Passing an Amendment: A Movie Review of Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln"

There was much turmoil surrounding the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, regarding slaves. Although Lincoln was the main supporter of this bill, he had much help. Secretary of State William Seward and Thaddeus Stevens are also supporters of the bill.

Lincoln includes a cast of Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln (who won the Oscar for Best Leading Actor), Sally Field as Mrs. Lincoln, and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens.

SUMMARY

   Steven Spielberg's film is named Lincoln, but one review said it "could just as easily be called 'The 13th Amendment' due to its almost singular focus..." Abraham Lincoln, though, is the main character. The film ends with his death, not with the passing of the amendment.

   Early on in the film, Abraham Lincoln realizes that once the war is over, most citizens of the North will still want slavery to be left alone. Therefore, the bill must be passed before the swiftly approaching end of the war. He and William Seward try to hold off peace from the South just long enough until the necessary votes for the Amendment can be secured.

   The supporters of the bill must jump through hoops to get the desired bill to become the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Unfortunately, they have equally strong opposers. As all viewers know, slavery was ended, but Lincoln still provides some good suspense for all.

CONTENT

   For a PG-13 movie set during the Civil War, the violence is surprisingly minor. There is one minute-long scene at the very beginning that is somewhat disturbing. Soldiers fight in the mud and are shown stabbing, drowning, and punching each other. Then, towards end of the movie, Lincoln surveys the battlefield aftermath outside of Petersburg, Virginia. Bodies are strewn across the battlefield. It is a sad and sobering scene. The violence is not as intense, though, as previous Spielberg movies such as Jurassic Park and Schindler's List.
   While there is no nudity and no overtly sexual content, there is one scene where Mary Lincoln is undressing into her underclothes and her shirt lags a little, showing some of her chest. Later, Robert Lincoln explains to his younger brother that female slaves who can still conceive are worth more money, but his father stops him before he goes any further.

   The audience witnesses some rather strong arguments between President and Mrs. Lincoln. Whether or not their marriage was as unhappy as they portrayed, I cannot say. I do know that Lincoln's wife was extremely outspoken, so these arguments are not too far-fetched. Mary Lincoln is a little outspoken against her husband at points in the movie, but Lincoln also makes some hurtful remarks as well.

   The language in the film is very heavy and there are barely any scenes without it. D***, s***, and God's name are each used multiple times, sometimes many times per scene, as well as one f-word. This is the main problem, I think, with Lincoln. The language ruins the core of the film and makes it almost like any other Hollywood historical film.

   The film is largely dialogue, most of it coming from debates over the amendment and the war. Younger viewers, who are not frightened after the first minute of war, will likely be bored. My eleven-year-old sibling left the room after the first ten or fifteen minutes. For those who stick with it, they are in for a rather decent film. It is not all debates, though. There are a few parts which made me laugh. Most of the jokes come from Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones' humor is in the film, which I was glad for!). 

   One thing I would like to mention is my disagreement with how Lincoln was portrayed in certain scenes. I believe he was a Christian, but this film shows something slightly different. He is shown using language multiple times and never makes mention of anything but a vague God (for the time period, this might have been assumed as Christ). Steven Spielberg is a strong Democrat, so it was interesting to see how a Democratic director portrayed a Republican (and godly) president.

   I was quite pleased, though, with the portrayal of the great adversity that was not just happening between the northern and southern states, but also between the Republicans and Democrats of the Union. I believe that Lincoln also gave a strong and magnificent light on the true reasons behind the 13th Amendment.

   Overall, Lincoln is a decent film. Spielberg has so many award-winning films (Indiana Jones and  The Last Crusade, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List, for example) that it is surely going to be hard to make newer films like those. I think Lincoln is an excellent historical film, though I believe the language heavily detracts from the movie's greatness.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 150 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (for an intense scene of war violence, some images of carnage, and brief strong language) 

Director: Steven Spielberg

Producers: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy

Music: John Williams

Year of release: 2013

Audience: Teens, Adults