Daniel Day Lewis in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln Review

I will admit that when I found out that I would be previewing Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln starring Academy Award Winner Daniel Day Lewis during my Disney Press trip, I was less than enthusiastic. I do remember enough of the basics from social studies class: stovetop hat, tall, beard, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln, you get the idea.

 

 

Well, I was wrong, I like many people know the Lincoln legend superficially which is why I really enjoyed the movie. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office of which we know he works to end the Civil War, unite the country and abolish slavery. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

Lincoln from the opening war scene really grabs you and from a visceral standpoint. There is nothing pretty about those scenes, war is ugly, brutal and bloody. Spielberg doesn’t sugar coat war nor should he, war is hell on earth, always has been and always will be. What I found fascinating and riveting about the storyline of the movie is the telling of how the emancipation proclamation came to be signed and that Lincoln was a politician who knew how to get his way. Certainly he would fit right into today’s political scene.

The cast has been impeccably chosen. Daniel Day Lewis embodies Lincoln. I don’t think we know exactly how Lincoln sounded but no matter, Lewis does a phenomenal job portraying the iconic President and I am sure will be nominated for his performance. And Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln portrays her as self-aware partner who displays a behind the scenes emotional veneer without fear. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Lincoln’s son continues to get better as an actor (hasn’t he come a long from Third Rock from the Sun.) The supporting cast including Timmy Lee Jones as the abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens, definitely chews up the scenery but the final reveal for him makes his character all the more likable.

 

 

And James Spader, John Hawkes and Tim Blake Nelson as early lobbyists add some humor to the story as they bribe, lie and bend a few arms to get the votes Lincoln needs.

Even though you know the outcome, Spielberg has done a masterful job of bringing  Lincoln and that period in history to life. And if you are wondering as I did, how accurate it is, when I saw that the movie was based in part on the book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin, I was happy that I didn’t  have to go looking up the events to ensure accuracy of the movie.

I definitely recommend this movie. I can’t say that tweens will like it or even understand it without a more thorough grounding of history but I thin definitely kids in middle school will find it interesting and  it will actually hold their attention.

LINCOLN release dates: November 9, 2012 in limited release and November 16, 2012 in wide release.

For more information on the movie visit www.thelincolnmovie.com and stay social on Facebook.com/LincolnMovie and Twitter.com/Lincoln (#Lincoln)

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