LINCOLN: Au Contraire

Rating: 7/10 (22 November 2012)

The reviews are glowing ... but the film is not. The performances are good - and in the case of T. Lee Jones and D. Day Lewis, terrific. It's almost as though the President has returned to life. The other perfs are somewhat canned. And, though some are calling the film Spielberg's "maturing" as a Director, really it's more like he phoned it in. There was none of the "something new," or an angle or perspective, or a gem technique such as the color frame(s) of the child in "Schlindler's List," or the final, powerful panning shot before credits roll in "Munich."
And then, the trite, saccharine, contrived chorale of the illiterate soldiers reciting back to Lincoln the Gettysburg Address in the Opening. Highly unlikely. Disney-like. Did they have NPR in their knapsacks? Or even a newspaper with the text (they'd already memorized)? Weird.
Lincoln deserved a better effort from the Director. Even the nat sound was like something from a '50's Western. The 1950's. Williams music? Something he had in a file cabinet somewhere. The music was restrained, properly probably, but it contributed little. The cinematography? Dark and contrasty. But at least that was intriguing and atmospheric as one contemplates the actual lighting of the day, night, and time.
On top - or bottom - of this, the movie was tooooooo long for comfort in the multiplex environment of today. Already, at the end of its first week, the picture was relegated to the smallest screen and auditorium. It will best be seen later on Blu-ray, after it has a run on PBS, where it belonged. Ken Burns "Dust Bowl" topped this (as did his "Civil War") ... Steven. On a Blu-ray Director's cut it could have been longer - because then one can stop the player for a break, or not.
This is the second recent Miss for Spielberg, the last one being the Disney'esque "War Horse" where the begged-for ending was missed, where the soldier SHOULD have returned with grandpa and the horse back to the granddaughter who also loved the horse ... and then they TWO go riding into the cinematic sunset (remember, at the end) to the soldier's home, or anywhere, leaving it to the audience to imagine what might happily happen next. This was the kind of film it was, one that should have circled back to a happy, loose-ends tied-up ending - and Spielberg missed it. It was a horse story folks.
As for LINCOLN, it could have been performed on a stage nearly to the same effect. But this is film. And, for Spielberg, it was lacking.
One scene that does capture an essence better than most is Lincoln's ride through the carnage of the War. It's easy to understand that Lincoln would struggle with Depression, as has been reported. What an unholy mess in which to be mired with little in that day and place besides alcohol to relieve the horror, the sadness, the nation so sadly asunder. The theatre maybe? Even that was a tragic idea ...
Bravo to D. Day Lewis though. One wonders if his voice was that of Lincoln, a little tinny. A line of dialogue somewhere could have clarified that. As for Lincoln the man, he was easy to find in Lewis' performance.