Lincoln

[Florence]

Has anyone seen it? I want to see it this weekend.

[peggy]

My husband is reading the book it was taken from and he says it's fantastic! I can't wait to see the movie!

[CathyA]

Really looking forward to the movie.

[iris lily]

We saw it a few days ago. It was decent.

Our local reviewed called it a "tedious talkathon" which I thought was amusing. I pay attention to what this reviewer says about films, and decided to see it anyway. This film is not based on a play, but you'd think that it might be given the set scenes. People on our local film discussion board think Daniel Day Lewis is a shoe-in for an Oscar but several agree that this film is mediocre. I think that Spielberg is a second rate director, he cannot seem to make an honest film, one without shmaltz. There's a place where the film should end, and then it goes on for a while and later ends. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

Lincoln is about a narrow period of Abraham Lincoln's Presidency, the period where he pushed through the 13th amendment (the one that abolished slavery.) At the beginning of the film, the Senate has passed it and the House needs to pass it. There is a lot of opposition to it. Lincoln believe the window to pass it will close when the Civil War ends, and it is ending soon. So, it's about the political machinations of getting the necessary number of Democratic Congressmen to vote for it since the Republicans were in favor.

The Southern states passed it when they came back into the fold after the war. And then, 3/4 of states had to ratify it. So it's not as though that House vote finished the job. But whatever.

Daniel Day Lewis and author of the book on which it is based spent time in Springfied IL when Day-Lewis was deciding if he would take the role. He went to the old Capitol where Lincoln was a member of the legislature, and he asked to be left alone in the room for 15 minutes. I found this remarkable because of all of the Lincoln related places in Springfield, the chambers of the Old Capitol where the most evocative of them time for me, too.

[HappyHiker]

Saw it this afternoon. Utterly sublime. Loved every moment...Spielberg is a genius, his twelve years of research was apparent in all the details. Like a time machine. Daniel Day-Lewis WAS Lincoln. I think this is a great movie.

[catherine]

I agree with HappyHiker. I really loved it. Daniel Day-Lewis was a genius. I love the story Iris lily told about his request to sit in the Springfield Capitol building alone.. I've heard that he always completely immerses himself in roles he takes on. I also heard that Spielberg was going to cast Liam Neeson for this role because of their collaboration on Schindler's List, and Neeson felt he's too old. Interesting--two Irishmen as prime candidates to play this part.

As Iris Lily said, this movie was taken from one small part of the book A Team of Rivals, and given the subject matter--the push for the 13th amendment, it makes sense it was a bit of a talkathon, but, gee, too bad it didn't show more gory scenes of the Civil War and buildings being blown up. That review is an indicator to me of how we expect visual stimulation way over verbal these days. I actually thought Spielberg's direction was spot on...

[AnneM]

I saw it on Saturday with my 12 year old son who is really interested in U.S. political history. We both loved it! I was especially interested in learning about all of the horse trading that went on in order to get the votes to pass the amendment.

Daniel Day Lewis will have an Oscar nomination for sure.

[Greg44]

I can't wait to see this movie, thank you all for your reviews. I read Team of Rivals and really enjoyed it. Hopefully we can see it this week. I have a couple of vacation days this week!

[puglogic]

I love the part where he whacks the vampire's head off with an axe ---- oh WAIT, that was Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. Truly an abysmal movie but great fun when one's had far too many glasses of wine :D

I'll love seeing Lincoln proper, and reading Team of Rivals.

[iris lily]

..., it makes sense it was a bit of a talkathon, but, gee, too bad it didn't show more gory scenes of the Civil War and buildings being blown up. ...
Nah, I'll give our local reviewer more credit than that. He's not partial to action films, he just thought this one lagged and had other problems. As did a couple of the film hounds on the discussion board.

[CathyA]

DH and I saw it today. I kept wishing I could rewind and replay like I do with movies at home, in order to better understand it.
I loved the photography, make-up, costumes. I don't know how much of it is true though.
Day-Lewis did a great job.
I don't like Joseph Gordon-Levitt at all, and was disappointed to see him in the film. He just didn't fit in the film.
I didn't expect to like Sally Fields, but thought she did a decent job.

[Tiam]

A great movie. It helps to know it's not a biopic but a specific period and construction of the period. I thought Sally Fields did a better job of conveying Mary Lincolns fragile state of mind that anyone I've seen.

[Tiam]

A great movie. It helps to know it's not a biopic but a specific period and construction of the period. I thought Sally Fields did a better job of conveying Mary Lincolns fragile state of mind that anyone I've seen. I love Joseph Gordon Levitt and will seen nearly anything he is in.

[Amaranth]

There was a very unfortunately worded review on this movie:


"Lincoln is doing well in theaters. Historically, this has not been the case."

Movie review quoted on Facebook.

[catherine]

There was a very unfortunately worded review on this movie:

That is funny--hopefully someone will send it to Jay Leno!

[Greg44]

Our family finally went and saw this last week. We all really liked it. The opening battle seen was a bit much for me. We certainly will go back and see this again when it hits the cheap theatre. It certainly was a different era in Washington back then, but in saying that, the politics seems the same...

[Tiam]

Funny, I can't remember that battle scene at all.

[Greg44]

Funny, I can't remember that battle scene at all.

It was an opening scene. Dark, rainy, muddy - I just remember one guy stepping on a man's face...