Ship of Fools: Lincoln

Thread: Lincoln Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Robert Armin (# 182) on :

Over the weekend I saw "Lincoln" and was blown away. On one level it's a lot of time watching talking heads, but I found it utterly gripping. Apart from anything else it showed how politics, even when seeking what we would now all agree is a noble goal, is a dirty business involving deals, bribery and even lies. (But there's a lot more to the film than that, of course.)

There are several points I'd like to hear other people's views on.

1) Generally, what other people thought of it as a film.

2) Specifically, how historically accurate was it? I'm really hoping it was pretty close to what actually happened, but I don't know much about this period.

3) Finally, does anyone else think there are parallels between events in the film and contemporary American politics? There we had a President trying to change the Constitution by introducing an Amendment; today we have a President trying to change America's understanding of an Amendment, which some people see as a rewriting of the Constitution. And certainly when Lincoln said, to the representatives from the South, "Sometimes you have to give up a freedom in order to discover new freedoms," that rang a lot of bells with me. But I might be pushing things too far.

Posted by Angel Wrestler (# 13673) on :

as an angel with a husband who is more than a history buff, and whose said husband has made a years-long-study of all things Civil War and who's read from credible sources, I can respond to #2.

Yes. Much of the dialogue was taken directly from diaries and transcripts of the actual goings-on. He said that it is *very* accurate. Some details may have been disputed, depending on which historian is giving the account, but the major points and the depictions are, in his opinion, as accurate as any interpretation of history can be.

One source, outside of Mr. Wrestler, disputed that two reps from Connecticut voted against the amendment, but Mr. Wrestler either didn't pick up on that or attributed it to movie-making.

edited to make it clear that it's not I who is the history expert.

[ 18. February 2013, 02:56: Message edited by: Angel Wrestler ]

Posted by Angel Wrestler (# 13673) on :

as to #1, what I thought of the movie, itself - I very much enjoyed it. Sally Field is always a stand-out and she did a bang-up Mary Todd. She did her homework and her skilled acting showed.

Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln was absolutely convincing. Of course, I visually know Lincoln from the pose in which he's depicted as his memorial, but I liked how Day-Lewis incorporated that pose in his portrayal (that is also, I'm sure, credited to the directing, as well).

They didn't do a good job of depicting Lincoln's height - 6'4" There were a number of scenes that showed that he was tall, but they didn't shoot it quite well enough to show just how tall he was. I forgive them for that; it would be terribly difficult to find an actor who could play the part, be made up to resemble Lincoln, and to be tall enough to stand out.

That, in my opinion, is nit-picky. I liked the movie very much (with the caveat that I'm an acting/directing/producing layperson). There are some truly funny moments and, according to Mr. Wrestler, they're true! People really did hurl those insults back and forth.

By all means, see the movie! It's well done and builds up to the suspense and all the things we love about movies - and it's true. No car chase, but the senate vote is suspenseful enough even though we know how it came out.

Posted by womanspeak (# 15394) on :

Saw it last week and the sign of a good movie to me - historical or contemporary - is that I am still thinking about it weeks later, and so far I am.

While an Aussie, I did study American history at Uni and the historical depiction rang true.

Of greatest interest to me was the insight it offers on current US political impasses - gun control, climate control, nation-wide health policies etc and the political earmarks required to get anything of value through both houses.

It also added to my continued appreciation of The West Wing - all seven series of it.

However as excellent as Daniel Day-Lewis was, our Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables should, but won't, beat him hands down in the Oscars.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

Nothing further to add just now, but we enjoyed it v. much also!

Posted by Robert Armin (# 182) on :

AW - does the accuracy extend to people coming to see the President personally over relatively minor matters, as happened early in the film? That seemed unlikely to me; I assumed the Director included it so that we could hear the voice of "the common people" reacting to Lincoln's ideas.

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