Bye bye slavery, welcome segregation and wage earning (screen)

Rating: 4/10 (24 February 2013)

Before the screening: I'm deeply intrigued by this Spielberg's choice. For 40 years, Spielberg was the filmmaker of the simple people and avoided to deal face to face with politics. Today, he forgets his trademark and gives us a biopic of a past Potus. If he proves always his versatility, he takes a big risk to deliver an insipid propaganda.
Why? Just because citizens aren't dumb to believe that a politic can be a savior. History shows that liberty and human rights was the result of people revolutions. They were conquered from governments not given by them. In addition, a true democracy is a government of the people for the people by the people. So dealing with slavery, my expectations are to see if Lincoln has ever met slaves, talked with them or if his decision is just "brilliant" philosophy indoors with members of his cabinet?
After the screening: In a way, i got what i expected, that is to say? a weak Spielberg movie but it's not after all propaganda.
Sure Lincoln is put under the spotlight with his determination to get this abolitionist amendment. But, on the other hand, Spielberg opens the underbelly of American democracy and its guts are rather cancerous: it wasn't idealism, enlightenment and beautiful convictions (in the spirit of "Amistad" trial) that win the vote but party discipline and corruption of opponents! Furthermore, it's not real equality that's pursued but the simplest formal equality! Thus, calling Lincoln a hero, a myth is maybe a bit overrated because this kind of democracy is a bit shameful!
In movie term, the production is rather good. Without electricity and happening in winter, the picture is incredibly dark, gloomy and grey. Spielberg still manages to deliver some great scenes: his opening stunned me as it was exactly what I wanted: the chief talking with the people, hearing their needs and dreams! His final appearance is dramatically shot also (his black servant is chilled to see him leaving). To see black people taking seats for the vote was also very symbolic. Maybe the best character was the one played by Tommy Lee Jones and Spielberg is facetious with his final shot!
In conclusion, this movie sinks some more my illusions because it's a depiction of a make believe democracy. In a way, Marx was right: this American civil war was indeed a bourgeoisie revolution that Capitalism needed to erase the previous slavery world and build another era of exploitation.
As in "Munich", Spielberg intends to awake our citizens' consciousness and don't take our old democracy for granted! For example, in France, my country, slavery was abolished in 1848 by a simple government decreed (no vote!) that was in addition totally hypocrite (colonies were exempted!). Today, we hear talks about constitutional reform but our President shelves the project because he thinks that he doesn't have the special majority in parliament to vote it! Go see "Lincoln" dude and you'll know then what to do!