Director: Steven Spielberg
In a recent research done by a TV station, Abraham Lincoln was voted as the most liked President of USA. Even though portraits of him show him as a serious person, it is because of the olden day imaging technique where prolonged posing in front of the camera is needed for a good picture. He was supposed to be a jovial chap, as seen in this movie where he is seen cracking jokes and telling stories to his subordinates.
The film shows a time after his re-election when he is trying to cajole the House of Representatives to approve the 13th Amendment which approves abolition of slavery. He is worried that as the 4year old Civil War is drawing to an end, he is worried that the free slaves may be re-enslaved. Even though, the film pictures Lincoln as an undying fighter for emancipation, some quarters claim that he himself was a racist. He only did what he did because of the sheer numbers of slaves and the harsh treatments they were exposed to. He did not forsee himself as much as dining in the same table with a slave. His real intention of abolition of slavery was to get them back to their country of origin!
This film may look like a romanticized version of a man's undying fight against a system which was not ready to end slavery, listening in between the dialogue may reveal the true double tongued speak of a true politician. Hats off indeed to Daniel Day-Lewis for a stellar depiction of now people would use as a yard stick of how Abraham Lincoln would have talked and walked. Medical journals say that he had a medical condition called acromegaly (overproduction of growth hormone) explaining his 6ft 4in stature lean physique. The dialogue in the film is in keeping with the flowery language that is associated with Lincoln's speeches.
Besides dealing with the hostile politicians to steam roll his proposition, Lincoln has to fight a war as well as deal with plethora of problems in the family circle. Even though his wife (Mary Todd, excellent depiction by Sally Field) is a pillar of strength sometimes, she is also a nervous wreck who has not got over the loss of their middle son. After his death, she was inflicted with a severe bout of depression which almost got her institutionalized. The high strung Mary also goes ballistic when their eldest son is adamant and finally leaves Harvard Law School to join the Army.
Tommy Lee Jones plays an a major character in the movie as Lincoln's opposition who mellows down later. Historians claim that there were many inaccuracies in the depiction of his role.
This film may look like a romanticized version of a man's undying fight against a system which was not ready to end slavery, listening in between the dialogue may reveal the true double tongued speak of a true politician. Hats off indeed to Daniel Day-Lewis for a stellar depiction of now people would use as a yard stick of how Abraham Lincoln would have talked and walked. Medical journals say that he had a medical condition called acromegaly (overproduction of growth hormone) explaining his 6ft 4in stature lean physique. The dialogue in the film is in keeping with the flowery language that is associated with Lincoln's speeches.Besides dealing with the hostile politicians to steam roll his proposition, Lincoln has to fight a war as well as deal with plethora of problems in the family circle. Even though his wife (Mary Todd, excellent depiction by Sally Field) is a pillar of strength sometimes, she is also a nervous wreck who has not got over the loss of their middle son. After his death, she was inflicted with a severe bout of depression which almost got her institutionalized. The high strung Mary also goes ballistic when their eldest son is adamant and finally leaves Harvard Law School to join the Army.
This movie lasts a good 2 and half hours, draining much of your cerebral energy but is a boon to lovers of history and flowery delivery of dialogue in the English Language...
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