Public showings of the film "The Conspirator" will be offered through collaboration between the Purdue University North Central Odyssey 2011 - 2012 Arts and Cultural Events Series and the Michigan City Public Library. The showings are free and open to the public. Free popcorn will be available.
The film will be shown on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. Fourth St., and on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. at PNC in the Library-Student-Faculty Building Assembly Hall, Room 02, on the building's lower level. The film is rated PG-13 for some violent content.
"The Conspirator" is an historical drama directed by Robert Redford. It centers on the story of Mary Surratt, who was arrested and tried as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In the wake of the assassination, a stunned country looked for answers and demanded that anyone connected to the president's death be arrested.
While it appeared that Surratt's son knew the conspirators and may have even brought them to the boarding house his mother owned, Surratt herself played no role in the assassination and may not have even known who her son brought into the house. Nonetheless, she was arrested, tried as a civilian in a military court by a zealous secretary of war, convicted and hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the U.S. government.
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"The Conspirator" exposes the parallels of this era in history to the post-Sept. 11 era and the call to take action against those suspected of being an enemy of the state, the willingness to deprive them of due process and a general disregard of Constitutional protections. According to Roger Ebert, "Redford considers this material in an unusually literate and thoughtful historical film, working from years of research. I found it absorbing and relevant today."
The Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series continues throughout the year. A complete schedule can be found at www.pnc.edu/odyssey. For information about this film, or the Odyssey series, contact Judy Jacobi, PNC assistant vice chancellor of Marketing and Campus Relations, at 219.785.5200 ext. 5593. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Jacobi.