By Parvathi Jayakumar:
The 2012 American historical drama film Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the United States president Abraham Lincoln, is a movie to reckon with. The movie gained widespread critical acclaim and was a commercial success as well. Here, I present to you, a few things to look out for and absorb completely while watching this epic drama.
1. Veracity of the plot
Lincoln is one of the most authentic biographical dramas ever. But definitely not a boring, stiff-jointed history lesson. It slowly unfolds in the America of 1865 amidst the Civil war, when Lincoln has been re-elected and he knows that the North is going to win the war. The real battle for him now is to get rid of slavery. He is highly driven and motivated to pass the 13th amendment which would outlaw slavery and establish equality for the coloured.
2. True greatness of a political leader
Abraham Lincoln was a man who did not have great formal education. Yet, the movie brings out the intelligence of this man, his vision and sense of justice in a very beautiful way. It shows him to communicate through parables and stories often to get his points across. He is calm, self-confident and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to understanding the human nature. Also, his patience and willingness to play politics in a realistic way is something our politicians ought to take a lesson from.
3. Well-detailed insight into politics
Shows the nitty-gritty of policy making including the passage of the 13th amendment and surrender of the confederacy. Tracks the process of passing an amendment from the very conception of the idea, acquiring majority in the house to finally getting the presidential sign on it. For a layman, this part of the plot does shed some light.
4. That vote-buying is not a new concept!
In our day and age, we are frequently bombarded with news of political parties and leaders paying bribes so as to get votes and to turn the situation around to their favour. And we end up feeling disgusted at the state of affairs. But watching Lincoln will tell you that this is not a new phenomenon and that the idea of buying votes was prevalent in that day and age too! The movie shows Lincoln to offer jobs, promotions and titles so as to win the opponents over to his side to pass the bill. He is not the least bit hesitant to employ the low-handed tactics of his chief negotiators because he is aware of what is to be done to get the job accomplished!
5. Perfection with which the character has been portrayed
What most often draws the audiences to a character, especially in the case of biographies, is the physical resemblance or closeness that the actor bears with the original. And in this movie, Daniel Day-Lewis just steals the show! He lives the part of Abraham Lincoln as the tall, elegantly stooped and soft spoken president, who does not yield to any opposition and gets the 13th amendment passed with sheer will power and determination.
If you haven’t watched the movie already, please make a move fast, for you are missing out on some real fine art.