A Lincoln Portrait for the Ages

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2012)

This film is highly recommended.
Film biographies have also seemed to be a stodgy affair, the biased mishandling of fact and fiction to make the subject more compelling than life itself. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is a remarkable achievement, a concise and engaging film that treats both the man and the myth with an evenhandedness and craft that simply impresses the moviegoer at any level.
The film is based on the best-selling novel, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, but the director shrewdly focuses the film on Lincoln's final months and the the passing of the 13th Amendment. As war rages on and the nation is torn apart, the political climate is awash with abolitionists and pro-slavery forces, with neither sides willing to bulge or be nonpartisan. ( Sadly, history continues to repeat itself. )
Spielberg has always been one of our most accomplished directors and here he shies away from his tendency to sentimentalize this subject matter and make it more palpable for mass consumption. He renders the brutality of war with mere images of the carnage that became the Civil War and layers his film with that high cost of freedom. There is no dumbing down of the story, plot, or its large cast of characters. Everything is richly created, with a high level of excellence in the production design by Rick Carter, gorgeous photography and lighting by Janusz Kaminski, an unfussy and stirring score by John Williams, and wonderful period costuming by Joanna Johnson. Foremost is a literate screenplay by the talented Tony Kushner that engages the audience from the start. Kushner's dialog, characterizations, and speeches have an intellectual and poetic nuance that distinguishes this film from other standard film biographies.
Lincoln has a tendency to bog down a bit with the internal political manipulations and schemes needed to ratify this amendment to the Constitution. In fact, some scenes about the internal battles of the politicians became somewhat repetitive to me. Additional screen time and depth given to the president's personal life and less emphasis on the governmental bureaucracy would have made this film even more compelling.
However, Spielberg seems more interested in the ethical complexities of the issue of slavery and the moral consciences of the politicians at that time than Lincoln's family dynamics. He even uses some actors as a pseudo Greek chorus to establish more clarity for the movie audience and mirror those legislative point of views. Spielberg tries to equate the similarities of America's government then and now ( the use of lobbyists, the influence of the media, the wheeling and dealing to sway a vote ) and he succeeds brilliantly.
The director assembles an excellent cast in telling his story. At the center of the film is a towering performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president. His lanky physique, angular facial structure, and awkward demeanor truly captures the man and our predetermined notion of him. Throughout the film, Day-Lewis eloquently delivers many speeches, tirades, and witticisms with much authority and passion. His portrayal is wholesome, restrained, and understated, quite powerful in its completeness.
Among the many supporting roles that standout ( Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lee Pace, Stephen Spinella, Gloria Reuben, and the trio of James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Hawkes ), two veteran actors invest themselves wholeheartedly into their roles: Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. As Mary Todd Lincoln, Fields distances herself from the clichéd crazy First Lady persona and brings a stateliness and emotional center to the film. Her bond with Lewis seems authentic and helps to add the most affecting moments to the film. Jones plays Thaddeus Stevens as a highly moral but audacious and impudent politician, a man not afraid to bully a rival into submission or change course for the cause of equality. Along with Day-Lewis, both Field and Jones should be getting more accolades this award season.
Historically speaking, it is safe to state that Lincoln was a great man. Cinematically speaking, it is also safe to say that Spielberg's Lincoln is a great film. GRADE: A-
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NOTE: Liam Neeson was originally slated to play the 16th president but pulled out due to conflicts in his schedule. It would have been an entirely different film but he could have easily slam dunked the Confederacy singlehandedly. Abe Lincoln...action hero?