Considerable imposition on the viewing public

Rating: 3/10 (11 January 2014)

I have a moderate interest in Lincoln as a man, and a mild interest in American political history and the abolition of slavery. This film considerably overdraws the credit account in all respects. It's long drawn-out and tedious.It couldn't command my interest on a continuous basis, but I left it running and watched segments in the hope it would improve. Its subject matter is political machinations, so it's nitty-gritty dialogue mostly, interspersed uneasily with pompous little set- pieces eg the opening sequences where two black soldiers address Lincoln. I'm sorry, I find this stuff not authentic, and boringly didactic to boot. As someone who really understood film-making said, "If you've got a message, use Western Union". Visually the film is also heavy-handed and manipulative. There is low lighting in nearly every scene, obviously to throw craggy faces and profiles into dramatic relief. Some directors eg John Ford use this technique to great effect, but not on..and on..and on.. I nearly introduced this film review by describing this film as a sci-fi effort about what humanity does when the sun goes out! Altogether it's pretty painful, oh dear.