Lincoln (2012) Review

Lucas Versantvoort / June 19, 2013

Lincoln can definitely be seen as director Steven Spielberg’s pet project, starting with him telling author Doris Goodwin in 1999 he wanted the film rights to a book she was planning to write on Lincoln. 13 years later, the film is finally here. The film focuses on the many difficulties (both political and personal) Lincoln encountered while trying to pass the Thirteenth Amendment.

            Lincoln can easily be categorized as a biopic, but I’d say it’s more of a political thriller with some biographical elements. This can be seen in the decision to only focus on events surrounding the Thirteenth Amendment, thereby avoiding things like Lincoln’s youth. This is not to say the personal elements are not there – quite the opposite – but that some of the character-related scenes feel out of place. The film struggles in juggling both the political and the personal and because the political overshadows the personal, scenes featuring Lincoln’s son Robert feel a bit unnecessary for me.

            What to say of Daniel Day-Lewis who is scarily good as Lincoln, as expected. One need only know he read over a hundred books on Lincoln to realize how much effort he put into this performance. Day-Lewis might represent the ultimate in method acting today, choosing to stay in character in between takes, etc. Only after his final scene did he revert to using his normal voice upon which Spielberg burst into tears.

            Interestingly, I read a lot of criticism directed at Sally Field with some comments calling her performance ‘annoying’. I can see why they’d think that, but I think the character of Mary Todd Lincoln (her personality, history, etc.) more than justifies this and that it might have more to do with a lack of empathy and patience on the audience’s part, perhaps.

            Speaking of patience, the film is challenging to watch and not because of the amount of gore. The opening battle is the only action scene, leaving nothing but talking (in all its many forms) for the rest of the film. This might scare off the ‘adrenaline junkies’ among us. I confess I struggled to keep up during the first half hour during which we are mercilessly thrust into long, complex conversations (see, for instance Lincoln’s monologue on interpreting the law). Afterwards, however, the film wasn’t so hard to follow. Despite the difficulties in watching Lincoln, it seems like a sign that things have not been simplified for the sake of ‘watchability’.

            Lincoln has received a fair amount of flack on the historical accuracy front, although it’s usually about rather minor details, but overall, it is seen as a historically accurate film. And given my lack of knowledge on the subject, that’s all I can really say… But for me, in the end, little historical errors aren’t as important as bringing the past to life in an effective (and affective) manner and Lincoln, despite the considerable effort required on the audience’s part, does just that.