Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, Sally Field
Rated PG-13
150 minutes
Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. (Courtesy photo)
Steven Spielberg may be one of the most accomplished directors of our time, but the man really likes to do history in a sentimental, self-congratulatory way. “Lincoln” is no exception, providing audiences with two-and-a-half hours of prestige, glowing soft focus, and triumphant historical summary.
“Lincoln” isn’t so much a movie as it is a history lesson, and while Spielberg is a great teacher, I for one could do without some of the cheesy tropes.
The film concentrates on the last months of Abraham Lincoln’s life, the Civil War nearing its end and the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, nearing a vote in Congress. Lincoln’s (Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”) priority is getting votes for the amendment, which he pushes as an act that will help end the long and bloody war. But he and his cabinet, including Secretary of State William Seward (David Strathairn, “Good Night, and Good Luck”), know there are other opportunities to try for peace with the South. What begins, then, is a delicate timing challenge, where ending the war too early means the amendment will fail and ending the war too late will mean the deaths of thousands more men.
Further complicating matters is Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones, “No Country for Old Men”), the crusty Republican congressman whose view on ending slavery is even more radical than Lincoln’s. But as a party leader and a powerful speaker, much depends on his ability to persuade dissenters without alienating them. In Lincoln’s personal life, meanwhile, Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field, “Forrest Gump”), still grief-stricken from the death of one of their sons three years before, fears that their oldest son is going to enlist in the army and end up dead as well. Overwhelmed by this thought and knowing that Lincoln might have a chance to end the war sooner, she threatens him with her eternal hatred should his decisions bring any more grief upon their family.
Thankfully, a concentrated screenplay by “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner keeps this movie from being the broad, superficial look at Lincoln’s life that it could easily have been. It’s focused, interesting, and it lets the actors present themselves as real characters in real situations, instead of tableaux. The acting is, as you can expect with such an all-star cast, sophisticated and refined all around. Day-Lewis goes all out to give a voice and mannerisms to the iconic, mythical figure that Lincoln is. His portrayal is surprisingly sneaky and less noble than perhaps our image of Honest Abe is, but it is a portrayal that nonetheless fits perfectly. We sympathize with and admire Lincoln, just as we want to.
Tommy Lee Jones and David Strathairn also give strong performances, playing strong-minded and influential politicians. Jones is especially flashy as the sarcastic Stevens, while Strathairn’s coolness and logic, similar to his Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” only reminds me that he is underused and underappreciated. As for Sally Field, the role of Lincoln’s astringent wife has been relegated to a few scenes of shouting and superstition, which makes her performance seem over the top.
Spielberg’s treatment of these historical characters and the political conflict of the time is what I find grating, even if it’s pleasing to the eye. He loves to do painstaking research so that everything will be appropriate, and he loves visually perfect shots, but he also loves patriotic horns in the background and clichéd narrative devices that feed us information. In the first two minutes of the film, three Union soldiers stand before Lincoln and recite his Gettysburg Address to him. In a later scene, a woman in awe of the 13th Amendment reads it out loud straight from the page. Spielberg’s historical fanboy-ism is meant in earnest, but sometimes it makes some of the heaps of glowing praise feel smarmy.
Of course, if you’re looking for affirmation of Lincoln’s mythical status, then you’ll like this movie. If you like Spielberg’s glossy, grovel-at-their-feet portrayals of history, then this one will please you just as much as any other. Really, most people will like this movie; I enjoyed watching it, even if I find Spielberg overly venerating. Because this is not a bad movie, not by any means. I just wouldn’t call it a Great Film, and I think people who do are mistaking “Lincoln,” the movie, for Lincoln the man.
Danny Eisenberg is a student at the University of Pennsylvania.
