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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Civil War Entertainment: Books, Movies, Music & Art > Civil War in Movies and on TV > "The Conspiritor" Civil War Movie from Robert Redford |
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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Civil War Entertainment: Books, Movies, Music & Art > Civil War in Movies and on TV > "The Conspiritor" Civil War Movie from Robert Redford |
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| "The Conspiritor" Civil War Movie from Robert Redford | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sun Feb 20th, 2011 12:42 pm |
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1st Post |
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Captain Crow Progressive Southerner 
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looks okay...at least it's not a subject that's been done to death. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSPo4AOoKXU&feature=player_embedded
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| Posted: Sun Feb 20th, 2011 06:10 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Michael F. Blake Member
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I worked with one of the film's hairdressers last December & we talked a great deal about the making of the film. It sounds like it will be quite interesting, and has some paraelles to what went on (i.e., patriot act) after 9/11. In any event, you gotta tip the hat to Robert Redford that he got the film made. Most studios today would pass on making a Civil War film....unless they could bring in some aliens!
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| Posted: Sun Feb 20th, 2011 11:43 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Captain Crow Progressive Southerner
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I'm definitely going to maybe see it....
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| Posted: Fri Apr 8th, 2011 02:54 pm |
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4th Post |
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TimK Member
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Robert Redford was on the Today show talking about his/this movie. My wife actually said she would like to go with me to see it.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16th, 2011 05:46 am |
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5th Post |
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Michael F. Blake Member
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Just got back from seeing the film & my wife & I really enjoyed it. Wonderful performances from everyone, and attention to detail was quite good. I say it is definitely worth seeing.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17th, 2011 09:14 pm |
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6th Post |
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CleburneFan Member 
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Hubby and I saw the film today. I was fascinated from start to finish. I thought the acting was especially good and was amazed how many of the actors resembled their counterparts in history. John Wilkes Booth...not so much, however. It was too bad they had to gloss over the events leading up to and the actual assassination in order to get on with the trial and execution, but the movie would have been at least four hours long with more detail. Hubby thought parts of the movie were a little slow, but he's a guy that needs lots of action so I know he'll love Fast Five when it comes out soon, but he did feel that the show was very even handed in the presentation. We both felt the Yanks were made to look as bad as the Southerners, especially Stanton and the General Hunter who ran the tribunal. The execution part was so realistic and my heart was beating so hard for Mary Surratt that I almost felt like I was stepping up to that noose. I also felt sorry for the defense lawyer because he was vilified and ostracized by all his friends and colleagues. I highly recommend this movie to Civil War buffs, but unfortunately I just read this movie is not doing well at the box office. It is a pity because a waste-of-time movie such as "Authur" does so much better. Go figure. Anyway, in short, I really enjoyed this movie and it deserves to be seen by so many more people than have turned out to see it. i
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18th, 2011 03:13 pm |
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7th Post |
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Michael F. Blake Member
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It is doing reasonably well at the box office for its release. It is playing in limited number of theatres compared to "Arthur" or "Hop," so its B.O. intake is less. In Los Angeles it is playing at about 10 theatres roughly.
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19th, 2011 02:22 pm |
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8th Post |
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Old North State Member
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It was highly recommended by my cousin, who said he had been very reluctant to go to see it, but had been urged to do so by his wife. He thought it was excellent.
____________________ "While we live we will cherish, protect and defend her." |
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| Posted: Wed Apr 20th, 2011 12:38 am |
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9th Post |
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CleburneFan Member
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I'm really glad they enjoyed it. I saw it in our local movie plex with 28 theaters. The Conspirator was being shown in one of their largest theaters and screens. Unfortnately, I judge there were not two dozen people there, if that many. Hubby and I did go to the first showing, but even so, it seemed as if the theater was expecting many more people or they would have shown the film in one of their smaller auditoriums. I'm glad I could see it on the big screen though.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 23rd, 2011 03:03 am |
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10th Post |
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Basecat Member
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I saw it tonight, and I thought is was very good as well. I too thought they rushed through the events of the assassination, but one of the few quibbles I had with the film. Very well acted, and in terms of historical detail, they obviously did their homework in tersm of where the trial was held, and the hangings. Nothing new learning wise, and I went into it not making a comparison about politics back then and politics now. I focused on back then. That said, am glad I saw it and recommend it to all. Regards from the Garden State, Steve
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| Posted: Sun Apr 24th, 2011 09:07 pm |
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11th Post |
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Barlow Member 
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http://thisweekinthecivilwar.com/2011/04/23/historical-inaccuracies-in-the-conspirator/ Let the inaccuracies as noted by Civil War buffs begin.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 25th, 2011 10:08 am |
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12th Post |
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susansweet2 Member
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I saw the movie last night with friends and first of all will say I love it and will recommend it to friends. I could nitpick it to death though with little mistakes that only someone would know if they were into Civil War . Costumes were wonderful except why did they focus in one scene on the woman holding a cheap sandelwood fan that you can buy in any gift shop that sells Civil War stuff for kids. The things I would nitpick do not spoil the movie or the flow of the movie. Just little mistakes in the history. The people of the Surratt house said it best . Several of the Surratt House Museum’s staff and members were invited to private screenings of “The Conspirator” before its nationwide release in April. They were pleasantly surprised. The following is a short review of the film. The movie focuses on the imprisoned Mary Surratt and her relationship with defense lawyer, Frederick Aiken, who is forced into defending her and soon becomes convinced that she does not deserve to die. The two starring roles are portrayed by Robin Wright and James McAvoy, both of whom do very credible and convincing jobs. Other major players are good also. Assassination buffs will find fault with some of the casting because they are so familiar with what the Booth conspirators actually looked like. Our museum director wanted to add hair extensions to Edwin Stanton’s (Kevin Kline’s) beard! The film was shot in Savannah, Georgia, because Washington, D.C. could not offer the 1865 atmosphere needed. For the pure historian, Savannah will appear a little too elegant for the nation’s capital of the Civil War era; and substituting Fort Pulaski for the Washington Arsenal Penitentiary doesn’t quite work. Surrounded by a moat, Pulaski appears to look more like Mudd’s prison at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. Again, the general audience will not be aware of this. It is our firm belief that, in order to learn history one must enjoy history. “The Conspirator” is enjoyable and educational when one realizes the strong-arm tactics that a military judicial system used to quickly convict the conspirators, stifle discontent, and move on with restoring the Union.
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| Posted: Thu Sep 8th, 2011 06:40 am |
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13th Post |
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Hellcat Person 
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Finally got to see it this week. One question, was that battlefield scene at the start of the film really needed? I mean I guess the point was to say Aiken was a vet and he had reason to later be against defending Surrat or any of the people on trial. But it just seemed ultimately pointless to me when it seems they could have easily driven home that idea at the party scene. Last edited on Mon Dec 5th, 2011 12:40 am by Hellcat |
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| Posted: Thu Sep 8th, 2011 11:07 am |
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14th Post |
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Mark Member
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I thought the movie was very well done. One of the best Civil War era movies out there. My one concern was that they had a difficult time really demonstrating the absolute panic and confusion in Washington immediately following the assassination. It might have made Stanton a more sympathetic character. Mark
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| Posted: Fri Sep 9th, 2011 02:23 am |
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15th Post |
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Hellcat Person
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I'm not sure Stanton needs to be seen as such. Yes there was quite a bit of panic following Lincoln's assassination, but I think some of Stanton's actions were questionable and Redford was going for him to not be a sympathetic character.
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| Posted: Fri Sep 9th, 2011 11:50 am |
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16th Post |
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Mark Member
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I agree with your assessment Hellcat: movies need villains, but history is rarely black and white. The same company is working on a John Brown movie. I'm interested to see what they make of THAT. Mark
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| Posted: Sun Dec 4th, 2011 01:29 pm |
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17th Post |
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pender Member 
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Just rented and watched this movie last night. Expected a long drawn out and not so historically accurate film. But I was really impressed. Alot better than I thought it would be, even my wife and oldest son liked it. Thought Stanton was seen in his true character. IMO he was worse than the movie showed. Most of the northern radical's in the Government of that time did not give a hoot about the Constitution. Pender Last edited on Sun Dec 4th, 2011 04:00 pm by pender |
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| Posted: Mon Dec 5th, 2011 02:30 am |
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18th Post |
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Albert Sailhorst Member 
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I read all the reviews and listened with awe to the descriptions of the movie from my freinds....I rented it last month and was sorry I did so....Perhaps my expectations were too high.....Would I ever recomend NOT seeing it??.....NO!!.....I would advise seeing it and drawing your own conclusions..... In my opinion, the plot was: Aiken: I don't want to defend her Stanton: You have to defend her! Surrat: Leave me alone! Aiken: I am trying to help! Other than that, the redundancy bored me. I think, to have done Mary Surrat more accurate justice, I would like to have seen her pre-assassination relationship with her son, Booth, Atzerod, etc.....
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22nd, 2012 03:49 am |
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19th Post |
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sallieparker Member
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Mark wrote:I thought the movie was very well done. One of the best Civil War era movies out there. My one concern was that they had a difficult time really demonstrating the absolute panic and confusion in Washington immediately following the assassination. It might have made Stanton a more sympathetic character. It is very hard to imagine a sympathetic Stanton. Stanton was wary of Lincoln, and for all his theatrical grieving ("Now he belongs to the ages") he and the Radical Republicans were initially very pleased to have Andrew Johnson instead of the high-minded Lincoln with his charity prattle and his eagerness to bring the South back into the family. In his early months Johnson came across as a firebrand of vengeance—for example, hanging Mrs. Surratt and overruling her habeas corpus writ. And how quickly Stanton turned on the new President when Johnson started to show some Lincolnesque leniency.
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