By Nicole Wallack

Web Editor

artsent.asp@gmail.com

March 3, 2015

The name Jefferson Davis conjures up images of the Civil War. The president of the Confederacy invokes images of years of terrible bloody battles where brothers fought brothers and the country was torn apart. The name Varina Howell Davis on the other hand, does not elicit the same reaction, yet she was just as affected by the war as her president husband. Davis was the first and only first lady of the confederacy and shared a life full of difficulty and bloodshed with her husband.

The name Jefferson Davis is well known by Americans and is present throughout the Civil War chapters in children’s history textbooks. Davis’ name does not share the same place in history textbooks. Mary Todd Lincoln is a person well remembered by history, but Davis seems to be all but forgotten. These two women share the honor of being the only two women to be concurrent first ladies, but have entirely different fates in history. It is partially for this reason that “First Lady of the Confederacy: An Intimate Conversation With Varina Howell Davis” is such a captivating film.

“First Lady of the Confederacy: An Intimate Conversation With Varina Howell Davis” takes on a subject that many people are not well versed in. Davis proves to be a fascinating character and one that truly warrants her own film. A cleverly composed film set up as an interview at a fictitious historical society in New York in 1901, the film goes through Davis’ life through a series of expertly told anecdotes. The screenplay, taken from historical research, does a brilliant job of telling factual information in an entirely entertaining way.

Rosann Pellegrino (Varina Howell Davis) does a marvelous job of capturing the essence of a woman forced into the middle of a national conflict. The interviewee-interviewer set up for the film allows for a deep emotional connection between the character of Davis and the audience. Pellegrino is able to capitalize on this and make the audience very empathetic to Davis’ plight. Jennifer Lefsyk (the interviewer) also gives an impressive performance, asking the questions that audiences want to ask.

Director, editor, and writer John McCarty skillfully crafts a film in which only two characters are needed to tell an entire story. “I wanted to keep it short, keep it simple, and do it as a kind of experiment to see if we could pull it off,” says McCarty of the setup. The film is just that, a short and simple successful experiment into how a captivating story can be told in the most basic of scenarios.

Perhaps equally as interesting as the film itself is the crew that made the film. A collaboration of University at Albany students and professional crew blended well to create a professional film. The Director of the Film Studies minor Professor Audrey E. Kupferberg was the producer and assistant director of the film, and many UAlbany students were wardrobe, sound engineers, and camera operators. This film shows the success that can be achieved when the skills and experience of professionals blends with the enthusiasm and new perspectives of aspiring professionals.

Source: Nicole Wallack
Members of the film crew from left to right: Rolf Wentorf (sound engineer), Melanie Dumers (wardrobe), Professor Audrey Kupferberg (producer), and John McCarty (director).

“First Lady of the Confederacy: An Intimate Conversation With Varina Howell Davis” is a captivating film that highlights the life of a fascinating woman in a very unconventional and successful way.