Lincoln

Rating: 7/10 (7 March 2013)

From Oscar and Golden Globe nominated director Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan), this was the film of the year 2013 that got the most Academy Awards nominations, receiving twelve nominations, and the image of the actor in the guise of the leading true-life character was spot on, so I had to see whether it was worthy after the awards it won. Basically it is 1865, the American Civil War may be coming toward its conclusion, having lasted four years, and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Daniel Day-Lewis) has started his second term in office as a successful leader, and he has an endeavour to bring peace and prosperity to the nation. He wants to change the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which will mean the abolishment of any kind of slavery in the United States, and with African American black people mainly being the people who are looked at as being different and most only fit for slavery it is a controversial subject. Lincoln was already successful with the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, so all he needs to do is secure a higher amount of voters for the supporting rather than opposing side to pass the amendment, and he believes it may be an answer into helping ending the war sooner. While the President and Secretary of State William Seward (David Strathairn) work on confirming Democratic votes, the issue is eventually brought to the courtroom, with many people, including the President's wife Mary Todd (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Sally Field) watching the events unfold, and Thaddeus Stevens (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Tommy Lee Jones) is fighting to defend racial equality and pass the amendment. After many political discussions, numerous arguments amongst politicians, Lincoln having to battle a crisis of conscience whether to end slavery or end the war, but whatever decision getting the support of Mary and his colleagues, until the court case reaches its conclusion, everyone casts their vote on whether to have the Thirteenth Amendment changed and slavery should end forever. In the end all are happy with the final decision that, many votes ahead of opposition, the constitution is indeed and slavery comes to an end, but on the night April 14th 1865 Lincoln attends an evening at the theatre, and it is announced that the President has been shot (the shooter was John Wilkes Booth), all who knew him gather round his body in bed after being pronounced dead, and it quickly sees a flashback of the second term inaugural speech by Lincoln. Also starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Lincoln, James Spader as W.N. Bilbo, Hal Holbrook as Francis Preston Blair, John Hawkes as Robert Latham, A Nightmare on Elm Street's Jackie Earle Haley as Alexander H. Stephens, Bruce McGill as Edwin M. Stanton, Tim Blake Nelson as Richard Schell, Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant, Lee Pace as Fernando Wood, Walton Goggins as Clay Hawkins, Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln, The Last King of Scotland's David Oyelowo as Corporal Ira Clark and Witness's Lukas Haas as First White Soldier. I am not going to pretend I know a lot about politics and everything that was being said during the film, I was mainly going to see it for the deservedly Oscar winning performance by method actor Day-Lewis, he really does get into the mind of the great man and with the fantastic makeup you forget it is the actor inside, and he made history becoming the first actor to win three leading actor gongs, the supporting cast members Field and Jones are fantastic as well. The plot was easy to understand, it was just everything around it, there was thankfully not too much war material to confuse you or slow down the pace, the feel is calm but with the right amount of engaging scenes, especially between Lincoln and his wife, and in the court room, you can ignore the hard to follow bureaucratic gobbledygook being spoken and just go with it, it is an enjoyable political biography drama. It won the Oscar for Best Production Design , and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Music for John Williams, Best Sound Mixing, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published and Best Motion Picture of the Year, it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Film, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Make Up & Hair, Original Music and Production Design, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Original Score - Motion Picture and Best Screenplay - Motion Picture. Very good!