"This is kind of a whopper."
- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., on historical inaccuracy in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated "Lincoln."
Courtney, who said the film is otherwise "remarkable," has asked the filmmaker to clarify scenes in the film that inaccurately portrays members of the Connecticut delegation voting against the Thirteenth Amendment. He wants Spielberg to add a caption or explain the error in the DVD release.
"This is not really rocket science in terms of locating the accurate information, so if he's got an explanation I'd love to hear it," Courtney told Yeas & Nays.
"It's not some little nitpick on my part," he said. "The power of this movie for people watching it is the historical accuracy of Lincoln and [the other characters] ... this thing by-and-large is really intended not to be 'Abe Lincoln, Vampire Slayer.' This is meant to be something that really teaches the viewer about what happened."
Courtney said "Lincoln," which he saw for the first time over the weekend, had been on his watch list for months and he is not looking to tarnish the movie's recognition during awards season this month. The congressman just wants to stand up for the Constitution State's role in history.
Courtney asked Spielberg in a letter to correct the facts in the DVD version of the film.
