| Lincoln | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed By | Steven Spielberg |
| Screenplay By | Tony Kushner |
| Cast | Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt |
| Produced By | Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy |
| Cinematography By | Janusz Kaminski |
| Film Editing By | Michael Kahn |
| Music By | John Williams |
| Studio | Touchstone Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media, The Kennedy/Marshall Company |
| Distributed By | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 20th Century Fox |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release Date | November 9, 2012 |
| Runtime | 150 Minutes |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Budget | $65,000,000 |
| Gross | $275,293,450 |
Overview[]
Lincoln is a 2012 American produced historical drama film starring Daniel Day-Lewis. It was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and received universal acclaim by both audiences and critics alike; Daniel Day-Lewis won a number of awards for his performance in this role including his third Academy Award.
Abraham Lincoln presides over his final act as the President of the United States; the abolishment of slavery but finds himself stymied by his own Congress which is reluctant to pass such a landmark measure.
Plot[]
The year is 1865 and the Civil War is winding down to its grim inevitable conclusion. The North's Victory lies in sight. But President Abraham Lincoln finds that his greatest battle will take place in the midst of a hostile Congress to pass a landmark Amendment to ban slavery for all time. To declare that all men: black and white are indeed equal.
But it is a race against time as Lincoln knows every day will result in more and more causalities. Yet within a few short months, a new Congress will be seated where his party will hold the majority of the seats and he will be able to pass the Amendment with little difficulty.
"Some weariness has bit at my bones."
But Lincoln also knows that if he waits, there is a chance that the South will surrender and once hostilities end; all of Lincoln's wartime declarations will be revoked—including the Emancipation Proclamation that he used to free the slaves and allow them to serve as soldiers in the Union Army. With the Proclamation negated, he fears that it may allow them to be re-enslaved even after all of their gallantry and sacrifice.
Worse, when the Southern States reintegrate within the Union; their support will strengthen the voting block against the Amendment. Enough that it may not pass at all.
An early peace will save thousands of lives, for both North and South. Yet the fate and freedom of countless billions of lives yet to be born rests on his conscience.
With the Confederate Peace Envoys en route to Washington to discuss surrender terms, Lincoln is forced to delay meeting them even as he frantically struggles to drum up support to pass the Amendment.
Ostentatiously as a security precaution, he orders them to be housed outside of Washington for their meeting. Even so, during the amendment vote; a rumor begins to circulate that the Southern representatives have come to Washington to discuss peace terms. Congress immediately decides to postpone the vote only for Lincoln to deny point blank that there is no representatives from the Confederacy inside Washington—technically true, but cleverly phrased that leads the delegates to believe that there is no peace envoy at all.
"I am the President of the United States of America! Clothed in IMMENSE POWER! You will procure me these votes."
Afterwards with a narrow victory of 2 votes, the Thirteenth Amendment is passed and Lincoln subsequently meets with the Southern Confederacy with the demand that any surrender will be contingent on them accepting the Thirteenth Amendment as law.
Several days later, General Lee surrenders to the Union and thus ending the Civil War. A relieved Lincoln is in the midst of discussions with his Cabinet about reconstruction efforts when his wife interrupts them.
Mary Todd Lincoln is annoyed because he promised to take her to see the new play at Ford's Theater. He reluctantly agrees and leaves, only to be assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
Cast[]
- Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln
- Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln
- Gloria Reuben as Elizabeth Keckley
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Todd Lincoln
- Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens
- Hal Holbrook as Francis Preston Blair
- Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant
- James Spader as William N. Bilbo
- Jackie Earle Haley as Alexander H. Stephens
- Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln
- Stephen Henderson as William Slade
- Tim Blake Nelson as lobbyist Richard Schell
- Elizabeth Marvel as Mrs. Jolly
- David Strathairn as William H. Seward
- Bruce McGill as Edwin M. Stanton
- Julie White as Elizabeth Blair Lee
- Joseph Cross as Major John Hay
- Gregory Itzin as John Archibald Campbell
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Lydia Smith
- Asa-Luke Twocrow as Ely S. Parker
- Jeremy Strong as John George Nicolay
- Grainger Hines as Gideon Welles
- Richard Topol as James Speed
- Dakin Matthews as John Palmer Usher
- Walt Smith as William P. Fessenden
- James Ike Eichling as William Dennison
- Bill Raymond as Schuyler Colfax
- Christopher Evan Welch as Edward McPherson
Production[]
While consulting with Director Steven Spielberg on another project in 1999, authoress Doris Kearns Goodwin mentioned her newest project: a historical novel based on Abraham Lincoln through his cabinet that he assembled from a number of his political rivals for the presidency. intrigued, Spielberg immediately requested film rights for her novel which he acquired in 2001 via DreamWorks Pictures with John Logan signing on for original script writing duties. Spielberg approached several actors about playing the role of Lincoln during this time including Daniel Day-Lewis in 2003. Lewis however turned down the role.
Spielberg was reputedly dissatisfied with the script and hired Paul Webb and then later Tony Kushner to rewrite it, delaying filming even though Liam Neeson was attached to the project by 2005.
Kushner finally finished his draft in 2009 in which he pared down the original draft by Webb which originally focused on Lincoln's entire Presidency to his final critical two months where he was focused on the vote for the Thirteenth Amendment. However Neeson, the primary star for the project left in July of 2010; believing that he was unsuitable for the part and requested that Spielberg recast the role and reached out to Daniel Day-Lewis once more who confirmed his acceptance of the part in November of 2010.
Filming began on October 17, 2011 and concluded on December 19 of that same year with primary shooting being performed in Richmond, Fredricksburg, and Petersberg, Virginia due to their strong historical backdrops and structures.
Reception[]
Trivia[]
- US Representative Thaddeus Stevens was shown to be in a romantic relationship with his African-American housekeeper Lydia Hamilton Smith during the course of the film; but it was never actually historically documented. However, it was widely rumored that their relationship was far more than employer and employee during their lifetimes: Smith did not reside in the servants' quarters but in the main house for instance.