( CNN ) -- Watching the movie `` Lincoln '' on Saturday , Rep. Joe Courtney was perplexed during the climactic scene . Two of his predecessors from nearly 150 years ago , lawmakers representing the state of Connecticut in 1865 , are seen voting against the constitutional amendment to end slavery . Courtney asked the Congressional Research Service for the records , and sure enough , all four representatives from Connecticut voted yes on the 13th amendment . But in the film , we see the fictional lawmakers Augustus Benjamin and Arthur Bentleigh of Connecticut each vote `` Nay . '' `` I could not believe my own eyes and ears , '' Courtney said . In a letter of protest to director Steven Spielberg , he said that although he thinks overall the film is tremendous and compelling , `` placing the State of Connecticut on the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery is a distortion of easily verifiable facts . '' Screenwriter Tony Kushner conceded the discrepancy but defended the film . `` None of the key moments of that story -- the overarching story our film tells -- are altered , '' he said in a statement Thursday . He explained that the alterations were made to serve the narrative that the outcome of the vote was in doubt until the very end . `` I hope nobody is shocked to learn that I also made up dialogue and imagined encounters and invented characters , '' he added . `` I 'm sorry if anyone in Connecticut felt insulted by these 15 seconds of the movie , '' Kushner said , but `` this is a dramatic film and not an attack on their home state . '' Still , Courtney said Friday that he hoped the movie would be changed before it is released on DVD on February 26 . `` The four members of Connecticut 's delegation ... deserved a better legacy than the screenplay portrayed , '' he said . Historian Christian McWhirter , a researcher with the Papers of Abraham Lincoln , supported the congressman 's objection . `` It seems like such an unnecessary error , '' he said . Nevertheless , he added , `` it should n't overshadow the fact that overall , this is a very strong and accurate portrayal of what actually happened . '' Going through the movie script vote by vote , CNN found that the important details are correct . By the narrowest of margins , after a breathless and unpredictable roll call , the amendment passes , with most Republicans in favor but many Democrats opposed . Six of the lawmakers in the film actually existed and cast real votes , while the rest are apparently fictitious . No other vote discrepancies were found in the scene . Columbia University historian Eric Foner said the voting in the film is not the only discrepancy , but for dramatic effect , some poetic license is fine in such a movie . `` It is historical fiction -- a noble genre going back to Shakespeare and well before -- not history , '' he said . Indeed , the movie makes no claims to be a documentary , but is rather a historical film . In the style of a political thriller , it depicts President Lincoln 's efforts to get a ban on slavery passed in Washington , using a combination of persuasion , inspiration , horse-trading and arm-twisting . The film has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards and has been a success both with the critics and at the box office . Disney , the distributor , and representatives for Spielberg did not reply to inquiries from CNN on Wednesday . McWhirter defended the movie. `` 'Lincoln ' is an exceptionally good Hollywood historical film , '' he said , `` so I think we have to have a certain amount of tolerance for a certain amount of error . '' CNN 's JD Cargill contributed to this report .
NEW : Screenwriter defends film , says no key moments of the story were altered . In movie , four Hollywood lawmakers are seen voting against ending slavery . History shows all two Connecticut representatives voted yes on 13th Amendment . Rep. Steven Spielberg sends a letter to director Steven Spielberg .