Lincoln

My husband and I are a little odd in that we tend to gravitate towards certain actors and follow their work, as opposed to just looking for a movie to watch. We've done that with all of Daniel Day-Lewis's films and for the most part, have never been let down.

He's at the top of his game here. This is is crowning achievement. Besides doing a silly goofy comedy where he has to be completely relaxed and making fun of himself, I think he could do anything. But having said that, that is probably what he will conquer next. You really can't throw a challenge at him that he can't field. He became not just the president of the United States, but arguably the most iconic and certainly the most caricatured of them all. But he did it in as much of an authentic way as he could have.

I approached this film with caution and did so for several reasons. First and foremost, this is Oscars season and this type of film is just what one expects to come out and be showered with Oscar buzz – and quite often these films are found to be lacking once they are out of this period and on their own. The second reason was related and it was that I didn't for a second think that this film would be able to go for more than two minutes without the heroic music coming up, a soft focus being slapped on the lens and someone giving a great speech about the morality of everything while the camera cuts to those around looking teary eyed and yet full of admiration. In other words I worried that this would simply be a more expensive version of The West Wing season 1.

Although the film does rather fall into these traps occasionally, it is by no means seriously flawed since the majority of the film is patience and very well delivered. We focus on the final few years of Lincoln's life, specifically the period towards the end of the war where slavery was abolished by Constitutional amendment. As such the film is about political wrangling and the determination to stay the course with the goal even though it would be difficult and smart politics suggested to not risk the bigger prize (peace) at the expense of an aspiration. The film shows this very well and it manages to be patient without being slow – which is quite the achievement considering that the film is essentially men in rooms talking. The politicking was well delivered so that it wasn't dull but wasn't falsely sped up. The sentimentality is kept to a surprisingly low. It is still there of course and the camera frequently looks for a heroic frame and the music often reminds us the grandeur of what we are seeing, but it doesn't overdo it too much and certainly nowhere near the levels I feared.

Day Lewis is perhaps a given for the Oscar. His Lincoln is certainly a spot on creation – he comes over as heroic and steadfast without being mythicalised by his own performance. He really gives an impression of the man's spirit throughout the film. The supporting cast is so deep in names and faces that it is hard to know where to start; being honest, at times I did find it a little distracting as a parade came across the screen – seemingly all from TV shows I watch or films I had seen, I suspect I could be quite far down the cast list before I found someone I couldn't place. Aside from this distracting a little, it does mean the cast is deep in talent and everyone does well. Tommy Lee Jones in particular adds passion and color to all his scenes and the film benefits from his performance. Field is perhaps not as good – although in fairness I didn't think the personal side to the story worked as well as the rest – and since this is her parts, maybe that is why I didn't like her performance as much. Spielberg's direction is very well paced; shots are very well picked and the camera is very patient in its movement.

Lincoln didn't blow me away but it did quietly impress me. Part of the reason for this is that the film doesn't go all out for emotion or history or sentimentality, it simply lets it happen in the main and manages to keep these traps to a comparative minimum that really helps the film. It is long but never boring, respectful but never overly so.

I remember fondly, Henry Fonda and Raymond Massey as Lincolns in "Young Mr.Lincoln" and "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" They gave remarkable performances. But, here and now in this extraordinary Steven Spielberg/Tony Kushner version, the illusion is complete. I was watching the president and not for a moment thought of the actor. That in itself is close to unique. I left the theater with the feeling I've just had an out of body experience. Everything around the central performance - and I call it a performance because I don't know what else to call it - falls into place in a miraculous way. The photography, the production design, the wardrobe made it possible to actually smell the period. Congratulations and thank you.

I saw Lincoln yesterday and have been turning the movie over in my head. Something seemed lacking. Then I realized what that was.

The movie portrayed Congress debating over the 13th Amendment that would end slavery. The movie also portrayed only politically correct Black people. In Lincoln one only sees black people that are smartly dressed soldiers, suited gentlemen, and immaculately dressed, well-spoken and seemingly college educated women.

That historical fiction blights the movie.

The vast majority of Blacks in 1865 were not well-spoken, well-dressed, or well-educated. They had been denied access to such opportunities.

A reasonable person, in 1865, imbued with the observations of their time, might well believe that Black people were inferior in intellect or that that Black people weren't ready for the responsibilities of freedom. In Lincoln, you see these arguments aired. However, the speeches seem nonsensical when the movie deliberately declined to provide the social and cultural context that would have supported those perspectives.

There is a lot to like about Lincoln, though. Daniel Day Lewis was exceptional in the lead role. He avoided the mistake of making A. Lincoln a caricature of who Lincoln was. The characters and the script closely follow history. Few actors could have so believably delivered the role of Thaddeus Stevens but Tommy Lee Jones manages that very well.

Lincoln (2012)

A highly polished, restrained, important movie.

That doesn't make this an exciting movie. The acting is terrific, and filming excellent (including a color saturation pulled back to give it an old look without seeming affected). It is clearly expert in the way we expect from Steven Spielberg above perhaps anyone, at least in the mainstream conventional sense.

But there are two things that make this movie a must see. One is the content. It's about one of the two or three most important things ever to happen in this country--the fight to end slavery during the Civil War. This is such powerful stuff it will make you weep. (If it doesn't, you'll have to ask why.) It's laid out as clearly and emphatically as possible while still keeping accurate.

The second thing is simply the overwhelming performance by Daniel Day-Lewis. It is so good you forget it's a performance (unlike, for example, his intensity in "There Will Be Blood" which stood out as a work of acting above the movie). Here he is so woven into the fabric of things he is indistinguishable from the historic truth, somehow. It's really the magic of the transparency of movie-making of this kind. Amazing performance.

It seems sacrilege to say this but the movie isn't perfect. Because of its material--getting the anti-slavery amendment through Congress--it involves a lot of talk, and a lot of people that you have to keep track of. I think Spielberg did this as good as it could be done, so no criticism there, but it does mean a lack of physical and even emotional drama through much of the film. I don't mean it's dull, just that it's conversational. I also found shreds of Spielberg's Frank Capra quality of making the movies--and his subjects--a little simplified. He ties up loose ends. He makes it all a fine package, very fine. Maybe too fine for what I would call high art. At times.

I think we'll have an easier time judging it in six months, or six years. Also the subject matter makes it almost unassailable, since clearly most of us are all for the passing of any anti-slavery legislation.

See this for all the reasons you have heard. Don't miss it. Maybe down a coffee before you go, but see it no matter what. As I say, it's important. It reminds you of greatness, and that's not something to miss.

UPDATE over one year later: I see that I accepted a lot of decisions by the writer and director as their prerogative, like focussing on one issue and narrowing to a short period of time. I had no bones with the scope of the movie. But in retrospect I see how the limitations of time and scope and background also create a sense of mis-information. That is, if you want a bigger picture of Lincoln, this movie is not quite right. Its aggrandizement is also not unavoidable, like the somewhat insipid (and yet moving) recital of the Gettysburg Address at the beginning by soldiers. Overall, though, I stick to my main thought--see it, and soak up what you can, without expecting perfection. Yes, see it for what it is, nothing less.