In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.
Abraham Lincoln
Never has that quote been more true about a person than the man who led our country out of the Civil War…out of slavery…and out of the division that crippled our country.
A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved. I do not expect the house to fall, but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other – Lincoln
As great a man as he was, there was much I didn’t know about our sixteenth President’s history-making last few months in office. Steven Spielberg successfully brings audiences into that turbulent period of time for a personal look into the life of Lincoln…not only as a President, but as a husband and a father.
It is 1865 and the Civil War has been drudging on for nearly 4 years. The sheer number of war losses combined with the country’s division over slavery is crippling. It is during Lincoln’s final months in office that we are brought back into history as he works to end the war, abolish slavery, and re-unite our country.
As the President, I can’t imagine the pressure…the stress…the weight of death and division heavy on his shoulders all while simultaneously leading his family. In Lincoln, I see a man devoutly committed to his country, unwavering in his moral stance, which at times puts strain on his family. It is in the tender moments with his son that we get a deeper look into Lincoln as a father. Daniel Day Lewis’ portrayal of Lincoln is phenomenal…not only because of his striking semblance to the former president, but because of the personality he brings to the role.
The film is as much a lesson in history as it is thought-provoking and engaging. Not only do audiences get an inner look at the workings of a democracy, they learn about the family dynamics Lincoln also juggled, including, for example, why Mary Todd Lincoln was often deemed “emotional.”
Despite the film’s dramatic premise, there are many poignant, humorous, and celebratory moments, which will draw audiences in. And while we know how the film ends, director Steven Spielberg still manages to evoke an incredible amount of emotion from our connection with the man who changed the historical course of our nation.
Dreamwork’s epic biographical war drama is a cinematic success, both visually and historically, and destined for an Oscar. Lincoln is now in theaters nationwide.
No compensation was received for this post. I screened the film which helped facilitate the writing of this post.
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