That certainly explains it
Writer apologizes to W.Va.; bigots were supposed to be from N.C.
Associated Press
Published: Thursday, October 23
Charleston, W.Va. | West Virginians from the governor on down say they're outraged by a new film that falsely depicts the state's flagship school. But the movie's screenwriter says the script he gave Universal Pictures did not mention the state or West Virginia University.
"The Express" tells the story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American winner of football's Heisman Trophy. It includes a scene in which Mountaineer fans hurl racial slurs and trash at Davis and his Syracuse University teammates during a 1959 game in Morgantown.
But screenwriter Charles Leavitt told Gov. Joe Manchin this week that the scene was supposed to depict a 1958 game at Tar Heels Stadium in North Carolina - a choice that also displayed artistic license.
"When I saw the film for the first time, I was as surprised as you were to see West Virginia inserted in place of North Carolina," Leavitt wrote Manchin in an Oct. 20 letter.
Leavitt, who also sent the governor a copy of his script, told Manchin he apologized for the depiction while noting it was "something I had no hand in."
"It is a sad fact of my business that when a screenwriter turns a script over to a studio, the studio and the filmmakers own it," wrote Leavitt, whose screenwriting credits include the Academy Award-nominated "Blood Diamond" in 2006. "They can do anything they want with it - even rewrite parts of it without consulting me and without my knowledge or consent."
Leavitt added that he is from Pittsburgh, and "I have relatives who live in West Virginia, so, believe me, I have gotten an earful from many quarters."
A publicist for Universal did not immediately comment Thursday. A spokesman for North Carolina's football program did not respond to a Thursday request for comment.
North Carolina did not play Syracuse during Davis' tenure: a review of their schedules shows they first met up in 1995. Leavitt wrote that his choice reflected research that found that North Carolina was among several southern schools known for such racist behavior. Georgia Tech was "notorious," while South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas also had incidents, he told Manchin.
"That is the way I wrote it, after my meticulous research revealed that incidents like these did, indeed, happen throughout the South in the 1950s when northern college teams with African American players traveled down there for games," Leavitt wrote.
Davis starred at Syracuse University from 1959-61. He led Syracuse to its only national championship in 1959 before winning the Heisman in 1961. He died in 1963 of leukemia.
Syracuse did not play WVU at Morgantown during the season shown in the film. Players for both teams from that era have said there was never such an incident involving WVU fans. Although the scene depicted a night game, WVU did not have stadium lights until the 1980s.
WVU spokeswoman Becky Lofstead lamented that the scene mars an otherwise "excellent" film about an admirable sports figure.
"It seems apparent that the studio took liberties with the story and deliberately disregarded fact and history," Lofstead said. "It would be the university's preference that the film's credits reflected that this scene is purely fictional."
Associated Press
Published: Thursday, October 23
Charleston, W.Va. | West Virginians from the governor on down say they're outraged by a new film that falsely depicts the state's flagship school. But the movie's screenwriter says the script he gave Universal Pictures did not mention the state or West Virginia University.
"The Express" tells the story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American winner of football's Heisman Trophy. It includes a scene in which Mountaineer fans hurl racial slurs and trash at Davis and his Syracuse University teammates during a 1959 game in Morgantown.
But screenwriter Charles Leavitt told Gov. Joe Manchin this week that the scene was supposed to depict a 1958 game at Tar Heels Stadium in North Carolina - a choice that also displayed artistic license.
"When I saw the film for the first time, I was as surprised as you were to see West Virginia inserted in place of North Carolina," Leavitt wrote Manchin in an Oct. 20 letter.
Leavitt, who also sent the governor a copy of his script, told Manchin he apologized for the depiction while noting it was "something I had no hand in."
"It is a sad fact of my business that when a screenwriter turns a script over to a studio, the studio and the filmmakers own it," wrote Leavitt, whose screenwriting credits include the Academy Award-nominated "Blood Diamond" in 2006. "They can do anything they want with it - even rewrite parts of it without consulting me and without my knowledge or consent."
Leavitt added that he is from Pittsburgh, and "I have relatives who live in West Virginia, so, believe me, I have gotten an earful from many quarters."
A publicist for Universal did not immediately comment Thursday. A spokesman for North Carolina's football program did not respond to a Thursday request for comment.
North Carolina did not play Syracuse during Davis' tenure: a review of their schedules shows they first met up in 1995. Leavitt wrote that his choice reflected research that found that North Carolina was among several southern schools known for such racist behavior. Georgia Tech was "notorious," while South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas also had incidents, he told Manchin.
"That is the way I wrote it, after my meticulous research revealed that incidents like these did, indeed, happen throughout the South in the 1950s when northern college teams with African American players traveled down there for games," Leavitt wrote.
Davis starred at Syracuse University from 1959-61. He led Syracuse to its only national championship in 1959 before winning the Heisman in 1961. He died in 1963 of leukemia.
Syracuse did not play WVU at Morgantown during the season shown in the film. Players for both teams from that era have said there was never such an incident involving WVU fans. Although the scene depicted a night game, WVU did not have stadium lights until the 1980s.
WVU spokeswoman Becky Lofstead lamented that the scene mars an otherwise "excellent" film about an admirable sports figure.
"It seems apparent that the studio took liberties with the story and deliberately disregarded fact and history," Lofstead said. "It would be the university's preference that the film's credits reflected that this scene is purely fictional."
posted by Strayhorn at 9:46 AM
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