Lincoln, Movie Review

Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

Section 1: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2: Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Review: 4.25 Stars out of 5 Stars

The year is January, 1865, and the Civil War has been raging since April, 1861.  Abraham Lincoln, a staunch abolitionist, is on a mission to end slavery.  On January 1st, 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation by executive order.  The order freed slaves in Confederate territories, but didn't outlaw slavery itself.  Now Lincoln is pushing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawing slavery, but it must happen before the war ends, since returning slave states would out rule the 13th amendment, and there may not be enough time to wait for a Republican majority in the House of Representatives come February (the bill passed quickly in the Senate.) 

Lincoln is a cerebral film.  The trailer makes it seem as if the movie is nothing but epic battle scenes and raging war/congress rooms.  Instead we get a movie that takes us into Lincolns life as we see another side of the Civil War; one where blood is not being spilled, but words still act as knives.  The battle lines are drawn when it is realized that all Republicans must vote for the 13th amendment (not one can falter or be absent) and twenty votes must be found on the Democratic side of the aisle, which would bring the vote to the 2/3rds needed to pass the amendment.  The film illustrates beautifully the losing battle Lincoln and his fellow Republicans are fighting.    
The movie is based on the Lincoln's biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which takes place in Lincolns last four months of life.  In public Lincoln is known for his short, to the point (and may I add refreshing) speeches, but in private he loves to tell stories and anecdotes.  There's a gentle wit in this, and a softness in Lincoln portrayed that's different then any history book I've ever read, but I quickly grew to love Lincoln as a man.  Of course he's not perfect.  He knows how to be a good father to his youngest, fourth son, but feels distant to his eldest, having lost his second and third sons to illness.  His eldest son, Robert, wishes to join the Union army, and Lincoln does what he can to prevent it, thanks to his wife Mary's wishes, so that they would not then lose a third son.

The acting throughout the film is superb by the entire cast.  I read a news story once outlining what Sally Fields, who plays Mary Lincoln, did to assure herself the role.  She met up with Danial Day-Lewis, who plays Lincoln, and the director Steven Spielberg for a one hour screen test.  The entire hour was her and Lewis improvising.  They were both so committed and prepared that they were living and breathing Lincoln and Mary.  That commitment and passion is beautiful, and it shows on the screen.  Tommy Lee Jones, who plays Thaddeus Stevens, is also a marvel to watch.

Maybe I'm a little biased in this review, because I find the Civil War so intriguing, owning a few books on the subject, doing a little research here and there.  One of my ancestors, a Union soldier, received a really bad battle wound and soon after died at home.  Another ancestor, also Union, fought at Gettysburg.  So when the film opened to a battle scene, immediately I was brought to that time, grateful for my forebears who were brave enough to fight and give their lives, and overwhelmed by the pain and sacrifice that entails.

A beautiful movie for an amazing man.     

MPAA: PG-13 for an intense scene of war violence, some images of carnage and brief strong language.

"No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent" ~ Abe Lincoln

"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just." ~ Abe Lincoln

"There has never been but one question in all civilization-how to keep a few men from saying to many men: You work and earn bread and we will eat it." ~ Abe Lincoln

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." ~ Abe Lincoln

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."~ Abe Lincoln