Lincoln (2012)

Lincoln is a biopic about Abraham Lincoln directed by Steven Spielberg. It is set for release sometime in December, 2012. The film is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and cove
== Plot ==
In January 1865, President Abraham Lincoln expects the Civil War to end soon, with the defeat of the Confederate States. He is concerned that his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation may be discarded by the courts after the war and that the proposed Thirteenth Amendment will be defeated by the returning slave states. He feels it imperative to pass the amendment beforehand, to foreclose any possibility that freed slaves might be re-enslaved.
The Radical Republicans fear the amendment will be defeated by some who wish to delay its passage; support from Republicans in the states is not yet assured. The amendment also requires the support of several Democratic congressmen to pass. With dozens of Democrats being lame ducks after losing their re-election campaigns in 1864, some of Lincoln's advisors believe he should wait for a new Republican-heavy Congress. Lincoln remains adamant about having the amendment in place before the war is concluded and the southern states are re-admitted.
Lincoln's hopes rely upon Francis Preston Blair, a founder of the Republican Party whose influence could win over members of the state conservative faction. With two sons serving in the Union Army, Blair is keen to end hostilities before the spring thaw arrives and the armies march again. Therefore, in return for his support, Blair insists that Lincoln allow him to engage the Confederate government in peace negotiations. However, Lincoln knows that significant support for the amendment comes from Radical Republicans, for whom negotiated peace is unacceptable. Unable to proceed without Blair's support, Lincoln reluctantly authorizes his mission.
In the meantime, Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward work to secure Democratic votes for the amendment. Lincoln suggests they concentrate on the lame-duck Democrats, as they will feel freer to vote as they choose and soon need employment; Lincoln will have many federal jobs to fill as he begins his second term. Despite being unwilling to offer monetary bribes to the Democrats, Lincoln and Seward authorize agents to contact Democratic congressmen with offers of federal jobs in exchange for their support. Meanwhile, Lincoln's son, Robert, returns from law school and announces his intention to discontinue his studies and enlist in the Union Army, hoping to earn a measure of honor and respect outside of his father's shadow. Lincoln reluctantly secures an officer's commission for Robert. Mary Todd Lincoln, the First Lady, is aghast, fearing that he will be killed. She furiously presses her husband to pass the amendment and end the war, promising woe upon him if he should fail.
At a critical moment in the debate in the House of Representatives, racial-equality advocate Thaddeus Stevens agrees to moderate his position and argue that the amendment represents only legal equality, not a declaration of actual equality. Meanwhile, Confederate envoys are ready to meet with Lincoln to discuss terms for peace, but he instructs they be kept out of Washington as the amendment approaches a vote on the House floor. Rumor of their mission circulates, prompting both Democrats and conservative Republicans to advocate postponing the vote. In a carefully worded statement, Lincoln denies there are envoys in Washington, and the vote proceeds, passing by a margin of just two votes. Black visitors to the gallery celebrate, and Stevens returns home to his "housekeeper" and lover, a biracial woman.
When Lincoln meets with the Confederates, he tells them slavery cannot be restored, as the North is united for ratification of the amendment, and several of the southern states' reconstructed legislatures would also vote to ratify. As a result, the peace negotiations fail, and the war continues. On April 3, Lincoln visits the battlefield at Petersburg, Virginia and speaks with Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. On April 9, Grant receives General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. On April 14, a cheerful Lincoln meets members of his cabinet to discuss future measures to enfranchise blacks, before leaving for Ford's Theatre. That night, while Lincoln's son Tad is watching Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp at Grover's Theatre, the manager stops the play to announce that the President has been shot. The next morning, at the Petersen House, Lincoln dies with a peaceful expression across his face; in a flashback, Lincoln finishes intoning his second inaugural address on March 4 with the words, "With malice toward none, with charity for all".
==Cast==
*Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln
*Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the oldest son, recent Harvard graduate and new Union Army captain Robert Todd Lincoln
*Tommy Lee Jones as Radical Republican Congressional leader Thaddeus Stevens
*Sally Field as First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln
*Jared Harris as Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant
*Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln
*David Strathairn as Secretary of State William Seward
*Lee Pace as former Mayor of New York City Fernando Wood
*Jackie Earle Haley as Vice President of the Confederate States of America Alexander H. Stephens
*Gregory Itzin as John Archibald Campbell
*Bruce McGill as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton
*Walton Goggins as Democratic Congressman Wells A. Hutchins
*Gloria Reuben as Elizabeth Keckley
*Wayne Duvall as Radical Republican Senator Bluff Wade
*David Oyelowo as Ira Clark
*James Spader as Democratic Party operative William N. Bilboe
*John Hawkes as Colonel Robert Latham
*Hal Holbrook as Francis Preston Blair
*Tim Blake Nelson as Richard Schell
*Joseph Cross as John Hay
*David Costabile as James Ashley
*Jeremy Strong as John George Nicolay
*Dakin Matthews as John Palmer Usher
*Byron Jennings as Montgomery Blair
*Richard Topol as James Speed
*S. Epatha Merkerson as Lydia Smith
*Julie White as Elizabeth Blair Lee
==Gallery==
==See also==
Feature on the 2012 Moviepedia Film Guide
The Movie Review And More
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