UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” has been been a hit at the box office and at the Academy, garnering a whopping 12 Oscar nominations, including for best picture.

The movie has received near universal acclaim for the performances and cinematography, and it’s ability to capture the look and feel of Civil War era Washington, DC.

But does it portray history accurately? This will be the topic for discussion at this month’s Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable on Monday, Feb. 4, starting at 6:15 p.m. at the Tallman Hotel in historic Upper Lake.

“Hollywood generally does not restrict itself to following history accurately and will modify the actual narrative to create a storyline that they think will appeal to a wider audience,” said roundtable co-founder Phil Smoley. “To some degree, this is the case with ‘Lincoln,’ and this will be one of our topics at the next meeting.”  

Twenty roundtable members attended the opening of “Lincoln” on Jan. 11 at the Lakeport Cinema.

“Everyone agreed that the movie is spectacular in many ways and worth seeing, but it is worth a discussion to see how much of it was history and how much was Hollywood,” said Smoley.

In addition to the discussion of “Lincoln,” the group will hear an update on the CSS Hunley, which was in the news this week.

“The Hunley was the world’s first submarine to sink an enemy ship, but it never returned,” Smoley explained. “It was raised in 2000, and they have been trying to find out what sank it. This week’s announcement shed light on the cause.”

The Civil War Roundtable attempts to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War by reviewing events of the war month by month.

Admission is free, all are welcome.

For more information, contact Phil Smoley at 707-264 4905 or Zane Jensen at 707-349-6390.