A Tribute to one of our Greatest Presidents

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2020)

I saw this movie 3 times! I NEVER do that. But it was so very brilliant I had to see it again, and then one more time. And of course, each time I caught something I had missed. The first time, one is doing their best to keep up with the story line. But in a story of substance which is rendered so artfully and sensitively, subsequent viewing allows one to pick up the nuances and contemplate its message. And I learned a lot. That Lincoln was a very skillful and savvy politician. No doubt a skill honed during his years as a practicing attorney. I also didn't realise that close to the end of the war, Lincoln was presented with a very tempting offer by the South to end the war but which would allow the so called Confederate states to carry on as usual. But he chose to push through to make his Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 a reality. A political gamble he won, but just. By a hair and at a time when his entire cabinet was pressuring him to do otherwise, to take the easy way out. Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln was beyond brilliant. Also loved the story telling scenes. And his Secretary of State who would get so tried with him, failing to realise it was Lincoln's stress release. Day Lewis also took great pains to imitate what history books described as Lincoln's vocal pitch and manner of speaking. And the scenes with Mary Lincoln were superb. Sally Field made an exceptional performance--the interchange between her and her husband over the death of their young son was one of the movies' very memorable scenes.