Lincoln – 2012
Abraham Lincoln will always be remembered as the president who abolished the horrific practice of slavery in the United States. We all know the stories about how he ended the Civil War and about his tragic assassination. But who knows all the details? How did he accomplish all these great things? What obstacles did he have to overcome? Who were the people who opposed him? Who were his allies? Who were his family? What kind of a man was he? Who was Abraham Lincoln?
This movie expertly uses the last four months of his presidency to answer these questions, and the result is fascinating. Directed by Stephen Spielberg, Lincoln is a wonderful biopic, going into those little-known details concerning the man’s final months. Daniel Day Lewis played the part that nobody thought could be played, and he did a phenomenal job. He took home his third Oscar for Best Actor for his efforts, the other two being My Left Foot in 1990 and There Will Be Blood in 2008. Apparently Liam Neeson originally had the part but had to drop out, so Daniel stepped in. And thank goodness he did. I can’t imagine anyone else doing the demanding role justice.
Sally Field played Lincoln’s wife Mary Todd Lincoln. I think I remember hearing once that she had a questionable mental stability. But the film seemed to imply a few things I couldn’t find in my meager research. It implied that after the death of their third son, Willie, Mary couldn’t stop crying and Abraham threatened to lock her away in a madhouse. Maybe this was true, or maybe it was just a little foreshadowing, because it is a fact that after Lincoln’s assassination, Mary was so inconsolable that their first son, Robert, played in the film by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actually did lock her up in an asylum.
Anyway, I really loved Sally Fields’s performance. In fact, she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award, though she did not win. But the movie had a star studded cast, each of whom did a fantastic job. Big names like Tommy Lee Jones, playing the part of Thaddeus Stevens, James Spader as William Bilbo, Hal Holbrook as Preston Blair, and David Strathairn as Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William H. Sweard, characters who were operatives and politicians involved in the House of Representatives. Jones was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Another lesser known actor who caught my attention was Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant. Also, playing various members of Congress were Michael Sthulbarg as George Yeaman, Peter McRobbie and Lee Pace as George Pendleton and Fernando Wood, the Thirteenth Amendment’s leading opponents, and David Costabile as James Ashley. They all did a great job and deserve to be recognized.
The film had a rather slow pace and lasted nearly two and a half hours, but in this case, it didn’t bother me. The drama was both interesting and informative. The main conflict of the film was the effort of Lincoln to get the votes needed to pass the Amendment before the end of the Civil War. They started off being twenty votes short with only a few months to go. That’s it. That’s the main focus of the film. And I got excited every time a new congressman was converted. But it was the drama of Lincoln having to deal with his family at the same time that gave the movie its gravitas.
Lincoln’s oldest son Robert felt it was his moral imperative to join the Union Army. Mary feared that if he did, he would die like many sons were dying. If that happened, she would forever blame her husband. But Lincoln realized that if Robert were not allowed to enlist, he would blame his parents for the rest of his life. The movie was really about the enormous pressures placed upon the shoulders of the President during the final months of his life. There was even a very humanizing scene in which Lincoln slapped Robert in the face during a heated argument. I think we tend to regard our heroes as saints, and it is easy to forget that they are just as human as everybody else.
And the scene in which the Amendment is passed was exciting to watch. Obviously I knew the Amendment would be successful, but I was not aware it was such a close decision. And as a side note, I also didn’t know that Lincoln’s assassination took place only two and a half months after he abolished slavery in the United States. The film was very intense and perfectly executed. But I expected no less from such a prolific and accomplished filmmaker like Spielberg. And, of course, Spielberg’s long-time collaborator, John Williams provided an excellent score.
I’ve never been a huge history buff, but I recognize a well-made movie and incredible acting when I see it. Lincoln, honestly, exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed watching it. Whenever great or terrible things in history are accomplished, they are enacted by great or terrible historic figures. It must stand to reason that the unknown dramas surrounding those figures would be fascinating material for cinematic greatness. Lincoln is a film that proves this to be true.