Connecticut congressman bashes Spielberg — and has ties to Affleck

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:50:00 +0000

Representative Joe Courtney, D-Conn., has called for director Steven Spielberg to re-cut "Lincoln" in order to correct an inaccuracy; the film, he says, depicts Connecticut lawmakers voting against the 13th Amendment. This runs counter to the northeastern state's pro-abolition votes.

"[W]hen two of three members of the Nutmeg State’s House delegation voted to uphold slavery, I could not believe my own eyes and ears," said the Nutmeg State lawmaker in an open letter to Steven Spielberg that arrives just as Oscar voting begins. (The letter was released on Tuesday; final Oscar voting begins on Friday.)

"Lincoln" is only the latest movie this year to come in for criticism as to its veracity -- "Zero Dark Thirty," about the killing of Osama bin Laden, and "Argo," about the rescue of American hostages in Iran, have both been scrutinized. And historians have questioned the framing of "Lincoln" for portraying the president as too instrumental in ending slavery, an institution that was collapsing throughout the South.

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Connecticut congressman bashes Spielberg — and has ties to Affleck