Lincoln
2012 · Directed by Steven Spielberg
Original language: English
- history
- drama
The story
The revealing story of the 16th US President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
What it’s like
Warm amber interiors dominate, with candlelight and low oil lamps pooling on wood-panelled rooms, dark wool coats, and the grey-brown of winter Washington, while the rare exteriors arrive in pale, overcast daylight and the mud of camp and battlefield. Spielberg's camera settles into static, slightly low compositions and long dialogue takes, letting faces and hands hold the frame, with occasional handheld drift in the crowded legislative scenes. The score by John Williams is sparing, mostly soft strings and piano that surface between long stretches of talk and near-silence, so the rhythm is deliberate, formal and talky, built around argument and persuasion rather than action. The mood is solemn but warm, a weighty civic drama with flashes of dry humour and tender family strain, and its people are shown slowly working through doubt and compromise. Violence is limited to brief, unsettling battlefield glimpses and a few sudden wartime images, with no sustained gore. It suits a quiet weekend afternoon or a serious evening for viewers who enjoy political history, period detail and close character study.
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