The Spy of the Cumberland

Author(s): Zgamer / Dpac
Location: Eagle, Idaho / Appleton

"The Spy of the Cumberland"

Directed by Sydney Pollock
Produced by Steve Zaillian and Robert Redford
Written by Steve Zaillian
Based on the book by William J Christen
Music by Thomas Newman

Principal Cast:

Sigourney Weaver as Pauline Cushman
Robert Duvall as General Braxton Bragg
Woody Harrelson as Union General William Rosecrans
Jim Broadbent as P.T. Barnum
Jeremy Davies as Peter Taylor
John Turturro as Charles Dickinson, Pauline's first husband
Jeremy Irons as Jefferson Davis
Vera Farmiga as Mary Keller
Bebe Neuwirth as Delilah Hathorne
Sam Neill as August Fitcner, Pauline's second husband.
Tim Roth as Jere Fryer, Pauline's third husband.

Tagline: “The war that divided a nation was just the start for one woman"

Synopsis: The year is 1890. In the city of San Francisco, a lonely and broke woman in her late fifties walks out of a tiny boarding house. She has been doing this for a while and she knows she will be doing it for a long, long time. She never used to be this way though. She used to be famous. She used to be a celebrity. Now she is nothing, with nothing left to her name but memories. She is just someone who is destined to become a part of history.

Today is different though. On her way to work, a man blocks her path. This man, Peter Taylor, knows who she is and was. However, he is not convinced. He read her autobiography, he heard all the tales, but in his opinion something didn't add up. So he has tracked her down to get the information himself. With nothing else to do and seeing a chance to get someone to notice her, this woman, none other than the legendary Civil War spy Pauline Cushman, sits down with Peter to tell her tale. A tale that she has decided would end soon.

Born Harriet Wood in New Orleans in 1833, Cushman was always a person who wanted more in life. At the age of eighteen, she decided enough was enough and left her family to pursue a career in acting. She was helped in this dream by a music teacher/theater musician named Charles Dickinson, who she eventually married. Unfortunately, when Dickinson was drafted into the Civil War, he developed a case of chronic dysentery, which led to his eventual discharge and death in 1862. Things were not looking great for Cushman.

However, while doing a show in the Union held Louisville, two confederate soldiers approached her to propose a toast for Jefferson Davis. Cushman agreed, but being the Union loyalist she was, she reported the event to the local Union officer in the town. This officer suddenly realized the potential of using her for the Union's benefit. An actress who had just infiltrated an enemy camp and become popular among the troops. Upon this realization, he enlisted her and two fellow actresses Mary Keller and Delilah Hathorne as spies for the Union.

For a good while, Cushman and her companions followed the Confederate troops around dressed as men, under no suspicion of their true motives. However, a Confederate Officer named Braxton Bragg eventually discovered the truth when he caught her in possession of several important documents. After a quick trial, Cushman and her companions were found guilty and sentenced to hang. While her companions were eventually killed, Cushman was lucky that a Union regiment led by General William Rosecrans invaded the town of Shelbyville where she was held. With the Confederate soldiers gone, Cushman was immediately rescued and became a famous figure overnight when President Lincoln granted her the rank of major.

After publishing an autobiography of her exploits, she signed onto P.T. Barnum cross-country act to raise funds for the war cause. Given the title of 'The Spy of the Cumberland', Cushman continued to stay consistently popular for many years. However, fame was all too fleeting, Fame became a major focus for Cushman, and she constantly neglected her family in her pursuit to make herself known. After two more marriages, ending in death and divorce respectively, Cushman's popularity was destroyed. So with no fans or tours left, she took a job as a seamstress while she tried to find some way to be known again. Before she ends it all.

What the press would say:

P.T. Barnum once said that Pauline Cushman was 'the greatest heroine of the people' not just because he had the honor of knowing her but because he was able to experience all the great things she had done. And he wasn't the only one. Historians said that she had combined all the daring of a soldier with the tenderness and modesty of a woman, which this movie makes quite evident. Being a spy wasn't easy those days. However this once unknown actress had increased her fame as a female spy, one of the few during the Civil War. She enjoyed famed till she became too notorious for her family issues and her life took a traumatic turn to alcoholism and drug abuse and soon suicide by overdose. Till now, no one knows exactly what was true and what was false about Pauline's life, but this movie helps give a good explanation for some of the big parts. Not only does it tell the story of a role model for women but also the role of women in a male-dominated world of spies and war. It also captures the Civil War from the eyes of a woman, accurately. The Spy of the Cumberland is a meditative movie about the life of Pauline Cushman during the Civil War.

'The Spy of the Cumberland' should be compulsory viewing for any member of the voting panel who decide Academy Award winners. Quite simply, Sigourney Weaver's performance is THE benchmark for that 'Best Actress' category. Many great performances have come and gone, but not one performance has ever (or will ever) match one like this. The manner in which she embodies Pauline goes beyond explanation. Weaver's performance thoroughly does justice to her larger-than-life character. Pauline is by turns melodramatic, egocentric, depressed, overbearing and overwrought but a hero nonetheless, and Weaver doesn't once fail to bring out these qualities in her character. Even as Cushman declines into drugs and alcohol, Weaver handles the situation with that touch that only a few actresses possess. Weaver expressed all of Cushman's feelings, every little desire with accuracy and dedication to the character. It is very impressive with such little and questionable material to prepare from. It is just too accomplished and moving to put into enough words.

Aside from the breathtaking central performance from the marvelous Ms. Weaver, there are so many other reasons to see this film. Jim Broadbent is amazing as P.T. Barnum. He had witnessed and seen everything Pauline had done, even as she performed and bragged constantly about the glorious future she had in her sights. Broadbent deals with this character fantastically, giving some logic to counter a somewhat illogical woman. Also, Vera Farmiga, an up and coming actress, does exceptionally well as Pauline's fictional (concerning historical accuracy) companion Mary. She has a certain elegance that is absent in most of the supporting performances nowadays. She is phenomenal in her boisterously loud 'Mary' role and provides the subtle comic relief needed for this powerfully intense film. All though her screen time is short, she's superb in her role as the beacon of strength and hope for injecting a meaningful existence of living. Jeremy Davies is also excellent and equally Oscar worthy as the inquisitive young man determined to discovering the truth behind Pauline. The cinematography, done by 'Dances With Wolves' master Dean Semler, really draws you into the scene with its focused close-ups and sweeping landscapes. Thomas Newman's score is as haunting as it is sweeping. Sydney Pollack, an expert on unique and masterfully done films, handles the story with a sense of
wonder and dignity towards the time period and subject. The civil war era has never seem so awe-inspiring.

The Spy of the Cumberland is an intelligent and profoundly moving film that will live on in your memory long after the closing credits. A movie that will be remembered as a classic with a capital C not only for the plot, the direction and performances but also how it changes the way we look at the little people who took part in the Civil War. I doubt I'll see anything like this ever...

Possible Nominations....

Best Picture - Steve Zaillian and Robert Redford
Best Director - Sydney Pollack
Best Actress - Sigourney Weaver
Best Supporting Actor - Jim Broadbent
Best Supporting Actor - Jeremy Davies
Best Supporting Actress - Vera Farmiga
Best Adapted Screenplay - Steve Zaillian
Best Original Score - Thomas Newman
Best Cinematography - Dean Semler
Best Editing - Willian Steinkamp
Best Costume Design - Ngila Dickson
Best Original Song - Thomas Newman and Annie Lennox