAR…

…  Five days after that event,  President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, and well-known actor JOHN WILKES BOOTH was pursued (& supposedly shot) as the perpetrator of the crime.  That’s where the story tend to “stop” in the knowledge most Americans have of the event… 

…  But, there were eight OTHERS put on TRIAL for planning attacks on Lincoln and additional governmental officials, and this movie centers on that generally unfamiliar Trial…

…  The film starts out highlighting a 27-year-old Union Captain, Frederick Aiken (JAMES McAVOY), who was injured with his friend, Nicholas Baker (JUSTIN LONG) during a battle with Confederate forces.  After recovering, James --  who says “I’m eager to put the War BEHIND me…” -- becomes a LAWYER, working for a politician (Senator) named Reverdy Johnson (TOM WILKINSON)…

… The Government wanted to try all people they felt were involved with planning the assassination.  Their contention was, the plotters made their plans in a Washington rooming house owned by a 42-year-old ex-Southerner widow named Mary Surratt (ROBIN WRIGHT PENN), the only woman charged in the matter…

…  Some of the alleged plotters (who also worked to try to simultaneously kill Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State Edwin Stanton {KEVIN KLINE}) supposedly lived AT the rooming house, such as Robin’s son John Surratt Jr. (played by JOHNNY SIMMONS)…

…  Others, such as Booth (TOBY KEBBELL), admittedly lived elsewhere, but supposedly got together at Robin’s HOME to plan the series of attacks.  Although the government wanted to try Mary’s son John, he could NOT be found(despite the efforts of supposedly “250 agents”)…

…  At that point, Mary was charged with having knowledge of the anti-Union plans (partially in hopes that such an action might help convince John to turn himself in for the planned trials)…  Seemingly, she had only 1 day’s notice that she was to be charged (not leaving much time to mount a competent defense before the trial)…

…  Because of the massive unpopularity of those charged, no one was very eager to REPRESENT them at the planned hearings.  As in-effect head of his own law firm, Tom normally would have led the defense of Robin (Mary)--  but, since he himself had a “southern” background which he felt would be a detriment, he insisted that his war-hero associate JAMES (Frederick) take over her defense…

…  James was NOT at all eager to defend Robin, feeling she was probably guilty & his own reputation would be HARMED by association with the case.  His girlfriend, Sara Weston (ALEXIS BLEDEL), was also against his getting involved--  but Tom insisted Robin DESERVED to have a defense…  I think it was Tom who said, “Victory is like shit to flies…”

…  Reluctantly, James agrees to at least START the process of gathering facts for a defense.  He talks to Robin in prison (& makes his reservations clear about her case), & also meets with her daughter, Anna (EVAN RACHEL WOOD), who cautiously provides him with some requested evidence…             

…  Very religious Mary (Robin) insists she did NOT get involved in planning any attempted murder activity against Lincoln or his cabinet (tho she seems to admit to knowing her son had conspired in some plan to KIDNAP Lincoln)… 

…  With some reluctance, Frederick ((James) agrees to REPRESENT her as best he can…  To his displeasure, it’s clear there’s some degree of “RAILROADING” going on in the case:

…  The tribunal is completely a MILITARY rather than a civilian one, run with an iron hand by David Hunter (COLM MEANEY), who regularly rules on the side of the prosecuter Joseph Holt (DANNY HUSTON).  Even when James’ points are totally valid (such as there being no independent PROOF of what’s been stated), Colm rules AGAINST him…

…  Various witnesses are clearly not at all telling the “WHOLE TRUTH” (as there are obvious contradictions in what they’re saying, such as supposed Surratt family “friend” Joseph Weichmann {JONATHON GROFF} who testifies AGAINST Mary);  but, the court regularly refuses James’ efforts to get at the real truth…

…  All that makes James strive ever harder to determine real FACTS in the matter, but it doesn’t seem to matter as the case appears to be “pre-judged”, & Mary’s son does NOT turn himself in to help her situation… 

…  As Kevin points out at one point, it’s felt that the government shouldn’t even TRY to offer all promised “rights” to people in times of stress, because it’s “unfeasible” to expect that when the government ITSELF might be at risk…

…  James grows increasingly UPSET at how things are being handled…  At one point, on a gamble, he even approaches a JUDGE once appointed by Lincoln, trying to get him to issue a Writ of Habeas Corpus which would in-effect say Mary needed to be tried by a CIVILIAN rather than a military court (to overturn the verdict the Military court had made on June 30, 1865 in the matter of her)…

…  What happened to the three male “active” plotters tried along with Mary?...  What happened to the JUDGE’S intervention concerning Mary, & what eventually happened to HER?...  What happened to Frederick AIKEN after the trial?...

…  Most of those matters will be covered in the “Q&A” section reported after this REVIEW…  So, if you want to be “surprised” at the answers, you can “AVOID” that section & simply go see the movie after it opens on April 15^th (the Anniversary of the DEATH of Lincoln)…

…  Because of the fine acting & and careful “attention-to-detail” work in this true retelling of the story (as it’s known today), I’m rating the movie at 8.5 of 10 stars…

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      Q&A on “THE CONSPIRATOR” with Producer BRIAN FALK +  EILEEN MACKEVICH

After the film (which had been introduced by KRISTINA VALAITIS of the IL Humanities Council), the audience was pleased to hear a Q&A with the film’s producer, BRIAN FALK, & EILEEN MACKEVICH who is the Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential LIBRARY & MUSEUM in Springfield, IL…

…  A flyer given out before the screening gives a lot of historical information on the two main people in the story, Mary Surratt & Frederick A. Aiken (whose father was a minister)…

…  As the flyer states (beyond what the movie covers), the Military Commission submitted a CLEMENCY petition concerning Mary, which would have given her life in prison & eventual pardon (probably within 4 or so years) rather than having her hanged with the 3 active male plottters.  But, newly-installed President Johnson did NOT APPROVE the petition…

…  Aiken (as expected) found it difficult to find clients after he defended Mary, &, for various reasons, his law firm was DISSOLVED not long after the trial…

…  Eventually, he returned to his old profession of JOURNALISM & became the Washington Post’s first City Editor (a position he still held when he died in 1878 at age 46, from heart problems which were probably partially related to his war injuries)…

…  At the start of the Q&A, an audience member asked Brian about the BACKGROUND of his film company.  He said, it’s been financially backed by one member of the RICKETTS family, a “maverick” conservative who owns the Chicago CUBS baseball team, & he got together with liberal filmmaker ROBERT REDFORD since they were both eager to expand the public’s knowledge about our country’s  true history…

…  The company was founded in 2008, the movie was filmed in 2009, & it had only been screened for like 4-5 other groups before ours.  There are plans for like 4-5 more advance screenings around the country, after which the film will open nationally on April 15^th.  People can find out more information on FACEBOOK & at http://www.theamericanfilmcompany.com/ …

…  Brian and historian Eileen both spoke of how they hoped we’d spread INFO about the film by word-of-mouth, & also consider the possibility of encouraging screenings by informing people about the large DISCOUNTS available from theaters for GROUP purchases of tickets…

…  The film was made in New York & Georgia, the latter which had a rooming house [I think it was in Savannah] very close in dimensions & layout to the one that Mary had owned in DC.  The original script was written like 18 years ago, before the “9/11” terrorist actions increased interest in the subject of military vs civilian trials & the rights that people have in a time of WAR…

…  Originally, Booth & the conspirators had hoped that their planned efforts against the Union government would “reinvigorate” the Confederate WAR--  which is did not do in the slightest… 

…  At one point, it was stated that it’s quite possible that Booth decided on the attack against Lincoln at the “last minute”:  He was a well-known actor, had NO residence in DC, & had gone to the Theater to pick up MAIL that had been sent to him…

…  It’s speculated that Booth chanced to learn that Lincoln was going to attend a performance there at nite, & may have promptly initiated his assassination plan at that time…  His ability to get NEAR Lincoln was because he was well- known to people there, including the ushers / guards that would have been stationed around Lincoln (who would’ve had no reason to “suspect” Booth at the time)…

…  Brian related how KEVIN KLINE is a fervent STUDENT of history, & he thus loved the idea of appearing in the movie, especially in the vital role of Stanton who so “pushed” for the trials...

…  Since the story of the trials had been sort of “LOST” in teachings given the general U.S. public, Redford especially liked the idea of concentrating on it, particularly because of important CONSTITUTIONAL rights it would discuss…

…  An African-American member of the audience said, he quite liked the film overall--  but he would’ve liked to see some mention of the SLAVERY issue in it (since it was such a vital part of the War itself)…

…  Brian said, after it had been shot in “raw” form, they’d eventually removed two scenes of Holt (Danny Huston) since they were judged to be unimportant “mechanical” movements about the trial…  The hangings took place on July 7^th of 1865, &, in making the film,  they went out of their way to use the CONSULTANT services of a man who’d been in the JAG office…

…  Brian further commented that, at the trial, Joseph Holt not only acted as PROSECUTER, but also in-effect as a “lawyer” for the ACCUSED at the same time, which brought up a lot of “questions”…  He was even allowed to sit in on the DELIBERATIONS of the Military tribunal, & quite possibly “offered” some thoughts to them if he did sit in…

…  Brian spoke of how, about 1 year AFTER his mother Mary was hanged (as the first woman EVER executed by the U.S.), her son John Surratt turned himself IN to the government…  He was put on trial--  & ACQUITTED of the charges against him!  Not only that, but he soon went on SPEAKING TOURS around the U.S. & Europe, making a lot of money from that!...

…  To a question from the audience, Brian said, they put in the film that Stanton had Lincoln’s wife

REMOVED from the room where he was carried after being shot, because it’s true that her consistent wailing was distracting to the governmental people who were trying to decide what to DO about the unprecedented situation…

…  A lady in the audience brought up how it seemed true-to-reality how the film alluded to “questions” about Mary Surratt’s “loyalty”, since her strict Catholic upbringing made her somewhat  additionally “suspect” in that regard… 

…  A man in the audience related how he’d read that Booth had heard Lincoln SPEAK to a crowd around a week before the assassination, saying that he intended to allow the right to vote to certain BLACK people soon, & that may well have been another “catalyst” for Booth’s actions (which Brian agreed was true)…

…  Eileen spoke of how the movie may make it look like people were very “severe” on STANTON’s character--  but it’s accurate that he was in-effect at the FOREFRONT of the actions for holding the military TRIALS as they did…

… Brian & Eileen spoke about how the government used a REPEAL of the writ (right) to Habeas Corpus for Mary (to have a civilian trial).  They were unsure just when the rule was changed, but it was done soon AFTER her trial had started.  Overall, at the time, the general public was quite AGAINST Surratt, & so it was “easy” for them to push it through then…

…  A man in the audiendce said, he himself has been an author on Civil War books, & he wanted to COMMEND  Brian on the movie’s being a FINELY-done piece of work!...  Brian appreciated hearing that…

…  It was pointed out at one point that LINCOLN himself had repealed the writ of Habeas Corpus at some point during the WAR… 

…  As to Brian’s personal opinion about Mary, he said, because of the layout of her rooming house & all, she HAD to have known of some general PLANS against Lincoln’s government.  So, even if she did not actively get involved in the preparations, she almost certainly would’ve been guilty of at least association in  a “CONSPIRACY” sense…              

…  When asked, Brian said, they did NOT base the film on written works by Swanson, tho they DID use some work by McPHERSON... 

…  Someone in the audience said, while he quite liked the movie, he would’ve preferred the hiring of more native-born AMERICANS for the acting roles.  Brian said well, they had financial & other limitations, & their main concern was they wanted to get people who had the “looks & QUALITY” they were seeking, & he felt Wilkinson & McAvoy & others certainly provided that…     .  

…  Another person spoke of how it wasn’t mentioned in the movie that the man who killed Booth was given a REWARD for doing so, which Brian said was true:

…  [There was a $ 100,000 Reward offered for apprehending Booth.  He & another conspirator named David Herold were cornered in a barn.  Herold was shot, the barn had been set AFIRE & Stanton had ordered that Booth be captured alive…

…  The [Army] man who SHOT Booth thru some slats in the barn was named  “BOSTON” CORBETT, & Brian said Corbett claimed when he shot him [on April 26, 12 days after Lincoln was shot] that he thought Booth was about to use his weapons & that he was “afraid” to take him alive…

 […  Corbett later changed his story when others CONTRADICTED his claim about the weapons…  Stanton later decided the killing was OK, & Corbett got like $ 1653 as a reward…Twenty-two years later, he was forcibly put in an insane asylum, from which he escaped a year later…]

…  More was discussed about how Booth was able to get so close to Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre--  how one guard was leaving his usual post when Booth arrived, how another guard decided to watch the PLAY rather than worry about protecting Lincoln, etc…

…  Brian spoke of how, per the insistence of the Pinkerton Agency guards, Lincoln had previously been told to let there be FALSE trains sent into town when he was supposed to arrive.  But, when various journalists made “FUN” of Lincoln for using such ruses, he STOPPED listening to the cautious  entreaties of the Pinkerton people about his security…

…  Eileen pointed out, there were so many possible ways that the shooting might have been avoided.  For example, General GRANT was supposed to JOIN Lincoln at the play.  Grant had great “peripheral vision”, fine hearing  & almost a “6^th sense” about things that were happening around him… 

…  So, if Grant had been there, he might have FORESTALLED Booth’s actions…  But, Lincoln’s wife Mary had a FEUD with Grant’s wife, & thus Grant didn’t come to the play because of that!...  A lady in the audience (Judy M.) commented on how she liked the ACCURACY of the film, the way the exceptionally-tall Lincoln had to be put diagonally on the bed after he’d been shot & all…

…  Brian spoke more about the American Film Company.  He said, it’s important to them to show that “people of good faith [can] disagree” in a CIVIL way about scripts & the like, & they want to have a reputation for credibility, & produce items that “resonate in the marketplace”…

 

…  He said, they hope to do a film about JOHN BROWN next, & Brian & Eileen urged people to turn in their COMMENT forms & tell others about the film, “LIKE” them on Facebook,& consider having others SEE the film using “GROUP” tickets, etc…

…  AFTER the public talk, I spoke briefly to EILEEN, thanking her for an interesting afternoon.  When I asked her thoughts on who might have “pushed” President JOHNSON to CANCEL the judge’s saying Mary should have a civilian trial (as Aiken had urged him to allow), she said, Johnson claimed he NEVER SAW [or signed] any such order! …

…  So, it’s very UNCLEAR just who did “what” in that matter…  But Johnson, a southerner who had been put on Lincoln’s ticket because he was a NORTHERN (Union) sympathizer, would have been in-effect very cautious about doing anything that might go against the wishes of most Union supporters [especially because he was soon the subject of an IMPEACHMENT effort]…. 

…  And, he seemingly quite agreed with STANTON’S basic proposition that the government couldn’t always guarantee ALL Civil liberties to people at a time when the government itself was being THREATENED…  So, all the facts on the Surratt matter simply aren’t KNOWN today…

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