RELEASE OF THE CONSPIRATOR PROVES TIMELY IN MORE THAN ONE RESPECT
Robert Redford clearly had a political agenda when he began to direct The Conspirator. Its release in April 2011 is timed to revive memories of the first shots of the Civil War some 150 years earlier. The story is about the trial of Mary Sarratt (played by Robin Wright), who ran the rooming house in the District of Columbia where John Wilkes Booth visited friends who later were charged with responsibility for the plotting the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, James Seward, and Edwin Stanton (played by Kevin Kline). Several conspirators are put on trial before a military commission along with Mary. Senator Reverdy Johnson (played by Tom Wilkinson) initially serves as her defense counsel, believing that civilians are entitled to a trial by their peers, but he steps aside so that Frederick Aiken (played by James McAvoy) can appear for her defense. Aiken he has established his loyalty as a decorated Union soldier, whereas the Southern-accented Johnson believes that his presence would not impress the kangaroo court. The film then focuses on the trial, including the use of trumped-up evidence, prejudicial rulings by the military judge, and how Aiken jeopardizes longtime friendships in his effort to defend Mary in order to uphold the constitution. Redford makes every effort to show how Stanton’s actions parallel those of the administration of George W. Bush in trying to sew irrational fear in order to trample on the constitution. In so doing, Redford is making a case against military commissions to try those at Guantánamo charged with criminal (nonmilitary) acts. A title at the end points out that the Supreme Court ruled that American citizens are entitled to civilian trials, but filmviewers have to see the ending to determine whether the ruling has any effect upon those on trial. The Political Film Society has nominated The Conspirator as best film exposé of 2011 and best film on human rights of 2011. Redford, alas, did not anticipate that the administration of Barack Obama would announce its greenlighting of military commissions during April 2011, something that Redford may have made the film to prevent. MH