Lincoln Review

http://www.cinematoria.com/lincoln_2012.html

During my latest trip to the cinema, Lincoln was on the agenda. After reading through several reviews and watching various award ceremonies; Lincoln seemed to be a spectacular film. It was then decided it was time to go and see what was making this movie so big.

My only previous knowledge and understanding of Lincoln is him being a 'vampire slayer' and as far as I’m aware, vampires don’t exist, right?

Having said this, I was keen to start learning about the understandings and beliefs of Abraham Lincoln, as well as about the power he had over the American nation. Lincoln has to be one of the best biopics of this generation, and with such an honorable reputation in Steven Spielberg, this is surely a film not to be missed.

Lincoln starts a year (1865) before the end of the civil war with a big fighting scene; although there is a mountain of controversy the film has to offer, this remains the only battle scene throughout the film. This is a moving and well thought out film with a beautifully crafted script written by Tony Kushner  who sat down and re-wrote an old fashioned piece of script that would show off the powers of one man.

Following his year, Lincoln is seeking out the Thirteenth Amendment which has to be passed through the House of Representatives. This was to rule out slavery and if passed, change the lives of thousands of Americans. Judging by the famous statue, I believe we know what happened. Of, course in April, 1864, the amendment was passed and slavery was abolished. Lincoln became a moral icon.

The language in the film, I found somewhat hard to follow as I wasn't familiar with certain political phrases or American speech. That is exactly where I fell into the trap. This to me was hard to follow, however if it didn’t follow this path it would have been a shambles and the whole film just wouldn’t have fit with the timing of the event, this is where credit is due.

The camera work was second to none, through the visual aid I was able to gain a much more thorough and precise insight as to what was unfolding before my eyes and gave me something to research when I was home. This film made me interested in American politics and how certain law men broke and bent the rules in order for specific law enforcements to take place. Without this, who knows where America would be now. 

Lincoln has several things throughout the film which he has to care for, these being the Thirteenth Amendment, the civil war and of course his own family. With his second eldest son wanting to join the army, it sends divides throughout the family. This shows just how strong minded Lincoln was, even having a lot on his plate; he comes out on top of everything and delivers the best results. The stress certainly took its toll with Grant quoting that Lincoln has 'aged over a decade in the past year’. 

This film wouldn't have been where it is today if it wasn’t for the magnificent and award winning performance of Daniel Day-Lewis. He certainly pulled out all stops and truly delivered. The supposed personality of Abraham Lincoln was covered from all angles in what must be one of Day-Lewis’ finest performance to date. This role looked as though it was made for him, his characterization and how he was perceived on camera was enough for an audience to believe that this truly is the man himself, he had me fooled.

The film ends with the death of Abraham Lincoln by assassination just after the passing of the Third Amendment. The scene of the shooting is left out for a reason. The camera cuts over to his youngest son who is enjoying the theatre when the news breaks out. There is then another cut; Lincolns address to the nation a month earlier where he pinpointed hope and realism. 

Overall, there is a reason this film has been nominated for so many awards, this is a story of a man who wanted equality and is an inspiration to all and Steven Spielberg has created an incredible film, though one of many incredible Spielberg films. The emotion that runs throughout the film is amazing, the audience is pulled in right from the start with such a gory battlefield.

You have to see it, to see just how emotional and inspirational Abraham Lincoln truly was and how slavery was abolished once and for all.