Film: Lincoln

Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

A sobre but very impressive film. While it runs for over two and a half hours, Lincoln limits itself to the month of January, 1865 (with a very brief prologue indicating the intensity of the war in close-up one-on-one combat in muddy fields and an epilogue with the surrender of General Robert E Lee and the assassination of President Lincoln). The focus is human rights and politics. With the act for the abolition for slavery passed by the Senate, the campaign for the vote in the House of Representatives was hard and, at times, bitterly fought. Some audiences may find this political drama uninteresting, even boring, but for those with an interest in history, it is often fascinating and illuminating.

Then there is the performance of Daniel Day Lewis, an actor who, for thirty years has made comparatively few films, who immerses himself in his roles so that the audience accepts his character completely. He has won his thirs Oscar here. This is Lincoln. In fact, it is a portrait of Lincoln just months before his untimely assassination. He looks rugged, Day Lewis affecting his stoop, while still standing tall, his awkward gait, his craggy and ageing face as well as his 19th century elegant language, his storytelling and humour, and his political nous and risk-taking while holding to principle yet conceding the realities of compromise.

The actors have a solid screenplay to work on, written by playwright Tony Kushner. It is a literate, often literary, screenplay. It is a pleasure to listen to much of the dialogue and the interchanges between 19th century politicians (who did not shy from invective while taking their stances). And, of course, early in the film, the Gettysburg address is spoken and, at the end, other speeches by Lincoln.

Lincoln is extraordinary in its re-creation of the period, the costumes, the décor of Washington DC, Congress and the White House. When I came home afterwards I looked at photographs of Lincoln, his wife Mary and other figures depicted in the film. The resemblances are uncanny.

The film has quite a vast cast populated by many American character actors. Tommy Lee Jones stands out as Thaddeus Stevens, the irascible Republican who declares that all people are equal before the law, his grounds for the abolition of slavery irrespective of other arguments about racial equality. Sally Field is powerfully strong as Mary Todd Lincoln, supportive of her husband but afflicted with physical and mental suffering after the death of her son, William. David Strathairn, always convincing, is Secretary Seward.

The film shows the background of the long war and the huge number of killed and wounded. It shows the representations from the South for peace which raised a dilemma for voters whether it was opportune to vote for the abolition of slavery at a time when peace proposals were in the offing. Lincoln shrewdly tells the delegates to stay away from Washington so that he can truthfully tell the House of Representatives that there were no peace delegates in the capital.

There is great attention to detail in the characterisations of many of the politicians. The device of having three lobbyists working to persuade waverers and those whose terms of office were about to finish to vote for abolition works well in terms of personalizing (and visualising) the different ways of persuasion.

But, this is a Steven Spielberg film. It is forty years since he began directing films - it is forty years since Duel and 37 years since Jaws, almost twenty years since Schindler's List (let alone ET, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park or Saving Private Ryan). He has had an extraordinary career. While being one of America's great entertainers, he has also contributed with stylish craft and finesse to his country's and the world's understanding of 19th and 20th century history. John Williams has, as usual, composed the score but it is rather unobtrusive, a background to the performances and the words.

This reviewer would be happy to watch it again.

Watch a trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJVuqYkI2jQ