Lincoln: A Movie Review

Lincoln: A Movie Review

Last weekend my parents and I went to see Lincoln. I've never read the book the movie is based on but I've read a lot about Lincoln and the Civil War. The movie focuses on the last few months of Lincoln's presidency when he was determined to end the war by passing the Thirteenth Amdendment, which would free the slaves once and for all. Leading the charge for the Amendment is Thaddeus Stevens, a Senator from Pennsylvania who has spent his entire career trying to free the slaves. He's a tough old man, worn down from many difficult years of fighting for social justice. He believes the Declaration of Independence "All men are created equal" should be taken literally, but to publicly declare that could be a career killer and thwart the passage of the amendment. Lincoln's opponents from the South want to discuss peace. Lincoln wants his amendment passed and he'll stop at nothing, even delaying peace, to get it. It isn't an easy task to get Congress to pass the Amendment so Lincoln needs a little help from some rough characters who will pursue the lawmakers, bribe or threaten them until they give in. 

Lincoln is aging rapidly. The Presidency and personal affairs have taken their toll on him. He must deal with the grief of losing his favorite son and the knowledge that his headstrong eldest son wants to march off to fight and possibly be killed. His beloved wife Mary is emotionally fragile and has never gotten over the death of their boy Willie. There's only the youngest son, Tad, an energetic, eager young boy, to brighten Lincoln's days.

This movie isn't for everyone. It's primarily about politics than a biopic of Lincoln's life. Many of the scenes recreate debates in Congress or show the wheeling and dealing of the early lobbyists. Even though audience knows the course of history, it's intense watching the battle, wondering what will happen and waiting for that final vote. While it was interesting to see how Congress operated in the 1860s and see how the Thirteenth Amendment became a law, it's very slow and there's lots (and lots) of talking which makes the movie difficult to understand at times. 

My interests lie in social history so I preferred the scenes in the White House that humanized the Lincolns and made them into flesh and blood people. The set details were incredible and it really seemed as if we were looking at the Executive Mansion and the Capitol in 1865. All of the historic paintings and period furnishings were painstakingly recreated for the film. Some of the scenes were staged from photographs and I liked seeing the well-known image reeneacted by flesh and blood people. I adore that kind of attention to detail. I especially loved Mrs. Lincoln's clothes! She was known for her sense of fashion and design (and running up the National debt with her spending).

Especially riveting was Daniel Day Lewis's portrayal of President Lincoln. Though he is not as tall as Lincoln and the movie magic moments to make him appear so are rather cheesy, he perfectly captured the essence of Lincoln. Having done his research, Daniel Day Lewis speaks with a high, reedy sort of voice that people say Lincoln had. It's a very kind, gentle voice with none of the actor's natural British accent showing through at all. Seeing the movie on the big screen really enhances the emotional connection. The audience can see every wrinkle and gray hair and the dark shadows under Lincoln's eyes and know that this is not a well man but a man troubled by all he has been through and everything that is happening. He's deeply emotional, trying to stay calm during a tempest in a teacup but occasionally loses his cool. All of the emotions are backed up by actions and body language that demonstrate just how difficult Lincoln's life was. 

Sally Field was good as the emotionally fragile Mary Todd Lincoln who alternates between flirtatious and steely Southern belle to a deeply sad woman haunted by past mistakes and what-ifs. The acting was pretty good but I wouldn't say she was stellar. She wasn't in the movie very often. There was a nice chemistry between Lincoln and Mary when they were together. 

The other real stand out was young Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln. He provided some of the comic relief in the story. He was cute and charming without being overly precocious. His dialogue sounded natural and his acting was very natural too. I could easily believe he was a young boy experiencing something he didn't understand, wanting attention badly to be a grown up and part of it but still a child wanting attention from his dad and a loving son, helping his father through difficult times.

I really only had one major problem with the film. The movie doesn't mention that Lincoln was only interested in freeing the slaves to keep the country together. He was pretty much as bigoted as any other man of his time. He detested slavery but didn't really know what to do with slaves once they were free. At one point in his career, he thought about shipping them off somewhere. The movie has a narrow focus, which is fine, but I think that should have been mentioned.

My other quibble with the movie is that Elizabeth Keckly was a dressmaker with her own business. She wasn't a lady's maid, she didn't live at the White House. She did serve as a surrogate Mammy for Mary Lincoln at times when Mary found herself in need of comfort.

My parents didn't like the ending and found it a bit confusing but otherwise enjoyed the movie. I felt it was important but could have come a bit sooner and then ended the movie that way.

Overall, I liked it and I'm glad I saw it. Would I vote for it as Best Picture at the Oscars? I'm not sure, not having seen many of the other movies nominated. I would definitely vote for Daniel Day Lewis though. (Sorry Hugh, I still love you!)