Lincoln

Plot synopsis:
The opening scene is a brutal, muddy melee. At close quarters in that wet place, the men on whom the camera closes in are attacking one another with bayonets, swords, fists, or even by holding an enemy's face in the mud to drown him. Many of the combatants are black. A voice-over says that the rebels (Confederates, or rebs) "killed every negro soldier they captured at Poison Springs... so at Jenkins Ferry, we decided we weren't taking no reb prisoners." The camera cuts to show the speaker, a black soldier in an army camp talking to someone who after a few seconds is revealed to be President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis). The soldier (Private Harold Green, Colman Domingo) and his comrade (Corporal Ira Clark, David Oyelowo) tell Lincoln their names, ranks, and where they're headed next (Wilmington). They're pleased that they're finally being paid as much as the white soldiers, but Clark complains about the lack of commissioned negro officers and sarcastically predicts that whites might be able to tolerate a negro colonel in 50 years -- and "in 100 years, the vote." A couple of white soldiers who heard Lincoln speak at Gettysburg come up; one repeats the beginning of the Gettysburg address and his friend recites the next lines. They're called away, but Corporal Clark finishes the speech as he walks off.In January 1865, the recently reëlected Lincoln notes the imminence of the Civil War's end, wondering out loud what will become of the former slaves. He finds insufficiency, even hypocrisy, in his Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which had freed most slaves as a war measure but had not made slavery illegal. Only a constitutional amendment illegalizing slavery, he realizes, will spell its permanent end in America.Debate rages even within his own cabinet, but as Lincoln sees it, the passage of the constitutional amendment cannot wait until the end of the war, for Southern slaves who had been freed as a war measure might fall into forced servitude once again. In an interview with a white couple from Missouri, it becomes clear that some, at least, of the popular support for the antislavery amendment is based on the belief that passing the amendment will hasten the end of the war. Under the questioning of Secretary of State William Seward (David Strathairn), the two admit that should peace break out without the amendment passing, they would no longer support it, fearing the effects the freed slaves would have on their local economy.The proposed Thirteenth Amendment has passed in the Senate but does not have sufficient backing in the House of Representatives. Lincoln takes it upon himself and his staff to find the votes needed by the end of January, which requires the granting of many political favors to members of their rival party. Lincoln and Seward will not stoop to outright cash bribery (not knowingly, anyway), but Seward hires three lobbyists to promote their cause by promising government jobs to Democratic members of the House who failed to win reëlection -- the lame ducks. The lobbyists are W.N. Bilbo (James Spader), Robert Latham (John Hawkes), and Richard Schell (Tim Blake Nelson).To pass the amendment, Lincoln needs the support of Preston Blair (Hal Holbrook) and his son Montgomery (Byron Jennings), the influential founders of the Republican Party and leaders of its conservative wing. The Blairs are eager to end the war. As a condition of his support, Preston Blair demands permission to visit the Confederate leadership in Richmond, Virginia, and invite them to send a peace delegation to Washington. This is awkward for Lincoln because he can't afford to end the war until the amendment passes, but he allows Blair to go secretly to Richmond.The bedrock of support for the amendment lies at the other end of the party: the Radicals, lead by the creatively abusive Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones) of Pennsylvania. The Radicals are abolitionists, and Stevens goes so far as to support full racial equality, including voting rights for black men -- an idea that angers and frightens most white people outside his own wing of the Republican Party.Lincoln's family life is emotionally fraught. His wife Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field) suffers constant headaches as the result of a carriage accident that she believes was an assassination attempt against her husband. Mary is deeply interested in the passage of the amendment, but Lincoln and Mary are still grieving the death of their son Willie three years before. The Lincoln household includes their youngest son Tad (Gulliver McGrath); Mary's dressmaker and friend Elizabeth Keckley (Gloria Reuben), a former slave who accompanies Mary on outings to the theater and the visitors' gallery of the House of Representatives; William Slade (Stephen Henderson), Lincoln's black valet; and eventually Tad's older brother Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Robert has been studying law at Harvard but comes home because his self respect demands that he enlist in the Army. Both his parents oppose the idea, being unable to face the prospect of losing another son. Robert eventually prevails upon his father to let him join up; Lincoln placates Mary by attaching Robert to the staff of General Ulysses Grant (Jared Harris), where he's unlikely to come to harm.Debate rages in the House of Representatives over the advisability of the amendment. Some politicians see peace as a necessary precursor to the passing of the amendment, but others see the passing of the amendment as a step on the road to the end of the Civil War. Lincoln's challenge is to play the middle, and he does so very effectively.The vote on the amendment is nearly postponed due to the rumor that a Confederate peace delegation is in Washington, ready to negotiate. James Ashley (David Costabile), the amendment's sponsor, is able to deny that a delegation is in Washington or on the way because Lincoln has cannily ordered the Confederate emissaries to be held at Hampton Roads, Virginia. The Thirteenth Amendment passes by two votes after Lincoln himself lobbies a few fence-sitting congressmen.Congressman Stevens borrows the official copy of the amendment and takes it home to show to his biracial housekeeper and common-law wife, Lydia Smith (S. Epatha Merkerson).Days after the vote, Lincoln and Seward meet with the Confederate delegation at Hampton Roads. The Confederates make negotiation conditional on Lincoln's written assurance that the Thirteenth Amendment will not be ratified. Lincoln responds that all the northern states will ratify it, and he has assurances that at least three Confederate states will do the same upon readmission to the Union; this makes the end of slavery a certainty. No agreements are made at the Hampton Roads Conference.About two months later, General Robert E. Lee (Christopher Boyer) surrenders at Appomattox Court House. Lincoln's double coup has paved the way for the peaceful readmission of the Confederate states to the Union, but he will not live to see it, as he is assassinated days after the surrender. In the closing scene, Lincoln delivers his second inaugural address.

Tags: dramatic, boring, historical, claustrophobic

Review:
It shows the long, grating process of amending the United States' constitution for the thirteenth time to abolish slavery and grant African Americans equality, and how that more than one men stood at the center of the action when the process was taking place, along with how he was incorruptibly confident that ending the practice of slavery will lead to ending the war.While titled "Lincoln," we get several other characters with a fairly surprising amount of screen time.
Among them are Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Lincoln's oldest son, Robert Todd, Tommy Lee Jones playing Thaddeus Stevens, the fiery Radical Republican leader who is strongly passionate about abolitionism, Sally Field as the president's devoted wife, Mary Todd, and David Strathairn as William Seward, the secretary of state.
It could also be said that at times Abraham Lincoln is not writer Tony Kushner's (who also penned Spielberg's Munich, unseen by me) prime focus, as much as it is the backroom deals of the 1865 congress and the political battles and obstacles each member faced when their morals and ideology came forth in abolishing one of the most inhumane acts ever allowed in the United States.Daniel Day-Lewis is mesmerizing here, never overplaying or shortchanging Lincoln in one of his most reliable roles yet.
Day-Lewis is only assisted by the wealth of invaluable talent he is surrounded by, yet some of the most powerful work of his career comes out when Lincoln is reciting stories or parables to a group of bewildered, yet fascinated individuals who recall and cherish every word the man is saying.One requirement upon seeing Lincoln is you must commit to two and a half hours of dialog and monologues from several characters about several different topics.
Finally, I must note Spielberg's top notch use of subversive elements from Lincoln's voice, to the focus of the picture from a narrative point of view, to the inevitable conclusion that still leaves us impacted and shaken.Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jackie Earle Haley.
But when I consider what he has done here--imbued the most sacred president in our history with such aching, gorgeous, complex humanity--seemingly without conscious effort on his part--I say give it to him.His Lincoln is at once ordinary and divine, passionate and all too earthy...and he inhabits the role so fully that not beyond the first minute do you think to yourself that you are watching an actor and not the man himself.
The movie is sort of a Disney version of Lincoln and loose on the facts.This movie is over rated (probably because Spielberg is so powerful in Hollywood) and if you know any civil war history you will be disappointed.
Now reunite Spielberg with long standing producing partner Kathleen Kennedy, throw in a multi-award winning star cast lead by Daniel Day-Lewis and a story about one of the most revered Presidents in US history and you have an Academy Award nominated movie by default.
And how Mr. Lincoln helped end the CIVIL WAR and at the same time Abolish Slavery in our United States of America in the last few but Very Important months of this Great Man's Life.
This dilemma would have deserved a film by itself, a smaller but maybe better one.Much was said and written (even a cover story in TIME Magazine) about Daniel Day-Lewis's impersonation of Lincoln.
I liked much more the supporting roles of Sally Field as a Lincoln's wife, or maybe the wife of all presidents or great men who sacrifice their personal lives for the greater causes, and of Tommy Lee Jones as the radical pro-abolitionist politician Thaddeus Stevens, a man whose life was dedicated to the fight against slavery, but who knows to make the right political move at the critical moment to achieve the legal confirmation of the dream, at a tough personal price with respect to his own ideals.
That's not "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan", not even close, but this film captures wonderfully the way the director looks at that piece of history, and though it's probably not the more realistic film ever made about Lincoln (and i don't know if there will ever be one really realistic..), the movie offers tremendous performances (DDL will certainly be honored), a tremendous production design and, not less important,a great score by John Williams, once again!
The historical accuracy of this film rivals that of 'Abraham Lincoln vampire hunter' It's a pure work of fiction and anybody who believes the civil war was about abolishing slavery needs to spend only ten minutes with their head in a history book to know the truth.I will end this review with a final quote from the white messiah Abe Lincolon."If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.
When i knew sometime ago that Spielberg was making a film about Lincoln i thought that it would be great to watch a film of one of the best filmmakers about one of the greatest men in history.
American screenwriter, producer and director Steven Spielberg's twenty-eight feature film which he co-produced and which was written by American screenwriter and playwright Tony Kushner, is partly based on a book from 2005 called "Team of Rivals : The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by American author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
It tells the story about the president of the United States of America named Abraham Lincoln who in January, 1865 whilst living with his wife named Molly and son named Bob in the White House in the capital city of USA and as the American Civil War is in its fourth year, does everything in his power to find a peaceful solution regarding the war and encourages his cabinet members to get people from the Democratic Party to vote for the abolishment of slavery.Distinctly and precisely directed by North American filmmaker Steven Spielberg, this quietly paced and biographical tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a humane and heartrending portrayal of middle-aged lawyer, politician, father, husband and philanthropist from the American South who despite opposing ideas from his colleagues insists on indorsing the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
While notable for it's distinct and naturalistic milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by Polish cinematographer and director Janusz Kaminski, production design by American production designer and art director Rick Carter and costume design by English costume designer Joanna Johnston, this dialog-driven and narrative-driven story about the first president of the Republican Party and his relationship with his spouse and his oldest son named Robert depicts a reverent and nuanced study of character and contains a timely score by American composer John Williams.This conversational, political and at times humorous period piece which is set mostly in Washington, D.C. in America during the mid-1860s and where a radical republican and Congressman named Thaddeus Stevens is debating the opponents of the amendment of slavery and the head of state is in a dedicated strive for peace and equality whilst thinking about the future of his family, his nation and his fellow citizens, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, subtle character development and continuity, the untouchable acting performance by English actor Daniel Day-Lewis and the remarkable acting performances by American actress Sally Field, American actor Tommy Lee Jones and American actor David Strathairn.
I could just as easily read this story in 5 pages in just about any American history book and saved myself the pain of watching the strained acting performances from just about everyone in this picture (except DDL who was the bright spot portraying Lincoln).
The entire story takes place in the early months of 1865 as the Civil War is winding down.Lincoln does, of course, play a pivotal role as the central character in his proposal and backing of the Amendment (yet still, kind of not wanting the war to end before it was voted upon in order to keep the Southern delegations out of the vote).
A fascinating bit of historical and political intrigue.A couple of tips: --Younger audiences, unless they happen to have an unusual interest in political processes, are likely to be bored with LINCOLN.--If you aren't all that up on Secretary of State William Seward, Representative Thaddeus Stevens, and some of the various other players, it might be helpful to read-up a little on them before watching this..
Yawn.......more than 2 1/2 hours of sheer boredom and drivel!More fantasy from that "Great Director" Spielberg - This guy should stick to fairy tales, like Close Encounters and E.T. Every time he attempts to make a serious movie he completely distorts the truth and tries to turn reality that probably is rather unpalatable into some sort of Eutopian dream.Did we really need to have to sit through over 2 1/2 hours of this contrite falsified drivel that is in fact a complete lie and a libel to Abraham Lincoln.Just like his other movie, Schindlers List - Fairy tale nonsense!A few quotes from A.L might put the lies and distortions into some sort of perspective.
He walks and talks exactly as AL did (according to the book) so this movie is not just a great achievement in cinematography but a brilliant depiction of actual events and an amazing achievement in acting.The only downside is you have to know a little bit of history as you will be thrown into the action, and might find it confusing.
"He contained multitudes." Walt WhitmanA story about Abraham Lincoln's 13th Amendment fight could be a snoozer in the hands of anyone else except director Steven Spielberg and actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
Less rewarding as drama is Lincoln's relationship with his wife, Mary (Sally Field), whose depression over the loss of her first child stalks here her lifetime and makes for some less than sweet moments on screen.But this film belongs to Lincoln, who, as memorably portrayed by Day-Lewis, is a leader of strong will peppered by a sense of humor and a relentless penchant for tales: The story of George Washington's portrait in a British water closet is a hoot.
Daniel Day-Lewis steals the show as the title character in LINCOLN, but by all rights, the film itself could have been named "AMENDMENT XIII" as the second act's energy, as well as most of the third, is focused on the debate in the House to abolish slavery nearly leaving Lincoln himself as just a witness to history while a cast of character actors from screens both big and small pound tables and chests alike in a grandiose fashion.Director Steven Spielberg, and his long-time cinematic director of photography Janusz Kaminski, created a gorgeous movie where they carefully and beautifully frame each shot allowing the audience to play historical witness.
After all the hype, I had expected something pretty special, but was hugely disappointed.For me, any film about historical events needs to engage my interest either through bringing the characters to life in a sympathetic way, or by creating a web of suspense, despite my knowledge of the final outcome.Sadly, Lincoln does not come close on either of these points.
You begin to feel Lincoln's pain and fatigue of this nation's Civil War sitting through the drudgery of this basically flat screenplay.It's becoming a cliché with Spielberg, who gets green-lighted on one epic after another, will probably get lots of Oscar Nominations, but in the end is simply not producing the cohesive dramatic work of his earlier days..
Daniel-Day Lewis will win all the awards for this one, as well as Tommy Lee Jones.The movie did an excellent job capturing Lincoln's wit and wisdom and his ability to persuade men to his point of view.In addition, the picture shows partisan politics is not just a recent affliction in the U.S. Congress.It was a tad myopic in that it only dealt with the machinations during Congress' consideration of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but it was good nonetheless..
Centered on President Abraham Lincoln's, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, trial to pass the thirteenth amendment to put a halt to slavery and a nudge up in Negroes rights!
When you boil it down the thing that are going to make or break this movie are the performances and they all work especially Daniel Day-Lewis who gives one of the best performances I have ever seen he embodies everything that Abraham Lincoln stood for and delivers a performance that is impossible not to get behind and it is easy to tell that the set backs in what he is trying to accomplish are taking a toll on him.
Lewis did an excellent job in his role as Lincoln and not once did I see him as acting and felt I was watching a great president in action.
For his biopic "Lincoln," rather than try to cram a man's entire life into a two-and-a-half-hour running time, Steven Spielberg has wisely chosen to keep the focus circumscribed and narrow: on the winter of 1865, four years into the Civil War, as the President works to secure passage of the highly controversial 13th Amendment, which, when ratified, will abolish slavery as an institution in the United States for all time to come.
Lincoln's major hope is to convince a sufficient number of lame duck Democrats to come over to his side, while not allowing the amendment's passage to throw a monkey wrench into any possibility of surrender on the part of the Confederacy.A man of both faith and reason, pragmatism and passion, Lincoln knew that he stood on the threshold of history, that he needed to act decisively and at that very moment to wipe out the scourge of slavery that, since the young nation's inception, had brought shame and evil to a republic ostensibly founded on the concept that all men are created equal.The movie beautifully captures Lincoln as a man bowed down by the burden of his position and the times in which he not only lived but played so vital a role in shaping, a brilliant but self-effacing man, keenly cognizant of his humble beginnings, as ready to lend an ear to the lowliest foot soldier or telegraph operator as to the greatest general or politician - indeed more eager in some cases, for he knew that the common man often had more honesty in his answer and wisdom in his soul than the great one.This is the man whom screenwriter Tony Kushner and author Doris Kearns Goodwin, upon whose book "Team of Rivals" the movie is based, present to the audience.But that isn't all.
The film is complicated to watch in that it's not slowed or dumbed down so you have to concentrate, and the writing is fast, intelligent and witty; I feel that the language was time-appropriate and the accents were good (to a non-American's ear) and Daniel Day-Lewis had clearly worked hard on his mannerisms to inhabit such a well-loved character.
This is out-and-out a great, great film (even though it gets one or two details wrong - like the way Connecticut voted on the bill in question), with many great cameos and performances by some of the greatest actors of our day - not to mention the work of one of our greatest directors and movie minds ever, Stephen Spielberg.Daniel Day Lewis (as Lincoln) is brilliant here - as are Tommy Lee Jones (as Sen. Stevens), Sally Field (as Mary Lincoln), David Strathairn (as William Seward) and many other fine actors - in bringing an important but little-told part of history to life, with all of its many colors and nuances.And here's a side of Lincoln we haven't seen before - Lincoln the impatient and demanding power-broker.
Not enough bloody Civil War scenes, I guess, and then we're deprived of a big ending too."Lincoln" is a reverent look at a historical figure, not just as a historical figure, but as a man with children and with a volatile wife, a man who played politics just as they're played today in order to get his way.As far as Daniel Day-Lewis, let me say that not for one second did I think I was watching a performance.
That was my reaction when word first went around that Steven Spielberg was making an Abraham Lincoln biopic, with Daniel Day-Lewis playing the ill-fated 16th president.
With 20 Democratic votes needed to pass the 13th Amendment, Lincoln enlists the help of Republican radical Thaddeus Steven (Tommy Lee Jones) and W.N. Bilbo (James Spader), whose back-door politicking and shady deals are necessary to help sway the votes of the opposition and change the course of history forever.Irishman Day-Lewis immerses himself into the role of an American icon.
With the help and execution of the stellar cast, the movie never feels dull as some of the long dialogue sequences ooze with a sense of theatricality that makes every line feel as much as alive as it is thrilling.Lincoln needs to be seen by all not just for the outstanding performances and craftsmanship, but as a reminder of sacrifice and great lengths taken by one man to repair a shattered nation and forever alter the course of history for the greater good.
youth film critic Anthony Aranda, age 10, makes a valuable observation when he says, " the history is important to kids like me." The movie Lincoln depicts the President during the Civil War, a pivotal time in United States history.
It would probably do every politician a lot of good to watch that scene.To tell this story, Spielberg has assembled one of the most impressive casts in movie history.
This is the best biographical picture I have seen if you have any interest in the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, or the 13th amendment you will enjoy this movie..