The Conspirator

Just saw the trailer for Robert Redford's new film about the trial of Mary Surratt, the only woman charged in the Lincoln assassination. Stars Robin Wright Penn as Surratt, James McAvoy as her attorney, Evan Rachel Wood as her daughter, Danny Huston as the prosecutor, Tom Wilkinson as McAvoy's mentor and Kevin Kline as U.S. attorney general Edwin Stanton.

Opens April 15.

Looking forward to this one. When Redford does a period piece, it's almost always outstanding ...

 

Is it getting a wide release?

 

Evidently. The trailer I saw ran during CBS Sunday Morning today, which they usually don't do for "limited release" films.

 

looks good

 

It does look good, but if the movie is going to take the stance she wasn't guilty of conspiracy, then it's trying to rewrite history. Dr. Samuel Mudd would be a better subject in that case.

I've always thought the manhunt for Booth would make a great movie, but the problem with writing a script is it's hard to make one person the main protagonist.

 

Yeah, Mudd got hosed majorly. Two guys show up at his door. One is injured. As a doctor, he has taken an oath to help the sick. He does so, sends them on their way and - if I'm not mistaken - he goes to the authorities and alerts them only to be accused or being a conspirator.

 

Mudd treated Booth and sent him on his way, but he was a Confederate sympathizer and acquainted with Booth. It's likely he hadn't heard about the assassination yet when he took him in, but he didn't report what he knew in a timely manner, and may have actually lied about it, but that's likely because he was scared shitless of both Booth and the Federal authorities.

Of course Mudd was eventually pardoned and never executed, so he fared better than Mary Surratt. I don't think there would have been nearly the fuss over M. Surratt's hanging if she was a man.

 

Yeah, Mudd was sent to Ft. Jefferson off Key West for a time and released. He even helped doctor the prisoners when some sort of epidemic broke out.
Apparently, most everyone should have known who Booth was. One program on the History Channel even referred to him as the Brad Pitt of the day. I found that funny.

The ultimate irony of the whole deal is Booth wanted to kill Lincoln FOR the South, but having him dead was probably the worst thing in terms of Reconstruction. Lincoln could have controlled those who wanted to punish the Confederate states and promoted reconciliation. Johnson couldn't carry weight with the Northern power brokers.

 

Of course with no TV or movies famous actors worked on stage in big cities. Most people had heard of Booth, but not everyone would recognize him by looking at him. Mudd and Booth had met before though.

You're right that Lincoln would have been a much better president for the South during Reconstruction. It's also true that a combination of the end of the war and his assassination changed Lincoln from a widely unpopular president to a hero and martyr.

 

Poor Mudd...the Dry Tortugas weren't exactly Margaritaville, as Sarah Vowell found out when she visited that prison in the Lincoln chapter in "Assassination Vacation." (I'm on the lookout for her new book about Hawaii.)

 

This is definitely on my "must see" list.

The purpose of this company is to put out films that are historically based and fictionalized only as much as is needed to put the events on screen. PLUS they have to be entertaining...

If they can live up to that "mission statement", they will be a welcome addition to my local theater-plex.

 

If I recall correctly, treating the prisoners (during a yellow fever epidemic) was what earned him his release. He also helped treat some of the soldiers there.