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Making Amendments

On the heels of our national election comes Steven Spielberg's timely "Lincoln". Based in part on the book "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner, and an army-sized cast of noteworthy actors, "Lincoln" is an appropriate monument to our 16th president.

It's 1865, and Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) has already signed the Emancipation Proclamation and been elected to his second term. Though the Civil War continues in the background, the battle that the movie focuses almost exclusively on is the one to pass the 13th Amendment, formally making the freedom of slaves and racial equality a part of the Constitution. The behind-the-scenes drama of strong-arming, bribing, and lying (which even "Honest Abe" is not above) - as well as the weight of history - ensures that watching the passing of the 13th Amendment is not like watching a boring policy debate on CNN. Having to switch in your mind the Republicans (then-liberal) and Democrats (then-conservative) with our contemporary opposite parties, also serves to keep the audience awake.

In Oscar-worthy fashion, Daniel Day-Lewis inhabits the role of Lincoln. The movie contains consistently strong portrayals of other historical figures, including Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field), abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), Secretary of State William Seward (David Strathairn), journalist Francis Preston Blair (Hal Holbrook), Lincoln's oldest son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), General Ulysses S. Grant (Jared Harris), and political operative W.N. Bilbo (James Spader).

After an opening graphic battle scene, the war occurs largely off-screen. For a movie set during the most bloody and ugly period of our Nation's history, it's striking how "Lincoln" avoids getting its hands dirty. Instead, the movie's darkness is depicted as exactly that, as if the abomination of war and slavery has literally cast its long shadow over the land. Only on the day the Amendment is to put up to a vote does a suddenly blinding sun make its appearance through the windows. Maybe this kind of ham-handed symbolism is arguably an exercise in realism, as you'll feel like you're in a darkened theatre most of the time.

Daniel Day-Lewis illuminates Lincoln's humor, intelligence, kindness, wisdom, sadness, and frustration. Though it's still difficult to get a sense of what Lincoln was like. Placed within his historical context, we see Lincoln the monument and not Lincoln the man. It is the family scenes between Lincoln and his wife and sons that most bring the former President to life.

Despite its sterling pedigree, "Lincoln" is less like a Hollywood biopic and more like a big-budget after school special. The language is uniformly elevated, from the President to the lowest-ranking soldier. Even offensive remarks uttered in moments of passion are delivered with a near Shakespearean elegance. An early and needless scene of bright-eyed soldiers reciting parts of the Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address to Lincoln himself comes across as both amateurish and over-produced exposition.

The days of Civil War and North vs. South are over, yet still continue in today's Culture War and Blue States vs. Red States. For this reason, "Lincoln," despite it's large-scale theatricality, will resonate within our current political climate, and may even inspire hope for a more perfect union, which shall not perish from the earth.