Lincoln
by Paul Zuckerman

Lincoln has been popular in American cinema since virtually its beginnings, with his first known cinematic portrayal in 1908. But many of those appearances have not concentrated on Lincoln the man, and most of those that have, like the classic Young Mr. Lincoln with Henry Fonda and Abe Lincoln in Illinois with Raymond Massey, focused on his days before he became president. Usually, Lincoln’s Civil War appearances are more mundane walk-ons or supporting roles, where Lincoln’s only purpose is to deliver words of inspiration; ultimately, just caricatures. Rarely do the movies or other performance media deal with Lincoln as president, father, husband, and political leader, wrestling with his own fears, doubts and demons.

In Lincoln, Director Stephen Spielberg, and screenwriter Tony Kushner set their attention on Lincoln’s campaign to convince Congress to pass the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in the waning days of the Civil War. The Amendment freed the slaves, bringing a formal end to the South’s “peculiar institution,” which had divided the nation since its beginning. In a lesser director’s hands, Lincoln could have been endless scenes of droning talking heads mouthing pieties. But, Spielberg and Kushner deliver a history lesson about little-known events that deserve to be better appreciated while painting a vivid portrait of Lincoln the man.

Regarded by most historians as one of our greatest, if not the greatest, president, Lincoln literally and figuratively towers head and shoulders over his colleagues, a source of not only continued interest, but admiration and respect. For most, Lincoln represents both America’s heart and moral compass. He brought an end to slavery but also wanted to treat the former rebels compassionately and not punitively.

Ironically, Lincoln was not an abolitionist. Although a lifelong opponent of slavery, he was willing to allow tolerating its continued existence in the South to preserve the Union so long as slavery did not spread to other states. Elected president with only 40% of the vote, Lincoln was immediately confronted by the southern states seceding from the union. The southern revolt, however, did present Lincoln with the opportunity to bring slavery to its long overdue end. The way that Lincoln seized that opportunity, and did not allow himself to be deterred by any of his advisors is the main, but not sole, focus of Lincoln.

Lincoln relates the last days of the Civil War, and it is as dark and gloomy in the White House as it is outside it. Lincoln’s four years in the White House has aged him prematurely. The death of his son Willie early in his first term has shaken both he and his wife Mary, whose emotional state was already precarious; indeed, the Lincolns had already lost another son before Willie. Lincoln’s oldest son Robert chaffs at his father’s refusal to allow him to join the combat; and the younger son Todd is a child with his own fears.

Lincoln was a practitioner of that old adage; keep your friends close and your enemies closer; his Cabinet is loaded with strong-willed men who disagree with Lincoln. Lincoln, through his folksy stories (exasperating some members of the Cabinet) and firm determination, attempts to steer the ship of state to a post-war reunification. But, there are still those who hope for reconciliation with the Southern states, and a potential peace initiative threatens the House of Representatives’ voting for the 13th Amendment, as the Senate had already done.

The fate of the wartime Emancipation Proclamation, by which Lincoln had freed the slaves in the rebellion states but not the border states that had remained in the Union, remains uncertain and may end with the war, since to issue it, Lincoln had relied upon his presidential war powers. Lincoln has pushed the law to its extreme and even he is not sure whether his actions are legal. Lincoln is, however, rightfully fearful that, if the 13thAmendment is not acted upon promptly, peace will prevent it from ever happening.

Lincoln was the first president extensively photographed, and his stovetop hat and mustache-less beard makes him easily recognized and caricaturized. But Daniel Day-Lewis truly becomes Lincoln, a weary, troubled man carrying the weight of the war and his family’s troubles on his shoulders. Day-Lewis’ Lincoln is a multi-dimensional portrait, exuding charm and wit but displaying slyness and steel, both in his public and private lives. In an early scene in the movie, as Lincoln meets with the troops, their physical pain becomes his mental pain. Lincoln must use all of his political acumen and skills to convince those around him to press forward with the amendment. In a moment of exasperation with the Cabinet, Day-Lewis’ Lincoln momentarily loses his temper but quickly reasserts himself, and then engages in legalistic reasoning that underscores his training as an attorney.

Although the movie is Day-Lewis’, a brilliant and well-cast troupe supports him, including Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, still grieving for the death of her second son after four years. Lincoln and Mary’s relationship is volatile- she is headstrong and determined, and she tries Lincoln’s patience, but their love remains a strong bond. Equally strong is Tommy Lee Jones as the radical Republican leader in Congress, Thaddeus Stevens, who Lincoln has to try and convince that compromise is the only way that they will prevail; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, fresh from the Dark Knight Rises, as Robert Lincoln, desperate to prove himself; David Strathairn as Secretary of State Seward; and a cast of many other well-known performers, who mostly bury themselves in their characters and do not pull the viewer out of the world that Spielberg so ably crafts.


Kushner’s script is literary and compelling; featuring flesh and blood figures resurrected from the pages of history. (The movie is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2006 Lincoln biography “Team of Rivals.”) The claustrophobic Washington landscape is balanced with glimpses of the world outside Washington; the political intrigue balanced with Lincoln’s family issues.

Spielberg, one of the most sure-footed directors in cinema today, weaves all of the threads together. In his battle scenes at the beginning of the movie, Spielberg depicts the brutal close-quartered bayonet fighting of the war and all too vividly shows why the Civil War remains our bloodiest war. But other than the opening scene, the movie eschews the action that Spielberg built his reputation on, and it is unmissed. Yes, Spielberg can still get sentimental and tug at the heartstrings but it has been a long time since he has had to prove himself as a “serious” moviemaker. In Lincoln, he again demonstrates how to make a movie that is serious and educational, but also interesting and compelling.

Lincoln has been criticized in some quarters for being the movie that it is not. It has been attacked as suggesting that the battle against slavery was only waged by white men and that without Lincoln slavery might have continued. There is no mention of Frederick Douglass or other black leaders, nor does it explain why Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation when he did. But all that is beside the point since the movie, after all, is about Lincoln, and concentrates on a relatively short period of time. The movie will lead many viewers to explore more about Lincoln and the issues portrayed.

Lincoln is certainly worthy not only of Oscar consideration but of movie audiences’ attention. Go see it.

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