Lincoln: The Man and the Movie

Lincoln: The Man and the Movie

     You've probably heard of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th and arguably best president. They even made a movie out of the last four months or so of his life. That movie, "Lincoln," is actually an incredibly accurate take on his life. Down to even the pitch of the main character's voice and what the first lady dressed like. That's dedication for you.

     You may have noticed that in the movie, Lincoln seems to age. He grows wearier, more tired, and more hunched over. Even his signature gait is like every step requires a monumental amount of effort. If you look at pictures of Lincoln throughout the Civil War, he does in fact look older. Even one of Daniel Day Lewis's friends said, "he looks like a laborer coming home after a hard day's work." What may have contributed to the significant aging is that not only did Abraham Lincoln have to run the country, he did a lot more than most presidents did in two short terms. He had to keep the war going so he could get that amendment signed, because if the war ended, the amendment would have "a snowball's chance in hell."

Lincoln after the Civil War

     In the movie, Lincoln and his wife, Mary, are obviously in a very rocky relationship. They fight a lot, and they fight heated. Abrahan Lincoln actually did fight with Mary all the time. In the movie, Lincoln yells at Mary, "They think I should have clapped you in the mad house!" Mary replies, "Then do it! Do it, don't you threaten me you do it this time, lock me away!" Perhaps a reason why they didn't get along is that after her son "Willie" died at age twelve, she literally stopped mothering her other son Tad. She couldn't bear to mother him because he reminded her of Willie's absence. Lincoln had to take over as mother and father, as well as be the president of the United States. That's too big a job for any man.

Lincoln with Tad

     Abraham Lincoln, hero to a good deal of Americans, was actually some kind of a dirty politician. He did pretty much everything a president can do to get an amendment signed. In the movie, he says, "I am the president of the United States of America, clothed in immense power. You will procure me these votes." He bullied his allies, he negotiated, he almost bought "yes" votes to get that amendment signed. I suppose you can't blame him for wanting those votes, otherwise we still would have slavery amongst our society.

Lincoln (Daniel Day Lewis) trying to get a "yes" vote or two

     One of the amazing things about this movie is the great lengths Steven Spielberg went through to make this movie historically accurate. He went out and managed to get first editions of books Lincoln actually read.

A bit of Lincoln's recreated desk

     In one scene, you see Lincoln hunched over a desk with a watch ticking in the background.

     Steven Spielberg managed to negotiate with a museum to record the ticking of the actual watch Lincoln wore. So when you hear that in the movie, that's the same ticking Abraham Lincoln heard so many times. What's truly amazing is that Steven Spielberg got so many things about Lincoln's life accurate, down to the way he sounded. In the movie, Daniel Day Lewis's voice is actually a bit more high pitched than usual. Friends say that he never came out of that octave until filming was over.

     Abraham Lincoln was a truly incredible man. Without him, the United States of America would be so different than it is today. Every year in his birthday, we always go through an "Abraham Lincoln research kick". Truly, interest in him never ceases, and "Lincoln" is an amazing example. As a child, Abraham Lincoln knew he was some sort of genius, and he wanted to be remembered for something great that withstood the test of time. To say he accomplished that is an extreme understatement. Truly, Abraham Lincoln still lives in our minds and hearts.


Sources:
"Abraham Lincoln." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.
"Lincoln - Unite." YouTube. YouTube, 03 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.



Pictures:
http://sphotosb.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotosprn1/c156.0.403.403/p403x403/529487_10151417062599395_312648018_n.jpg

http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/lincpix/last.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/A%26TLincoln.jpg/220px-A%26TLincoln.jpg

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50140749n


Sites that EasyBib didn't like:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50140749n
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiSAbAuLhqs