"The first episode of Netflix's Death by Lightning begins with a proclamation: "This is a true story about two men the world forgot." One of those figures is James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, while the other is the man who shot him, Charles Guiteau. The four-part limited series dramatizes the events that led to Guiteau assassinating a sitting U.S. president, starring Succession's Matthew Macfayden as Guiteau and Michael Shannon as Garfield."
"So, given the frequency in which creative liberties are taken to historical period piecesespecially on Netflixthe first question on everyone's mind is inevitably, "How accurate is it?" Surprisingly, Death by Lightning breaks the mold. As far as basic fact vs. fiction is concerned, Death by Lightning nails the important stuff. The limited series is based on Candice Millard's 2011 nonfiction book Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President,"
The series opens by identifying two central figures: President James A. Garfield and his assassin Charles Guiteau. The four-part drama stars Matthew Macfayden as Guiteau and Michael Shannon as Garfield and dramatizes the events leading to the assassination. The series follows Guiteau's delusion that he had played a decisive role in Garfield's campaign, his rejection for a consulship in Paris, and his purchase of a .44 British Bulldog with an ivory handle before carrying out the shooting. The assassination led to Vice President Chester A. Arthur becoming president. The series is largely faithful to core historical facts and draws on Candice Millard's nonfiction book.
Read at www.esquire.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]