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Movie review: Lincoln (2012)

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Amazingly crafted, very convincing indeed

Spielberg has dramatized the most difficult months of Lincoln's presidency in intimate and sympathetic detail. I remember the way Lincoln would connect with his audience, share an anecdote and immediately lighten up the atmosphere. He seemed like an immensely likable man. When the moment demanded, he could also be tough and exercise the power his charisma granted him over others. The film focuses on the visionary that he was, the realist he had to become to achieve his vision and the certainty he had in his beliefs. The one thing that separated him from his peers was the ability to seek out the important from the inane. It is shown that he was aware of the historical moment that was upon them in the form of the Thirteenth Amendment, and he 'cepit diem'.

Daniel Day Lewis has given us a remarkable performance. It is very hard to make out that the Lincoln we see brooding and connecting is actually an actor; someone for whom perfection has almost become a religion. The intensity of the gaze, the quiet voice, the slightly hunched posture, the thin grizzled beard have almost reanimated a history chapter.

The movie also delves into the personal conflicts of the great man. His own son joins the army, and he is faced with the tough choice between ending the war or passing the bill to abolish slavery. One could save his son and the other could save millions of people from a life of servitude. He doesn't back down, and the immaculate politician he was, manages to do both.

This is amazingly crafted, very convincing indeed. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp, what's the use of knowing True North?"

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