Last summer, the Great Emancipator became the Great Slayer in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Now, the 16th president is back on-screen in Steven Spielberg's long awaited Lincoln. Now with more history, and less vampires.
It's January 1865, and Honest Abe (Daniel Day-Lewis) is still President of a Nation at War with itself. It's not just the Civil War that's dividing the nation, but also the Thirteenth Amendment, the one that'll end slavery forever. His fellow Republicans want the War ended now, badly, and even they doubt the Amendment will help. Still, they are at least somewhat willing to vote on it, unlike the Democrats.
To get it passed, Lincoln has to get that minimum Democrat support. It's not easy, and the pressure is taking its toll on him. His allies include former Rivals Secretary of Defense William Seward (David Strathairn) and Abolitionist Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones). Not supporting Lincoln is Copperhead Congressman Fernando Wood (Lee Pace).
Using Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln as the starting point, Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay. It's another fine example of turning history into suspense. Of course, we know that the amendment did pass and the war ended soon after. However, thanks to its climactic House Vote, we're left wondering “how did that ever get passed?”
As Lincoln, Day-Lewis charms the audience with his soft-spoken good nature. When it starts to crack under pressure, the results are intense. In the end, Day-Lewis keeps the audience empathizing with Lincoln. Meanwhile, the film's makeup team, who have rendered Day-Lewis into Lincoln's exact likeness, deserves as much Oscar buzz as the star himself.
Amongst the film's supporting cast, Jones and James Spader (as W.N. Bilbo) steal their scenes wonderfully. As Mary Lincoln, Sally Field is great as Lincoln's closest moral support, even if she herself badly needs it herself. On the crew, Spielberg's frequent collaborators, consisting of composer John Williams, editor Michael Kahn and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, contribute greatly to this historical tale's look and feel.
On-screen, its stars make Lincoln worth its two-and-a-half-hour run time. It is, overall, a more entertaining political drama than what we see on the evening news.
It's January 1865, and Honest Abe (Daniel Day-Lewis) is still President of a Nation at War with itself. It's not just the Civil War that's dividing the nation, but also the Thirteenth Amendment, the one that'll end slavery forever. His fellow Republicans want the War ended now, badly, and even they doubt the Amendment will help. Still, they are at least somewhat willing to vote on it, unlike the Democrats.
To get it passed, Lincoln has to get that minimum Democrat support. It's not easy, and the pressure is taking its toll on him. His allies include former Rivals Secretary of Defense William Seward (David Strathairn) and Abolitionist Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones). Not supporting Lincoln is Copperhead Congressman Fernando Wood (Lee Pace).
Using Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln as the starting point, Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay. It's another fine example of turning history into suspense. Of course, we know that the amendment did pass and the war ended soon after. However, thanks to its climactic House Vote, we're left wondering “how did that ever get passed?”
As Lincoln, Day-Lewis charms the audience with his soft-spoken good nature. When it starts to crack under pressure, the results are intense. In the end, Day-Lewis keeps the audience empathizing with Lincoln. Meanwhile, the film's makeup team, who have rendered Day-Lewis into Lincoln's exact likeness, deserves as much Oscar buzz as the star himself.
Amongst the film's supporting cast, Jones and James Spader (as W.N. Bilbo) steal their scenes wonderfully. As Mary Lincoln, Sally Field is great as Lincoln's closest moral support, even if she herself badly needs it herself. On the crew, Spielberg's frequent collaborators, consisting of composer John Williams, editor Michael Kahn and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, contribute greatly to this historical tale's look and feel.
On-screen, its stars make Lincoln worth its two-and-a-half-hour run time. It is, overall, a more entertaining political drama than what we see on the evening news.
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