It seems that the legend of Abraham Lincoln is as prominent as ever
in our cultural zeitgeist. The last year has brought us tale of “Honest
Abe’s” secret war against the undead (
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) - and now, with Steven Speilberg’s
Lincoln,
Academy Award-Winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis attempts to convey the
weight of burden the 16th President endured as he tried to pass the
infamous Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery in the United States.
Along the path to that historic achievement, we get brushstrokes of
Lincoln’s life between 1864 and 1865 (his final year) – including the
complicated relationship with wife Mary Todd (Sally Field) and sons
Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Tad (Gulliver McGrath). Outside of the
personal, we also get an intricate look at Washington politics of the
late nineteenth century – and all the eerie ways in which that era
resonates with our own.
The title
Lincoln might suggest a broad and sweeping look at the life of a historic legend – but in fact,
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is more of a “biopic” than this film is. Spielberg’s
Lincoln is a memoir (based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln)
dressed up as political drama. There is much about the film that
will intrigue and amuse (more on that later), but there is little that
will “excite,” as
Lincoln is, ostensibly, a sequence of static,
dialogue-driven scenes. As a whole, the movie is more stage play than
cinema, with a nice amount of humor rising out of the
ironically-reversed context of politics in that era. (For example,
“conservative Republicans” of the time were anti-slavery “progressive
radicals” we’d now associate with liberal Democrats.)
Tommy Lee Jones in ‘Lincoln’
Most surprising about the film is how very “un-Spielbergian” it is.
The director’s usual signature – over-dramatized scenes punctuated with
rousing musical scores – is largely absent from the proceedings. In its
place is a quiet, stripped-down approach, which both captures the
rustic feel of the period in a genuine way, and allows the ensemble of
actors free space in which to engage with one another. The overall sense
of stillness throughout many scenes is akin to watching a
high-production stage play – which might throw-off some viewers who are
expecting the sweeping movement of a biopic – and the technique works
(for the most part), given the level of talent in the cast.
Daniel Day-Lewis inhabits the role of Lincoln completely and
thoroughly. While the big speech monologues are great, it’s the little
touches that Day-Lewis adds to his portrayal that make all the
difference, creating an image of Lincoln that is at once human, but
still larger-than-life. We see the President as a quiet, almost
zen-like figure – unassuming enough to go unnoticed in a room, but
simultaneously shrewd enough to hold that same room’s attention with one
of his zen-wisdom parables, delivered in the style of an old man’s
doddering anecdotes. The actor’s choice of mannerisms, voice, and
delivery are likely to become synonymous with Abraham Lincoln; we may
never know what the man was
actually like in person, but this portrayal suffices pretty well in reality’s stead.
Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln
Even the physicality is there: a tall, lanky, imposing figure who
walks soft with the hobbling step of a weary ghost – fragile,
vulnerable, sturdy and statuesque. Most of the time, Day-Lewis conveys
the patience of a wise old grandfather enduring a petulant child
(anti-abolitionist mentality) - but in several key scenes, the actor
reveals a burning core that powers the idealist, instantly transforming
him into a commanding figure – ready to break laws or compromise his
morals when/where needed for the greater good – who can believably sway
an entire nation to move in a seemingly impossible direction. It’s an
awards-worthy performance, for sure.
The rest of the ensemble is made up of a cornucopia of familiar
character actors and stars, including Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Strathairn, James Spader, John Hawkes, Hal
Holbrook, Tim Blake Nelson, Jackie Earle Haley, Gloria Reuben, Michael
Stuhlbarg (
Boardwalk Empire), Luke Haas (
Brick), Walton Goggins (
Justified) and Jared Harris (
Mad Men) as General Ulysses S. Grant. Rising stars also get brief moments to shine, including David Oyelowo (
Red Tails), Dane DeHaan (
Chronicle), David Costabile (
Breaking Bad) and Adam Driver (
Girls).
The ensemble, as a whole, functions well and keeps careful viewers
occupied with an eye-spy game that offers many self-satisfying rewards.
Standouts are Lee-Jones as the cantankerous equality idealist Thaddeus
Stevens, Field as Lincoln’s (bi-polar?) wife, and the hilarious trio of
Spader, Hawkes and Nelson as nineteenth century-style lobbyists working
under the table for the Lincoln administration.
Sally Field in ‘Lincoln’
As stated,
Lincoln is a movie of words, more than action.
Aside from an opening sequence depicting the horror of a Civil War
battlefield, the film is almost exclusively scenes of 19th century
political theater. This will, inevitably, make it boring for some
viewers whose tastes tend to skew away from this sort of genre. The
movie can feel a little meandering and uneven at times (scenes of
Lincoln’s personal life, for example, get somewhat overblown and soapy) –
and in terms of traditional character arc
Lincoln is not very satisfying. Tony Kushner’s (
Munich) script leaves several story threads untied, but does manage to tie others off with nice surprise.
In its closing act, the
Lincoln manages to capture the
grandeur of the president’s great accomplishment – with Daniel Day-Lewis
largely off screen, ironically enough. Though history already foretells
the ending, seeing how close the determination of the nation’s fate
actually was is still a tense experience – in no small part because the
chords are so connected to the current political climate we live in. In
the end, oddly enough, there is still a sense of mystery surrounding the
man himself; after more than two hours we still come away wondering
about what went on behind those weary, compassionate eyes, which were so
attuned to a vision only he could see.
Lincoln is easily recommendable to those hoping for an
intriguing and wittily-humorous look at a very pivotal (and still very
relevant) point in U.S. history. Those hoping for a more expansive look
at the celebrated figure, or a film that better captures the reality of
war during that era, best look elsewhere. However, one thing we should
all be able to agree on: Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance makes this a
sure-fire contender come awards season.
