Spielberg's Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is a name that stands out in the passage of time and evokes emotions of patriotism, leadership and a steadfastness to one’s convictions to defy the greatest of odds. Whether you are an American citizen or not, Lincoln and his life no longer only belong there, but have been written and read around the globe, inspiring many as to what heights a human soul can achieve. I sink into this emotive state as Hollywood is once again attempting to recreate the charisma of this famous personality on the big screen. And thankfully, the movie is being crafted by the capable hands of Steven Spielberg. With a slated release in November 2012, Lincoln starring Daniel Day Lewis as the 16^th President of the USA, is likely to feature strongly in the list of Academy Award nominations. The movie is based on a biography of Lincoln titled Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, which covers the last four months of his life. The first full-length trailer for the biopic has been released this week and it has definitely raised my expectations from the feature film. Daniel Day Lewis’ resemblance to the original Abraham Lincoln is what hits you first and subsequently as the trailer flows and the tension builds as to what the President must have had to sacrifice to ensure a slavery-free America, you are bound to forget in those two minutes that this is but just a movie trailer. Appearances from the ever reliable Tommy Lee Jones and the rising star Joseph Gordon Lewitt keep you further glued on.

Abraham Lincoln has been represented in popular culture for ever so long, and not surprisingly so, with the most recent being in this year’s movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which of course added on to the growing legend of the President (Lincoln slashing off vampires in slo-mo was a treat!). The other references that come to my mind from recent times is the great statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial coming to life in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and the hunt for the mystery behind Lincoln’s assassination in National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Nicolas Cage, make another National Treasure movie soon!). But this is where the real deal is... when Spielberg decides to tell the story of the famous politician. Last year, Spielberg came back from a three year hiatus in movie direction to give us the memorable The Adventures of Tintin and the Oscar nominated War Horse. While Spielberg is more popular for his work on large scale adventure flicks like The Indiana Jones series and Jurassic Park series, he has earned rave reviews for war flick Saving Private Ryan and the more recent (2005 can be termed as ‘recent’?) political thriller Munich. All in all, with Spielberg at the helm, Daniel Day Lewis sporting the famous beard, and having already seen a trailer that leaves you asking for more, Lincoln seems to be in safe hands. And fingers crossed, I hope that it turns out to be such a wonderful depiction of this great personality as was Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) which tells you so much more about the man that every frame still continues to fill my heart with respect and admiration for him and his deeds. And in this age of anxiety and economic depression coupled with civil unrest in states across the globe, going back and learning from these great souls on how to lead and be true to one’s principles, may not be such a bad idea.      

“Shall we stop this bleeding?” – last line from the trailer of Lincoln.