Spielberg Delivers Another Masterpiece in Lincoln

Despite what some cinema tells you, it is highly unlikely Abraham Lincoln was a vampire hunter. A more accurate and compelling account of events is in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, which brings the character to life and presents four months of the celebrated President’s term leading up to his assassination.

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis made Spielberg wait a year before he agreed to become the President in front of the cameras and the result is breathtaking.

“Daniel did something at first that made me sad,” remembers the director. “He wanted to wait a year and it was a masterstroke, because he had a year to do research. He had a year to discover how Lincoln sounded and he found the voice. He had Lincoln so embedded in his psyche, in his soul, in his mind, that I would come to work in the morning and Lincoln would sit behind his desk and we would begin.”

This quote given to Time magazine earlier this month, epitomizes how Daniel Day-Lewis painstakingly became Lincoln, and in the film his eerily realistic portrayal of one of the most recognized but understudied (internationally) President of the United States arrives at the right time to inspire and educate a new generation.

When the film opens mixing blood and mud on the battlefield, echoing the gritty war shots Spielberg perfected and nauseated audiences with in Saving Private Ryan, it becomes evident why this bloodshed must not be in vain and something good must come out of the end of war which Lincoln attempts.

A mature Lincoln has begun another term in office while facing a revolt in the Capitol and having to fight off claims of dictatorship by the democratic opposition as well as trying to find unity in his imploding Republican party feuds. Testing times force Lincoln to think, act and do what he believes is best for his country.

Shown as a family man, mourning the loss of his 11 year old son and holding his kingdom at home and outside together, Lincoln had a gift of looking at the bigger picture when making decisions that would shape the future. His fight to get votes to abolish slavery and do the right thing, ensuring that the long term effect of ending the war resonated in eternity highlights how decisions are made in courtrooms and cabinets that affect the world and the measure of a man is the morals and values he holds and abides by, which will shape the outcome of the decisions made.

What results is a performance-driven masterpiece of a movie with Spielberg extracting a Lincoln mould from Day-Lewis that is constantly battling with the elements of his society. Shot with muddy tones that reflect the dirt in battle, in Lincoln’s cabinet and in the era that fought against abolishing slavery, by the time the viewer completes Spielberg’s journey through Lincoln’s life the audience is baptized in hope and pride. Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones provide décor to Lincoln’s world that help provide a glimpse into his challenges at home and outside, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt alongside Jackie Earle Haley deserve a mention too for breathing life into their characters in a way that transcends the screen.

Oscar buzz is abound and many are rooting for Spielberg’s Lincoln to dominate in Best Picture and Best Actor categories at the very least, and hopefully Best Director too. But awards-speak aside, Lincoln is a must-see film that delivers a big screen experience taking you back to a time which has shaped our present in more ways than the obvious.