United States President Abraham Lincoln
(Daniel Day-Lewis) is trying to get the 13th Amendment to pass to abolish slavery.
He argues with his wife Mary Todd (Sally Field) all the time as she still grieves for the death of one of their sons
and she doesn’t want their oldest to go off to fight in the Civil War. It
is a make or break time for Lincoln
as he tries to delay meeting with the peace delegation from the South so he can get the amendment to pass. It is an uphill struggle as the republicans try to persuade enough Democrats to support the new addition
that Lincoln wants to add to the US Constitution.
LINCOLN
takes place during the final four months of Lincoln’s life as he begins
his second term (with most of the movie taking place during that first month in 1865).
The acting is top caliber as Daniel Day-Lewis channels yet another great performance as Lincoln. He becomes the character and stays in character when he is on set. He only sheds that character when the film is done. Director
Steven Spielberg has crafted a significant drama with every detail being important in this film from the actors to the production
and costume design and the events themselves in addition to what Lincoln felt
with the weight of the nation on his shoulders. The movie does feel a little
long at two and a half hours even though Spielberg may have done this to capture the moments so people would pay attention
to what was being sad and done. However the length and pacing makes me
feel like it would have been a better movie if it was a few minutes shorter.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Disc One-
THE JOURNEY TO LINCOLN- Steven Spielberg
and the production team discuss the challenges of bringing the movie to life
A HISTORIC TAPESTRY: RICHMOND,
VIRGINIA- Spielberg and team discuss the historical significance of Richmond,
Virginia and why they chose to shoot there (because the buildings best replicated how the
actual Congress chambers looked back in 1865 for one reason)
Disc Two-
IN THE COMPANY OF CHARACTER- a look at
Daniel day Lewis’ portrayal of Lincoln before focusing on the casting of LINCOLN and the little touches added in addition
to finding actors who looked like the real life people they play
CRAFTING THE PAST- the production design
and costume design of the film
LIVING WITH LINCOLN- a trip through
the shooting of LINCOLN
IN LINCOLN’S
FOOTSTEPS- exploring the editing choices, the subtle music, the sound design (like recording the actual pocket watch and clock
Lincoln had), and how Lincoln is still
inspiring to the cast and crew today.
Disc 3 of the set is the movie in Standard
Definition on DVD along with THE JOURNEY TO LINCOLN featurette.
Rounding out the comb pack is the digital
copy of the film on disc 4.
FINAL ANALYSIS: LINCOLN is a very well detailed and well acted historical drama
even though the film feels a little too long. The featurettes give somewhat of
a look at the making of the film, but I still have seen better making-of extras that go into it with more excitement and detail.
This review is (c)3-25-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com
