Lincoln focuses on the last four months of the president’s ’s life and the political strategizing he undertook at the close of the Civil War to ensure that slavery would be forever outlawed. “Our movie is really about a working leader who must make tough decisions and get things done in the face of overwhelming opposition,” Spielberg says.Also Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant, among other notables.
He said the film begins with “Lincoln’s realization that the Emancipation Proclamation, the thing he is most known for, was simply a war powers act that would easily be struck down by any number of lawyers after the cessation of hostilities after the Civil War,” Spielberg says. “He needed to abolish slavery by constitutional measure — and that’s where we start.”
Among the other central characters are David Strathairn, as Lincoln’s loyal Secretary of State, William Seward; Lincoln’s sons, Tad (Dark Shadows' Gulliver McGrath) and Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); his wife Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field); and “one of his most engaging and challenging adversaries, Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), a radical member of Lincoln’s own party,” Spielberg says.
Related: From one of those "funniest answers ever given by students on exams" pages, a potential spoiler for the film's ending.
That makes Lincoln sound like an idiot. "Wait, the Emancipation Proclamation is just an executive order? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
ReplyDeleteI still don't know how to deal with this. I, of course, have tons of respect for Abraham Lincoln. But my main reaction to Daniel Day-Lewis is that he should spend every minute while on screen being slapped in the face, Daniel-Day-Lewis-face-slapping, of course, being my favorite part of There Will Be Blood. By far.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me, SPOILER ALERT.
ReplyDeleteIf only we had a licensed historian here to tell us whether this was an accurate interpretation.
ReplyDeleteSmall pronblem, I have a bad feeling about Sally Field (65) playing Mary Lincoln when Mary Lincoln was 47 at the most. I reserve judgement.
ReplyDeleteBut, BUT. Jackie Earle Haley as the interesting Alexander Stephens, the VP of the Confederacy who voted against succession and served in the House after the war as well as briefly serving as the Governor of Georgia? That I am intriged by.
David Strathairn is in it? Sign me up.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase "I have a bad feeling about Sally Field playing" pretty much sums up the way I feel about Sally Field in any role at all.
ReplyDeleteNot exactly relevant, but this gives me occasion for my the Best. Lincoln. Quote. Ever.
ReplyDelete"I hope to have God on my side. But I must have Kentucky."
Isaac, you don't like her? You really don't like her?
ReplyDeleteIn marginally related news, I learned yesterday that Boniva, the osteoporosis drug Field is a spokesperson for can actually cause something called "jaw rot," a condition in which a person's face basically rots away. (I hope no one was eating while reading that. Sorry.)
But back to Lincoln! I'm psyched for David Strathairn and JGL. I'll definitely be seeing this film.
A potential spoiler? Is Tarantino directing?
ReplyDeleteDidn't Tony Kushner write the screenplay for this? Another reason to be excited...
ReplyDeleteYes, Russ, he did. The article linked above says so.
ReplyDeleteCool. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGoogle "Alexander Stephens" and "cornerstone speech."
ReplyDeleteor Stone?
ReplyDeleteI can't get that upset about age differences like that when we're talking movies set 150 years ago. People aged a lot harder then.
ReplyDelete