Lincoln

Griffith, Ford, Spielberg. Lincoln. Three great American directors and their respective versions of the Lincoln myth. Though Spielberg takes an honest and respectful approach to Lincoln’s personality, creating a cult and idealising a democratic idea is not as important to him as drawing the viewer into the narrative. Above all, this is a riveting political drama, with Abraham Lincoln as the protagonist. It is fascinating to watch how smoothly one of Spielberg’s least action-oriented and least epic films moves forward, how the individual scenes are knitted together, how the director works with the deadline (to get 20 votes by the end of January), how the personal storyline serves the work storyline. The film does not primarily set out to depict Lincoln as a messianic figure demonstrating helpfulness toward all human beings without distinction, and such deification, if it happens, never overshadows the central goal of pushing through the Thirteenth Amendment before the end of the Civil War. We may even have doubts about the “purity” of Lincoln’s relentless  pursuit of justice in the face of the law – we are not led to adopt a clear position as actively as in Spielberg’s other socio-political films, e.g. through impassioned music. Furthermore, the narrative is slowed the most by Lincoln’s “Christ-like” tendency to sit down in front of a group of listeners and start telling them a story. Does this really prove to us that Lincoln is the father of the American nation, who could take the liberty of making jokes about George Washington, or have we entered the realm of political satire about an elderly gentleman who liked to talk at times when it was necessary to act? The father interpretation would clearly be more appropriate also for the repeated adoption of the younger son’s childish perspective (including a very clever narrative feint in the climax), but to me it particularly involved the highlighting of the lack of didacticism in Spielberg’s approach. With the flawlessly cast actors and very impressive images (the meaning-making lighting and placement of the characters, frontal shooting, when there is a reason for every movement), With Lincoln, Spielberg primarily constructed an intelligent drama that ceaselessly keeps us on our toes and requires constant linking of contexts. And only then did he create a myth. 90% (26/01/2013)

Not enough of Janusz Kamiński’s impressive exterior shots (two, to be exact: Joseph Gordon-Levitt watching body parts being covered with soil and the pair sitting on the porch). Too few emotional scenes in which John Williams could show off. Too few relationship storylines that would increase interest in the characters and their fates. Too little of anything that would intrigue viewers who are not interested in these particular historical events. Elegantly filmed and well-played interior history tedium. Daniel Day-Lewis is excellent as always. (22/01/2013)

You are watching this historical borefest and keep thinking to yourself "where the hell did Spielberg's dynamism and fierceness in individual shots go, where’s the drive?". Lincoln is beautifully shot, solidly narrated with strong historical foundations, and Daniel Day-Lewis is once again captivating. However, films like this should be at least a little bit accessible to the audience, in other words, they must not be boring and tedious. Unfortunately, this was not the case here even in the slightest. (23/04/2014)

Big words, lofty speeches, and in a way, just one big Lincoln witticism. Spielberg adored this part of American history so much that a mere history textbook passage was created. Short family passages reveal fragments about the main character and purely focus on addition, peace and political negotiation. No emotions, no enthusiasm. Only with perfectly crafted production and zero added value. And we all knew even before the first clap that Daniel Day-Lewis wouldn't just play Abraham, but he would completely become him. The disappointment is even greater now, as Steven obviously filmed (another) his dream opus magnum and pleased me only with occasional Jones' relaxation and, as expected, the scene of the actual voting itself. The slightly problematic War Horse now looks like a perfect period piece in a new light. (05/01/2013)

People will expect from this movie whatever they will. It was made by Spielberg, so in this respect there is nothing wrong with it, more or less. Daniel Day-Lewis in turn trained god knows how many years for this character. Everybody keeps saying that he articulates like Abraham, but nobody has really seen him alive. But yeah, I get it. But I’d say that such a movie only makes sense for the USA. Over here, it’s average at best and it’s impossible to have any deep emotions about it. Quite the contrary. I only watched it because of Spielberg and it was a waste of time. (18/10/2014)