'Lincoln' - Movie Review

Lincoln was first released in November - I'm only seeing it at the movies some four months later. Sigh.

"I never, ever felt that depth of love for another human being that I never met. And that's, I think, probably the effect that Lincoln has on most people that take the time to discover him... I wish he had stayed [with me] forever." - Daniel Day Lewis

 

I'm frequently reminded of my childhood when I watch movies, and while watching Lincoln I had another trip down memory lane. 

There I was as a young boy staring at a book I had received from my parents for my birthday. In the book there was a chapter entitled, Honest Abe. It tells the story of how Abraham Lincoln worked as a store clerk but one day realised he had charged a customer a few cents more than he should've. So - what did the young Abe do? Well, judging from the title of the chapter he didn't shrug and stash the money. No, Abe closed the store and walked "miles" to where the customer lived to pay the correct change. 

In Steven Spielberg's Lincoln we not only witness this morally upright "Honest Abe" (who it seems wasn't above bribery, twisting arms and manipulation in the name of ending slavery!), but also the deconstruction of a longstanding myth that President Lincoln and the victorious North were above reproach. 

And if Lincoln was not reflecting a mythical construct then it certainly wasn't following the typical biopic plot structure either. Spielberg and Kushner manufactured a 500 plus page script which reflects on the last four months of the President's life, rather than the typical childhood to adulthood, rags to riches, story. It doesn't include any flashbacks, nor any "I remember when..." moments. Even the family issues surrounding the Civil War, the death of Willie Lincoln and Mary Lincoln's breakdowns (Mrs. Lincoln would eventually be sent to the "mad house" by her son Bobby) are not climatic parts of the film, but rather they add emotion, insight and depth to the central issue of the 13th Amendment and ending the war on Lincoln's terms. 

Judging by the chatter surrounding the film, it has been astonishing for many to learn of the opposition Lincoln faced within his own party surrounding the 13th Amendment and slavery. Even the American people were conflicted when it came to slavery and the Civil War. The early scene, where Mr and Mrs Jolly (who were anything but jolly) arrive at the White House to petition the President, perfectly sums up the popular view towards the war and slavery. The majority of people wanted an end to the war and weren't overly concerned if that end was met by the continuation of slavery. (We need to remember that slavery had been justified and, for the South, offered economic prosperity. Lincoln was morally against slavery but he also knew that the war mustn't end unless it is accompanied by the end of slavery. If the southern 'rebel' states joined the union before the amendment was passed then there would certainly be no end to slavery. And with the end of slavery came the end of southern economic power.)

So, how is it that a man who received only one years worth of proper education rose to these heights and held borderline radical views? That's a question worth contemplating. I suspect Lincoln's views came from his self education - he educated himself through the constant reading of the classics. This important image of the self-taught man emerges early and often in the film. This is done as the socially unpolished president quotes from books and seeks to tell parables and stories to explain his vision and take the edge off the enormity of the situation leading up to the end of slavery, war and ultimately his life. 

All too perfect an opening scene - this is the sort of thing national identity is constructed on!

However, while the film endeavours to tell the truth behind a dark political standoff in America, the opening scene of the film is one which is likely the furthest thing from what really happened. Yet this scene (where two black soldiers consult the president and the Gettysburg address is recited to the President between black and white soldiers) symbolises perfectly the moral fight behind the film. It's also a scene which will either leave a cringe worthy taste in your mouth, or will make you invest heavily. And if you are in support of the latter then you'll give a fist pump when the Amendment is finally passed (that shouldn't be a spoiler alert for anyone!) and feel tears when Thaddeus Stevens hands the amendment to his mistress. It's interesting to note that Thaddeus did actually have a black mistress but it's highly unlikely he was able to take the amendment home to show her! It’s a nice touch though.  

Believe it or not Tommy Lee Jones works as Thaddeus Stevens, the radical Republican demanding equality on all measures and the vote for all citizens. Tommy really does bring it all to the table in this one. He’s grumpy but oddly lovable and he's able to jabber and trash talk even though he has the stiffened face of an arch conservative. Yes, when it comes to radical emancipator he's got my vote! And the darnedest thing about it all is that he looked like he was having a ball out there.

Same stone-wall face, same awful wig.

Sally Fields apparently had to petition Spielberg to get an audition for this one! (Apparently they thought she was too old for the role.) And if that doesn't make you scratch your head then this will: Daniel Day Lewis wasn’t the original Lincoln, Liam Neeson was. Then again Neeson had played Oscar Schindler under Spielberg, but dropped out of Lincoln after years of research and preparation because he felt he was too old for the role. And if you believe the rumours then Lewis also wanted to quit the role at one point. But I digress, Sally Fields was made for the role of Mrs. Lincoln. You'll have to excuse my love for Forrest Gump's "Mama", but we all know she can throw down an emotional shitstorm of epic proportions. Her hysteria and emotional instability as Mary ("Molly") Lincoln constantly worries her husband as it does us. Was your bottom lip also trembling when she yelled at her husband and swore revenge if her eldest son should die in the war? Or when she told her President husband that he should've thrown her in the "mad house"? Yes, the emotion and depth this character brings to the story is tremendous - even at the end she has us reflecting on the enormity of the moment when she apologises to her husband. The filmmakers took an otherwise cliche aspect to any drama and made it personal for the viewer without allowing it to overshadow the central issue.

Leaving the best for last is Daniel Day Lewis' depiction of history's darling President. How is the son of an Irish-Anglo poet able to reinvent the grittiest and widest variety of American men? First it was Hawkeye in Last of the Mohikans, then it was my favourite - Bill the Butcher in Scorsese's Gangs of New York (where the fascist and racist killing machine hates everything about President Lincoln!), then we had greedy, oil tycoon Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. His roles are memorable and his characters are colourful because he's able to transmit on the screen the entirety of a person. Lewis brings Lincoln to life - and I can't for the life of me work out how he's able to change his whole shape, frame, stance and voice to match that of the lanky, slightly slumped and reedy tenor voiced Abe Lincoln.

Of all the shocks that this film has in store none struck me more than that of the White House. It’s true that the White House has a folklore which isn’t quite true, but I was still shocked to see how cinematographer Janusz Kaminski brought the building to life with earthly tones and natural light.

Filming of the White House and, in fact, the entire movie, took place in Virginia. The Virginia landscape is recreated to Spielberg's perfectionist best. Kushner's script (influenced and inspired by Doris Goodwin's bestselling biography, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln) possesses the idioms and slang of the time without going overboard and making us beg for translations. 

Thaddeus Stevens: You fatuous nincompoop!
 

So is Lincoln ushering in a new brand of political dramas? Might we finally be drifting away from Presidents only popping up in Oliver Stone paranoia films and B-grade action movies? Lincoln has shown the world that history can be presented in honest and interesting ways.

Less a biopic than a political thriller, this groundbreaking film centres itself on the truth of the time and the question which wracks the President: should slavery be abolished even if it means prolonging the war?

9/10