Sunday, April 7, 2013

"Do you think we choose to be born? Or do we fit into the times we are born into?"



Lincoln released in theaters on November 16, 2012 was an amazing film to say the least. If you have not seen this film yet let me just say "Stop what you’re doing and go rent it immediately!" Now there are many reasons to why this film is great, but I think it is the impeccable acting and the genuine story that what makes this film so lovable.

Daniel Day-Lewis.... Oh Daniel Day-Lewis. I cannot even really describe how awesome he is in this film. I mean he did win the Oscar for this film and he truly deserved it. Now personally, I love Lincoln. Ever since I was a child I was always excited to learn more and more about Lincoln. So when I knew there would be a movie and it was directed by Steven Spielberg, my expectations were quite high. Day-Lewis truly captures the essence of Lincoln. When he first comes on screen and speaks, I was in awe! Now I know that nobody really knows exactly what Lincoln sounded like, but we can all imagine. And based on what I imagined, Day-Lewis sounded just like the Lincoln in my head. It was soft and calm, yet, it was also powerful and demanding. Also the way he walked was perfect as well. Lincoln was 6'4 and was very lanky. It would make sense for him to have a pleasantly awkward manner of walking. And the makeup that Day-Lewis wore was simply incredible. Spielberg made a smart choice of shooting a lot of Day-Lewis from the side. His profile shot was when he looked most like Lincoln and Spielberg picks up on this. Also Lincoln gives many monologues and they are AMAZING! I love every single monologue and story he has. The moments when Day-Lewis gives his monologues are captivating, to say the least. You can truly tell that Day-Lewis pours himself into this role. You forget who he really is and completely accept the idea of him being Lincoln. So mission accomplished Daniel! You did great.

The other actors and actresses in this film are also amazing. Sally Field is amazing as Lincoln's wife. She puts on a great show and doesn't disappoint. Tommy Lee Jones adds most of the comedy to this film which was a pleasant surprise to me. Jones pulls off his role of a passionate and kind of crazy radical Republican very well. Speaking of comedy, if you thought this would just be a dull, history flick you are completely wrong! This movie is filled with loads of funny moments Some are kind of cheesy (but the good kinds of cheesy) and others moments are just purely hilarious. There are also many tense moments throughout this film that will keep you interested until the end. The writing is simply exceptional.

Speaking of the writing, this script is very good. Tony Kushner, who also wrote Munich, creates a beautiful script for this film. It truly portrays Lincoln as an amazing leader, but also shows how Lincoln was a regular guy. The script was inspired by the book "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin which helps to bring this script and movie to life.

This film embraces the idea of Lincoln being a regular guy who is "fitted to the times". He was the perfect leader for the time. People who don't even like history can still love and appreciate this film. And if you are a big history buff you will like it as well. However, I do want to state, this is a movie. So if everything is not "accurate" by your standards don't get too upset. It's a film meant to entertain and honestly nobody knows what really went on back then. So open your eyes and enjoy this wonderful film. It’s an A+ film and you will love it.

-Megan O'Neal

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