Yes, President... 77.5%

Rating: 8/10 (19 February 2013)

Found this movie rather dry yet often witty. This true story concerns the closing days of the American Civil War, where President Abraham Lincoln was keen to abolish slavery and make it no longer possible to ever practice it again via an amendment to the American constitution (the Thirteenth Amendment). It is a wordy movie, often seeming stagey or as if written by a playwright...although sometimes it does go for farce. Initially I was going to say that this movie reminded me of "Yes, (Prime) Minister)" but that it was more lowbrow...but then I remembered that whilst the satirical British sitcom was often wordy and witty, it too went for populist laughs.
Not being American, I can't say that I've had a lot of exposure to representations of Lincoln, but it would be easy to believe that Daniel Day-Lewis brings great verisimilitude to his performance. Lincoln here, as represented as Day-Lewis is a fully realised human. Sometimes he looks like what I remember Lincoln to look like, in pictures...as in you see him, and think, "Yes, that's Abraham Lincoln". Day-Lewis' Lincoln has the look/sound of an Amish-apothecary-Anglican minister about him. He has the amusing trait of always willing to tell a story...which would sometimes befuddle his audience or drive them elsewhere (as in that scene with a general, I think). Lincoln here is an obscure chatterbox, making points that some may not understand or just bore some. Perhaps a bit like Sir Humphrey Appleby in "Yes, (Prime) Minister"?
Seeing Lincoln in this light, you also sometimes wonder what on Earth he is talking about and how it relates to what someone has just asked him, but, lo, it does relate. Then there are the farcical stories he tells...I enjoyed his anecdote concerning an American politician, I believe, who was in an estate of the landed gentry in England...their toilet had an unlikely artwork in there. The punchline is most amusing (presumably the story is true...or at least makes for a great story!).
There are other farcical elements to this movie. Much of the movie is taken with the project of getting the numbers to pass the Thirteenth Amendment. Strategies which would now no doubt be seen as corrupt are presented here as farce here, at times.
Day-Lewis' Lincoln is an heroic figure here. He verbalises his internal struggle with the great conundrums he must face...often involving choosing the lesser of two evils. Perhaps the movie portrays Lincoln through rose-coloured glasses? I did read an article before watching this movie ("Lincoln sheds little light on some of history's dark deeds" by Chris Berg, in The Age newspaper...07/02/2013?). The author is with the I.P.A. organisation, a right-wing think tank here in Australia. Actually, it seems that they are secretly funded by big tobacco and - surprise, surprise - they advocate for them. Anyway, from memory, the article mentions that many innocent Americans were tortured or murdered by Lincoln's orders. You don't see stuff like that in this movie, if it is true.
Despite this, the "lesser of two evils" that Lincoln chooses seems justified...unlike, say, the justifications President George W. Bush gave for his policies after invading Iraq. In that case civil liberties were were trampled underfoot after a country which had nothing to do with the attacks on the Twin Towers was invaded by the U.S. The president knew that his business partners in Saudi Arabia were implicated in the attacks on the Twin Towers. So, for me, what I see Lincoln do in order to get the Thirteenth Amendment passed seem justified on the basis of it being "for the greater good".
Sally Field as Abraham's wife Mary shines in some scenes and she would be a worthy winner of any best actress award, along with Naomi Watts in "The impossible" or Helen Hunt in "The sessions".
Tommy Lee Jones as the Republican Thaddeus Stevens is interesting as a character. There is a nice pay off with his character in his final scene where he arrives home. Didn't see that coming! An unkind person might say that Tommy Lee Jones is playing Tony Mokbel. Not sure what that is all about (pop cultural reference...excuse me!).
Another surprise was the suggestion in the movie that the theorems of the Ancient Greek mathematician Euclid influenced the Thirteenth Amendment!
When watching the parliamentary (?) debates in the movie, it did have a very English feel to them. A modern viewer would no doubt be most amused by the "slippery slope" argument against abolishing slavery...no doubt stuff like that was said, but it does give the movie a very lowbrow feel as far as the humour goes.
When watching the movie, I was thinking what to score it...75+% was my first move. Ended up giving it 77.5%. Maybe this movie has some repeat viewing value and a score of 85% wouldn't be out of the question in any case. Daniel Day-Lewis would be a worthy winner of any best actor award. The script might deserve an award too. The dryness of the movie makes my scoring less than extravagant though. Like I say, it is a very wordy movie. Lincoln's tug of war between principle and effective governance is compelling viewing though (the whole theme of how Lincoln defines his presidential powers).
* Random observations...
The credits mention Kevin Kline in one scene...didn't notice!
Sometimes the artifice of the movie intrudes being lost in the moment...from the score sometimes trying to manipulate your emotions to that scene with Sally Field where a jarring change of camera angle detracted from the moment.
Right near the end of the movie, I suddenly remembered what ultimately happened to Lincoln...the movie did not delve much in to that.