Big Screen Peter: The Conspirator

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie.

review by Peter Lewis

Just more than 146 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth.

What is often glossed over by elementary textbooks is the plot surrounding the act itself.  Booth, in conjunction with other southern partisans, had designs on more than just the President, concocting an operation to knock off several high-ranking government officials.

And as the assassination of Lincoln occurred in the wake of General Robert E. Lee’s capitulation at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, public paranoia as to the possibility of large-scale subterfuge was at a fever-pitch.

Lost within the folds of this largely ignored portion of the American experience is the story of “The Conspirator.” Directed by Robert Redford and starring James McAvoy and Robin Wright, “The Conspirator” recounts the story of Mary Surratt, a boardinghouse owner charged with conspiring to kill Lincoln, Vice-President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward.

“The Conspirator” is suffused with an undeniable pathos.

As the only woman arrested and tried in the Lincoln assassination conspiracy, Mary Surratt is an empathetic figure. Furthermore, she was up against a loaded deck as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton looked to the trial of the accused as a way to firmly illustrate the resolve and might of the Union (misguided as it might have been, Stanton had genuine concerns over the wide-ranging possibilities for continued subterfuge, violence and anarchy among Southern partisans).

Robin Wright plays the role of Mary seamlessly, exuding a reserved grace throughout the film — resigned, but resilient.

Playing opposite Wright is James McAvoy as Frederick Aiken, a decorated Captain for the Union and aspiring attorney.  McAvoy’s passion drives the film, and is neatly cohered with the austerity of spirit possessed by Wright as Surratt. While the film is undoubtedly directed at the story of Surratt, Aiken’s transformation is the key plot device. As his own preconceptions of Surratt are challenged, he becomes the moral conscious of the film. His words and actions serve not only as a historical reminder of what tragedies have come before, but that we as a society are still struggling to maintain a balance between justice and safety.

It’s this audacity of spirit that gives “The Conspirator” some staying power.

Much like the larger context of the war itself, “The Conspirator” forces uncomfortable choices onto those involved in the story. Everyone is faced with figuring out how to best value conceptions like family, honor and country.

The trial of Mary Surratt is as much about figuring out the future as it is about finding justice for the President. It’s as much about forgetting the hell of the war and focusing on a new beginning. The existences of Mary Surratt, Samuel Mudd and the other conspirators put on trial are just a footnote, collateral damage for the betterment of the nation.

Historical cinema is always forced to walk a tight line, pitching a delicate balance between maintaining factual accuracy and theatrical urgency. And make no mistake, there will always be someone dissatisfied with the end result. However, “The Conspirator” does an admirable job painting an authentic and engaging portrait of the event.

There are liberties taken with the story, but never at the cost of the truth.

• The Conspirator is playing at the Malco Cinema 12 in Fort Smith. Link here for time and ticket info.

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