The Importance of “Lincoln”
I’m pretty sure that I mentioned before that I was a Civil War nerd. I get all excited about most things Civil War. I certainly got an opportunity that I never thought I was going to have last year when I visited Gettysburg. One of the few battles that have been called the turning point of the Civil War. I also love seeing Civil War movies. I saw “Glory” when it came out. My dad and I made the trip to see it in the pouring rain. I love those movies.
Lincoln statue outside of the visitors’ center in Gettysburg, PA.
So, when I saw that there was a bio pic coming out about Abraham Lincoln, I was thrilled. I was all over it. And Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role… yeah, I had to go and see it.
So, of course I’ve already seen it.
Wow. Seriously, wow.
The movie takes place after the Gettysburg Address and through the passing of the thirteenth amendment to the US Constitution, the amendment that effectively ended slavery.
I truly appreciated this movie. It didn’t glamorize or deify Lincoln. He was portrayed like a man who was determined to end the war and end slavery. Some of his actions wouldn’t be surprising, even by today’s standards. It played like politics as usual.
One of the things I did appreciate was something that I learned while I was taking film classes. That movies can have more impact without a soundtrack. Most of the movie’s dialogue didn’t have a soundtrack behind it. It gave the gravity of what was being said to the words alone. There was no music behind to help set the tone. It helped give the dialogue the proper gravity it should. There was no music to help manipulate the emotions to get people to feel that way.
Image from ropeofsilicon.com
The movie also made me think. Lincoln was the first Republican president. I wonder, if Lincoln was alive today, would he even recognize the Republican party that stands today?
It’s an interesting thought to look at what the Republican party was at its inception and how much it’s changed. How far they’ve come from their original ideals to what exits now.
Of course, my fear for this movie is that it will be overshadowed by a lot of what Hollywood is putting out. Lincoln’s general release was the same weekend as “Twilight: New Moon pt. 2”. Of course, Twilight dominated the box office. That makes me sad. “Lincoln” is a movie of substance and importance. The fact that movies like “Skyfall” and “Twilight” easily tromp on it is saddening.
Perhaps there is something that can be said for advertising. Both “Twilight” and “Skyfall” have had so many more ads than “Lincoln” did. I only remember seeing on ad for “Lincoln” on television while we are still bombarded with ads for both “Skyfall” and “Twilight”. Jenn from Reappropriate also had an interesting discussion on her blog about Lincoln in the time of vampires. It is an interesting write-up… and seems that it might also be the case.
Honestly, I can’t say this enough. Go see “Lincoln”. There are so few movies that remind you how wonderful the movie craft can be. There are so few movies that have acting that’s so amazing and refined. It’s a beautiful movie that is superbly acted. I would be disappointed if it didn’t receive at least a few nominations. It is a movie of high-caliber and reminded me of the reason that I wanted to get in to the film industry. Yes, it’s really that good.
Website for Lincoln: http://www.thelincolnmovie.com/