Lincoln

Il y a trop peu de ces délicieuses prises en extérieur par Janusz Kamiński (en fait, il y en a deux : Joseph Gordon-Levitt qui regarde des restes humains qu’on recouvre de terre et le duo assis sur la véranda de la maison). Trop peu de ces scènes hautes en émotion dans lesquelles John Williams peut se réaliser. Trop peu de segments narratifs qui susciteraient plus d’intérêt dans les personnages et leurs destinées. Trop peu de quoi que ce soit qui pourrait intriguer le public qui s’intéresse aux événements historiques traités Bref, un récit historique ennuyeux filmé en intérieur avec une élégance esthétique et un jeu de qualité. Daniel Day-Lewis est excellent, comme toujours. (22/01/2013)

Griffith, Ford, Spielberg. Lincoln. Three great American directors and their respective versions of the Lincoln myth. Though Spielberg takes an honest and respectful approach to Lincoln’s personality, creating a cult and idealising a democratic idea is not as important to him as drawing the viewer into the narrative. Above all, this is a riveting political drama, with Abraham Lincoln as the protagonist. It is fascinating to watch how smoothly one of Spielberg’s least action-oriented and least epic films moves forward, how the individual scenes are knitted together, how the director works with the deadline (to get 20 votes by the end of January), how the personal storyline serves the work storyline. The film does not primarily set out to depict Lincoln as a messianic figure demonstrating helpfulness toward all human beings without distinction, and such deification, if it happens, never overshadows the central goal of pushing through the Thirteenth Amendment before the end of the Civil War. We may even have doubts about the “purity” of Lincoln’s relentless  pursuit of justice in the face of the law – we are not led to adopt a clear position as actively as in Spielberg’s other socio-political films, e.g. through impassioned music. Furthermore, the narrative is slowed the most by Lincoln’s “Christ-like” tendency to sit down in front of a group of listeners and start telling them a story. Does this really prove to us that Lincoln is the father of the American nation, who could take the liberty of making jokes about George Washington, or have we entered the realm of political satire about an elderly gentleman who liked to talk at times when it was necessary to act? The father interpretation would clearly be more appropriate also for the repeated adoption of the younger son’s childish perspective (including a very clever narrative feint in the climax), but to me it particularly involved the highlighting of the lack of didacticism in Spielberg’s approach. With the flawlessly cast actors and very impressive images (the meaning-making lighting and placement of the characters, frontal shooting, when there is a reason for every movement), With Lincoln, Spielberg primarily constructed an intelligent drama that ceaselessly keeps us on our toes and requires constant linking of contexts. And only then did he create a myth. 90% (26/01/2013)

So what, guys, shall we abolish slavery? Yay or Nay? Lincoln watches broodingly. The lawmakers negotiate. Lincoln speaks broodingly. The lawmakers debate. Lincoln remains broodingly silent. The lawmakers argue. Lincoln dictates a letter, broodingly. The lawmakers vote. Lincoln broodingly leaves the room. The lawmakers celebrate. Lincoln dies, this time without a sign of broodiness. I’ll say this, for the target audience of historical conversational biopics (the film shows a battlefield only once, and right at the beginning), this film about the famous American president and the process of approval of the 13th constitutional amendment will probably be perfect. Spielberg is a master of his craft, Daniel Day-Lewis is a master of his art, and both of them show it. But honestly, who among us (with the exception perhaps of art scholars) can be interested in this? In short, a likely bland Oscar winner that I will not like. But I have to give it to it that it never pissed me off the way Spielberg’s previous film did. PS: And I looked forward all the time at least to the assassination… but nothing. PS2: Steven, please, do Robocalypse next. (27/12/2012)

People will expect from this movie whatever they will. It was made by Spielberg, so in this respect there is nothing wrong with it, more or less. Daniel Day-Lewis in turn trained god knows how many years for this character. Everybody keeps saying that he articulates like Abraham, but nobody has really seen him alive. But yeah, I get it. But I’d say that such a movie only makes sense for the USA. Over here, it’s average at best and it’s impossible to have any deep emotions about it. Quite the contrary. I only watched it because of Spielberg and it was a waste of time. (18/10/2014)

Big words, lofty speeches, and in a way, just one big Lincoln witticism. Spielberg adored this part of American history so much that a mere history textbook passage was created. Short family passages reveal fragments about the main character and purely focus on addition, peace and political negotiation. No emotions, no enthusiasm. Only with perfectly crafted production and zero added value. And we all knew even before the first clap that Daniel Day-Lewis wouldn't just play Abraham, but he would completely become him. The disappointment is even greater now, as Steven obviously filmed (another) his dream opus magnum and pleased me only with occasional Jones' relaxation and, as expected, the scene of the actual voting itself. The slightly problematic War Horse now looks like a perfect period piece in a new light. (05/01/2013)

I had to force myself a little to look at Lincoln at all and I must say that it was worth watching. A myriad of great actors who have something to say... And Spielberg doesn’t make thoroughly bad movies at all and, although long-winded and boring, he makes the process of pushing through the 13th Amendment interesting. Abe (Daniel Day-Lewis is great and the Oscar nomination is more than justified) uses delay, corruption and twisting the truth to get his way. His kind and wonderfully pointed stories make him look like a nice guy, but because of this, the people have to suffer an extra month of war. A stellar moment in history they say... there’s nothing stellar about trying to get your own way and to succeed by scheming and half-truths. I should point out that during the final vote I had my fingers crossed that it would be passed and found myself with a wider and wider smile at each “Yay". Spielberg was successful in not presenting this period in history as being something ultra significant in creating history. He takes it raw, without emotion. And if it works, fine. And if not, at least they tried. Well it is a bit of a disadvantage that we know how it turns out. So it’s hard for the viewer to be fully satisfied. Excursions away from interiors (there are only a couple) where we see the war and what it involved (severed limbs in the wheelbarrow) take up just a couple of minutes of this lengthy movie. This is precisely the style (apart from the fact that the arguments have a head and tail to them) used when the Czech parliament sits (apart from the fact that in the movie someone is really sitting there and nobody is reading the newspaper or sleeping, in fact they actually speak and express their opinion) and I just can’t watch that for more than a few seconds. At least that Williams did the music, otherwise nothing special. (13/02/2013)

You are watching this historical borefest and keep thinking to yourself "where the hell did Spielberg's dynamism and fierceness in individual shots go, where’s the drive?". Lincoln is beautifully shot, solidly narrated with strong historical foundations, and Daniel Day-Lewis is once again captivating. However, films like this should be at least a little bit accessible to the audience, in other words, they must not be boring and tedious. Unfortunately, this was not the case here even in the slightest. (24/04/2014)

I love how different every Steven Spielberg film has been in recent years. How each time he tries a slightly different approach, a different genre, and works with different actors to get it right every time. Like now. For the record, I consider Amistad to be one of Spielberg's best films ever, which made me all the more eager to see how he would deal with slavery this time around. Almost as good (i.e., Amistad is better after all). To make a two and a half hour long film in which there is only talking and dozens of historical characters pass through obviously bothers some people. I don't understand why. A lot of so-called reviewers grumble that the film is a messy, chatty stew that was made just to win an Oscar(s). And most importantly, "there are no battles - even in War Horse there were more". Oh, my God, people! Lincoln is great precisely because there are no battles. We know that the Civil War is raging, we can imagine what a tragedy it is thanks to the opening scene, but why should we continue to watch it? Isn't it enough to watch what it does to people? I think absolutely. The relentless pursuit of the 13th Amendment is a hundred times more thrilling than scenes of a battlefield where cannons tear people apart. And that effort is well described - as is President Lincoln. A sensible and stubbornly opinionated man who has his quirks, his ailments, but also a sense of humor, a perpetual storyteller and (the nicest surprise for me) a thoroughly skilled schemer. The characters, of which there are definitely not as many as many people claim, can be beautifully understood thanks to their performances, the individual stories into which the whole plot is divided are excellent and especially well ended (the last scene of Tommy Lee Jones!). There's not much to say about the actors, Steven Spielberg doesn't pick bad ones... I just wonder why Liam Neeson turned down the role when he's certainly not too old to be the Lincoln we see here. But Daniel Day-Lewis is... Wow! Amazing! So now it's just classic praise for Kaminski's stunning cinematography, which once again plays with light and shadow and looks great in the movie theatre, and of course Williams' music (it doesn't stand out in the film as much as it does on the separate soundtrack, but it's still divine). Five pure stars. (03/02/2013)

Academy borefest??!! Enslave me, but whoever said this just doesn't have much of a clue as to how far the genius of cinematic storytelling can stretch. Lincoln is a 150-minute long, mostly conversational treasure that, despite the knowledge of the historical outcome, literally engulfs the viewer without a single flinch or flicker of creative indiscretion. A story where there isn't a single scene or line that doesn't fundamentally shift the titular political line or unsentimentally deepen the personal and familial line, which is then logically reflected in the decisions and development of the former. I can't wait to watch it again (and again), to savour more attentively the balanced rhythm with which the lines alternate, overlap and complement each other, the witty interweaving of successive events or the ingenious transitions between scenes, which without exception fit together compositionally and continuously like a full stop at the end of a sentence. Not to mention the brilliant games with lighting and camera positions, the emotions that can only be evoked by the clever handling of editing and narrative direction, and finally the performances of absolutely everyone who appears in front of the camera. Lincoln convinced me of two things: that Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest figures of the 19th century (even allowing for the undeniable glorification of the film, of course) and that Steven Spielberg is the greatest Hollywood director of all time. (16/02/2018)

I think there's little appreciation of how easily this could have been an excruciatingly schoolboyish ode to how America's greatest man confronted America's greatest problem, but instead it's an intimate yet systematic drama about the processes and behind-the-scenes of American politics that can easily be applied to the present day. About the processes that make it virtually impossible to always play fair within the framework of purpose, force reliance on weak and sporadic characters, and eradicate the last vestiges of idealism in people. All of this can be felt in the character of the permanently exhausted, sickly, and despite his nature, reluctantly scheming Lincoln, who floats through the film with his three-meter arms like a vampire, planting unrelated stories around him in a sleepy voice and the unbearable political dilemma of the possibility of ending the war early at the expense of the 13th Amendment visibly eating him up from the inside. As the film's surprising climax, it is not the passage of said amendment, but the utterly silent scene where he announces to the Confederate state representatives in a low, calm voice as they negotiate the terms of surrender, "Slavery, sir... It's done". The first decisive, firm, and unqualifiedly intelligible sentence he can finally utter. In the end, I’m raising it to 5 stars because, despite the tame opening and a percentile more sentiment than is necessary, Lincoln is actually both a political maze and a physical drama, with the protagonist's wasting away is contagious and robs the film of the shield of mere historical reconstruction. (13/02/2022)

I have to admit that while this is indeed one of the most talked about films I've ever seen, I wouldn't have expected much else from Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis made the most of himself, the props to evoke the atmosphere of the time were definitely not spared and despite the lukewarm course, you could see a proper climax in the end. Of course, if you have at least a passing knowledge of American history, the experience is immediately a bit more rewarding. Spielberg simply chose an unrewarding subject for a film treatment that is only able to fully score with Americans. Had he taken a less expensive and patriotic route, like the John Adams series, he might have succeeded far more. (01/04/2013)

I'm not saying it's a bad movie, but I had to force myself through it, twice. From a craftsmanship perspective, it's a masterfully executed work, and Spielberg deserves credit for that. However, I can't shake off the feeling of a certain mystification of the character of Abraham Lincoln, and that bothers me quite a bit. On the other hand, casting Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role was certainly a good choice, even if he's almost unrecognizable under the mask. There are certainly more pros and cons that I could mention, but there's no need to elaborate further, others have already done that. Simply put, Lincoln is a very contradictory film, which must be reflected in my rating. (55%) (15/07/2020)