Although we knew what was coming on this week’s episode of The Walking Dead for the mid-season premiere for Season Eight, it was still sad to see Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) die. While watching it, though, you might have wondered about that song that played when they showed the flashback to Carl’s days after the bite from the walker.
In the montage, we see Carl playing with Judith. We see him writing letters to his loved ones as he prepared for his death. And we hear an upbeat sounding song.
We must talk on every telephone, Get eaten off the web; We must rip out all the epilogues From the books that we have read; And to the face of every criminal Strapped firmly to a chair, We must stare, we must stare, we must stare.
The song was “At the Bottom of Everything” by Bright Eyes. The band features Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott (often helped by other musicians).
“At the Bottom of Everything” appeared on the 2005 album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. In the recording before the tune begins, Oberst introduces the song with a story about a man and a woman on a plane right before the plane begins to go down.
The music video directed by Cat Solen includes the story. It stars Evan Rachel Wood and Terence Stamp.
What is the song about? There are various interpretations, but at its heart is an attempt really to get at “the bottom of everything.” In other words, it is about trying to discern some meaning from life when so much of what we do is pointless.
And into the caverns of tomorrow, With just our flashlights and our love, We must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge; And then we’ll get down there, Way down to the very bottom of everything; And then we’ll see it, we’ll see it, we’ll see it.
What does the song have to do with Carl in the episode entitled Honor? Maybe the producers chose the song because it gives a happy tune to Carl’s final days.
But maybe the lyrics also connected to what Carl was trying to say to his father Rick about searching for a more important end game than just surviving. Like the man and the woman on the plane, in the face of death, Carl wanted something more besides blending into the choir and memorizing nine numbers while denying we have a soul.
What did you think of the Honor episode? Leave your two cents in the comments.
You might remember that great attempt to combine science fiction and Western categories into the classic 1973 film, Westworld. That movie was written and directed by Michael Crichton, and it starred Yul Brynner as the robot gunslinger at an amusement park where everything goes wrong. Even if you have never seen the movie, you might be a little excited seeing the new teaser trailer for the upcoming HBO series Westworld.
The teaser trailer does not reveal much about the HBO series, but we get a glimpse of Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood in a series that looks updated for the current century. Some folks think that Westworld will be HBO’s next great show. But we will have to wait until 2016 to find out.
What do you think of the teaser trailer for “Westworld”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On April 17 in 1865, Mary Surratt was arrested for conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. In 2011 on that date, the American Film Company released its first film, The Conspirator. The movie is about Mary Surratt and directed by Robert Redford and starring Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Danny Huston, and Tom Wilkinson.
From a young age, we learn the name of John Wilkes Booth. We know he is the man who shot Abraham Lincoln. His chase and capture are recounted in the recent book, Manhunt (2006), by James L. Swanson.
But the names of the others who allegedly conspired with Booth are less heard: Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, John Surratt, and Mary Surratt. A number of additional people were also arrested and convicted of crimes, including Dr. Samuel Mudd.
Mary Surratt: “The Conspirator”
The Conspirator centers exclusively on one of the more interesting accused conspirators, Mary Surratt. In doing so, Redford maintains focus in what might otherwise be an unwieldy long story.
We may be curious to know more about the other conspirators and to spend a few minutes with Lincoln before he is killed. But Redford keeps the story tight and aimed on the stoic Surratt (Wright) and her passionate lawyer Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), following Aiken as he struggles with his responsibility to defend Surratt.
Currently on the Rotten Tomatoes website, the critics rating for The Conspirator is 56% and the audience rating is a much-higher 71%, which makes sense. The movie is not an exciting historical romp like The King’s Speech (2010), and the story is told somewhat conventionally. But it is an interesting story that audience members may appreciate more than critics, who might want a film that is more daring.
Still, the fine acting and look of the film make it well above a History Channel special. All of the principal actors do a very good job (although Justin Long seems out of his time period even with the goofy mustache). And, as in Redford’s A River Runs Through It (1992), the lighting effects seem like another character, making for numerous scenes bathed in beautiful clean natural sunlight.
Overall, the movie is engaging and addresses a lesser known aspect of the Lincoln assassination. I will not reveal how everything comes out, but during the prosecution of Mary Surratt and even until today, there are still questions about whether or not she had any involvement in the conspiracy of which she was accused.
Parallels With Modern Issues
Others have noticed that the movie has some parallels to the modern debate about military tribunals. Kevin Kline’s Secretary of War Edwin Stanton spouts concerns that echo in our Age of Terrorism. Anthony Lane at The New Yorker believes that Redford belabored the parallels with today’s debates about military trials for accused terrorists a little too much.
By contrast, I did not think the parallels were overdone. Instead, the movie would have been much more topical and challenging for viewers had it been released several years ago instead of in 2011. Just as more people spoke up on Mary Surratt’s behalf years after her trial, this aspect of the movie seems a little late too. Yet, the issue is still topical.
Another contemporary issue underlying The Conspirator is how innocent persons accused of outrageous crimes may be convicted or almost convicted of crimes they did not do. The Death Penalty Information Center website notes that since 1973, there have been more than one hundred people released from death row because of evidence of their innocence.
Additionally, there are a number of people who have been executed with genuine questions remaining about whether they were innocent. One may debate the extent of the problem and the exact number of condemned innocent who spent years on death row, but the clear risk is certainly troubling. Even in civilian trials with our current constitutional protections, the innocent still may be convicted and condemned, and this realization has contributed to several states eliminating capital punishment in recent years.
Conclusion
Conclusion? Conspirator is a well-made straightforward drama about an important event in American history. Although it may not be one of the top few movies of the year, it is a period courtroom drama in a league with Amistad (1997) as less than awe-inspiring but nonetheless engaging, educational, entertaining, and worth your time.
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What did you think of The Conspirator? Leave a comment.
Although we knew what was coming on this week’s episode of The Walking Dead for the mid-season premiere for Season Eight, it was still sad to see Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) die. While watching it, though, you might have wondered about that song that played when they showed the flashback to Carl’s days after the bite from the walker.
(2006), by James L. Swanson.
