Lincoln [DVD]

In 1863, two years into the American Civil War, President Abraham 'Abe' Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation under his presidential authority as commander in chief of the armed forces. It affected those states (the Confederates) still rebelling against the North (the Union). Many of those emancipated slaves joined the Union army. In early 1865, while the civil war still continued, Lincoln determines to push through a 13th amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery once and for all. He is also in a position to negotiate the end of the four year war which would spare the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands, of fighting soldiers. However, his dilemma is that if the war should end before the amendment is passed then the abolition of slavery and the misery that slavery causes might not happen any time soon. His only solution is to persuade enough politicians to see his point of view and vote for the 13th amendment.Some have said that Lincoln (2012) was too long but, for me, it wasn't long enough. I could happily sit through hours of clever debate, amusing repartee, and listen to Lincoln's anecdotal stories which were supposed to serve as some kind of moral relating to the subject at hand. The cast was particularly impressive and I could not imagine anyone better than Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead except, perhaps, the late Gregory Peck. Tommy Lee Jones seemed a little misplaced as an elderly politician sporting a ludicrous wig but that's because my mind has him typecast as a United States Marshal. It's going to take some time for me to shake off that younger image.While bad language is limited in Lincoln (2012), there are some scenes of violence and rather graphic scenes of the horrors and casualties of war. They do serve a purpose, to emphasise the dilemma facing Lincoln - end the war and risk slavery continuing - and I suppose without them the movie might have seemed a little superficial.All in all Lincoln adds up to a fine 150 minute movie and certainly worth a second look. I was glad to have watched it on a Blu-ray, the quality of video and sound making great viewing.As many of us already know, Abraham Lincoln came rather late in discovering that no good deed goes unpunished.VJ - Movies and Books World

Lincoln is a 2012 American epic historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.[5] The screenplay by Tony Kushner was based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and covers the final four months of Lincoln's life, focusing on the President's efforts in January 1865 to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives.The film was produced by Spielberg and frequent collaborator Kathleen Kennedy, through their respective production companies, Amblin Entertainment and the Kennedy/Marshall Company. Filming began October 17, 2011,[6] and ended on December 19, 2011.[7] Lincoln premiered on October 8, 2012 at the New York Film Festival. The film was co-produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media, and released theatrically by Touchstone Pictures in the United States on November 9, 2012.[8] The film was released on January 25, 2013, in the United Kingdom, with distribution in international territories by 20th Century Fox.[9]Lincoln received widespread critical acclaim, with major praise directed to the acting, especially Day-Lewis' performance, as well as the direction and production merits. In December 2012, the film was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Spielberg and winning Best Actor (Motion Picture – Drama) for Day-Lewis. At the 85th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards including Best Picture; it won for Best Production Design and Best Actor for Day-Lewis.[10] The film was also a commercial success, having grossed more than $275 million at the box officeLincoln received worldwide critical acclaim. The cast was notably lauded, especially Day-Lewis, Field, and Jones. The film currently holds a 90% approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 242 reviews with an average rating of 8/10,[63] with the critical consensus "Daniel Day-Lewis characteristically delivers in this witty, dignified portrait that immerses the audience in its world and entertains even as it informs." On Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 86 (out of 100) based on 44 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim", thus making it Spielberg's highest rated film on the site since Saving Private Ryan.

As someone who has a keen interest in history, as well as being a fan of both Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis i was looking forward to this a great deal. I found the film interesting and easy to watch without being boring or overly long, it is fascinating concentrating on one element of the Lincoln presidency rather than trying to cram everything into one film, it concentrates fully on charactor rather than using the civil war to put in battle scenes or action it instead uses the story of the civil war to show what it is that drives these men forwards.The performances are excellent throughout the cast, with a mesmerising turn from Tommy Lee Jones in danger of stealing the movie. However above all else this is another Daniel Day Lewis masterclass in the art of inhabiting a charactor. Not once through the film did i believe i was watching acting, which is the highest complement there is for a film actor.I would recommend this to anyone even slightly interested in history or politics.