Over the weekend I took some time to answer a few questions about Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln as part of a forum for the journal Civil War History. The roundtable discussion that will come out of it will be published in the September 2013 issue. One of the questions focused on the movie’s connection to the sesquicentennial. I offered a few thoughts, but one thing I noted is that we shouldn’t ignore the fact that it was filmed in Richmond and Petersburg. It appears that both communities embraced the opportunity to host a film about Lincoln. Of course, we can attribute much of the enthusiasm to the financial benefits that both cities enjoyed, but it is worth acknowledging that in the former capital of the Confederacy there were no major protests undertaken re: the filming of a movie about Lincoln. Lincoln was welcomed in Richmond 150 years ago and it is nice to see that this is still the case.
The Virginia Department of Tourism has set up a website that allows visitors to trace Lincoln’s steps through Virginia. Today I came across this collection of videos that focuses on Petersburg and vicinity, which provides visitors with even more information.
“It is altogether fitting and proper that we should this.”
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One of the things that I love is that scenes depicting Congress passing and celebrating the 13th Amendment were filmed in the very building where the Confederate Congress met. Man, I just love that beautiful irony.
Indeed.