The whole time I was watching Lincoln, I kept wondering: Could someone please turn on the lights? All that darkness, combined with Lincoln’s black suit, made him look like a walking bobblehead doll.
I know that’s not the proper respect I should be showing this film. But the sad fact is, Lincoln struck me as an undramatic, on-the-nose bore. I say that fully expecting it to be nominated for, and win, the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. That’s because it’s about America’s first god, Lincoln; it’s directed by Hollywood’s current first god, Spielberg; and it’s written by the saint of American theater, Tony Kushner.
I hate being the guy who says the emperor is naked. But this thing is ponderous, preachy, way too long, and filled with scenes that felt emotionally dishonest to me. When Thaddeus Stevens makes his big speech, John Williams’ music made me think I was being transported to heaven.
Now you could argue that no one today could make a good film about Lincoln. Whatever flaws he may have had, Lincoln earned his place as first god of America. He ended slavery, remade the nation, and won the Civil War (at the cost of 10% of the population, the equivalent of 33 million people today).
He was the smartest President we ever had, and the best writer, and that includes Thomas Jefferson.
But gods don’t make good films. The argument has been made that this film shows Lincoln’s dark side, as he gets down into the mud of politics. This is nonsense. Lincoln offers jobs for votes, which was not only a common practice at the time, it wasn’t even immoral, given that the vote was for human equality.
Don’t get me wrong. I am happy to have a serious drama about a man, an era and an event I have been fascinated by since childhood. But let’s not lose our heads and call it great screenwriting and filmmaking.
Yes, The Emperor and all his Men ARE NAKED, BUTT NAKED! John, you hit it on the head that the writing is on the nose! Also….may I add…. there’s no ghost for our hero to purge. That may have truly darkened up our hero up, a bit; there really wasn’t any direct pushback to Lincoln, only foppish, cardboard cutouts, mere imitations of opponents, And Lincoln’s over-arching desire of passing the 13th Amendment had no drama to it. Spolier Alert: The 13th Amendment passes, but the whole trek rings completely hollow! No real battle; and no self-revelation. Aaaargh!
I had heard that Tony Kushner presented his first draft to Spielberg and it was over two hundred pages, which tells me…. the writer was completely in over his head (Pulitzer or not!), not that he wasn’t in the right ballpark for a film script, he wasn’t even in the right sport! Clearly, Tony would greatly benefit from John’s class.
It was Lincoln. It was probably a touch over 2 hours. Like the other films I’ve seen at the fevtaisl, the end titles were turned off midway. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner took the stage with NYFF Program Director Richard Pena at the end for about 15 minutes. Spielberg signed about 30 or so autographs. I didn’t have a pen but I shook his hand! Awesome!The film is restrained, quiet and like Ang Lee’s Life of Pi , quite humorous. It was most definitely a stage production in that it was like a play. It opens with a short battlefield sequence but focuses on the closed door dealings for the ratification of the 13th Amendment. A lot of dialogue, most of which is good but turn lengthy at times. Very little John Williams score, so that might be the unfinished part. It could use a tightening, especially the first half. The second half seemed pretty solid. No vampires.Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones are great. James Spader along with John Hawkes and Tim Blake Nelson just about steal the show as Democratic operatives. The absolute show stopping, engrossing parts of the film are when Lincoln tells a story. This happens I believe 4 times. Each one is a treat and helps the film greatly. I don’t have much interest in biographical films or stage plays but Spielberg’s direction and Janusz Kami?ski’s cinematography are solid and peel away at each actors layers. A notch above Amistad.