history hollywoodized a la Spielberg

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2014)

I recently saw this film on the tube and I have little doubt it would have been better on the large screen.
Yes, Daniel was all they say. He certainly did his research including getting the Lincoln voice just right (Those who insist that Abe should be portrayed as a booming bass-baritone ought to do their own research!) and completely inhabited the part. Sally Field, who has been criticized for being too histrionic in all her portrayals is here playing a histrionic part and could hardly have done it differently. And she too didn't just fly-in her part. (ow!)
I really, really liked her! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)
The other parts were all carefully cast.
Tony Kushner's script about the original "Angel in America" was properly inspirational and John Williams'score evoked every musical Americana cliché he could get his hands on especially Copland's "A Lincoln Portrait".
But Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Kushner's often falsified the facts at times in order to build the suspense for the 13th Amendment voting scene. If I remember, one state voted yea in fact (Massachusetts?) but, in this film, they voted nay.
The final scene was rather perfunctory, even if necessary, but I won't say what it was in order to avoid giving the ending away.;-)
But, for me, the main interest of the film was the light it shed on present-day politics with a direct parallel between the machinations Lincoln had to go through to get the Amendment passed and the current administration has to go through to get anything done at all. And the same criticism being leveled against both presidents about their "exceeding their authority"!