What are your thoughts on the movie Lincoln?

I would say that its historical accuracy is almost 100%, except they left out the part about Lincoln being a vampire hunter. ;-)

@Brian1946 Hahaha!

I thought it was great. I say all the time history is my worst subject, and that movie reinforced how much I don’t know. I had not remembered the vote for the 13th amendment was taken without the south’s participation.

I loved how they showed that in history people could come to the white house and ask for help from the President. I knew about that, but loved it in the movie. I loved watching him talk to the troops. I loved when his wife asks who would want to listen to her ramble on, and he raises his hand.

I think Lewis was amazing! I definitely think he should win best actor.

@Brian1946 I wondered how he could kick vampire butt and some second rate actor got the drop on him.

I thought Daniel Day-Lewis gave a terrific performance, as usual. The rest of the cast (including Tommy Lee Jones, the best of the rest in this movie) seems somewhat restrained and wooden by comparison – definitely not great performances. Not sure if the problem was the acting, directing, or writing. The effect, however, is that the Lincoln character stands out sharply from everyone else in the drama. Nice to see up-close, down & dirty politics as practiced a century & a half ago. A lot of it seems gratuitously “hollywood-ized” (call it corny). African Americans, despite their noble status in this movie, speak unrealistic lines. Some of the sets are phoney to the point of being “stagey.” I wouldn’t have been too disappointed if it had been anyone but Spielberg.

@gasman: On balance, worth seeing (and worth paying for)?

We enjoyed it and thought Daniel Day-Lewis did a superb job. He is nearly the same age as Lincoln was. However, I was disturbed by the casting of Sally Field, since she is 20 years older than Mary Todd Linclon was at that time. I thought that adding the scenes at the end were pointless… The storyline was focusing on the vote to pass the amendment. It could have ended there. History was also my worst subject, but I knew what happened next.

@hearkat: So, what’s your vote? Worth seeing?

@gailcalled Yes, I didn’t mean it was a waste of money. It’s still way better than most movies.

@gailcalled: Worth seeing. If you aren’t compelled to see the film before the awards are handed out, it can wait to be viewed on DVD.

^^^Thanks, and thanks. I prefer. these days, to watch what I can at home. One of the issues for me is a soundtrack that blows me out of the theater.

I assume that this is not an issue with LIncoln?

@gailcalled – No. For once, Spielberg let John Williams put down the baton for reasonable stretches of the film.

@gailcalled Use earplugs in loud theaters. They attenuate the sound but still let you hear it & you can sit closer to the screen than you might otherwise tolerate. Also masks out noisy people sitting around you, but not crying babies lol.

@gasman:The indie theater I use actually has earphones they lend to people like me…but it is an unpleasant experience to go to a movie and sit in the dark with earmuffs on. The last time I tried that was for the first Daniel Craig James Bond. It was dreadful 2.5 hours.

Mercifully, at this little triplex theater, no one brings babies. The seating capacity per theater is probably 85–100 at best.

@hearkat: Another original John Williams score? Oh, dear.

Sorry to have strayed from the original question.

I can’t wait to see it, but will wait for the DVD. I have a passion for the Cival War, maybe a past life thing or, maybe just that I am a daughter of the American revolution and LOVE history! lol

@Coloma – My grandmother signed me up for the DAR when I was 12 and hated history. It didn’t change it. Now that I’m not required to spew dates and names from rote memory, I find history much more interesting.

I liked it a lot, Spielberg stayed away from his usual trope of trying to sway emotions through the use of music.

There were a few casting choices I thought poor. Sally Field was okay for me, but I thought James Spader was like a Disney character on the frontier.

I recommend seeing it.

I am eager to see it and waiting for some free time. I was going to see it a few weeks ago but got the movie schedule wrong and I refuse to go to a movie late and miss the beginning. I am thankful to hear all the Jellies’ opinions above.

Like Gail, I am not a big fan of overly loud sound in theaters. I get that the majority of people find it adds to the fun, but to me, it’s like being in a war zone. Also like Gail, I usually go to a small indie theater where it’s a bit cheaper and the seating capacity for each movie is way smaller. The sound system is more “1975” which is just fine with me.

@zenvelo; Sally Field? I am almost afraid to ask? Who was she cast as? (PLease don’t say Mary Todd. Please.)

@gailcalled: Sadly, yes, as mentioned in my first comment. She did a decent job, but physically didn’t fit the part, in my opinion.

@hearkat

I agree. Kathy Bates would be a better fit.

You’d think that with all the time I’ve spent climbing the fences around Spielberg’s property and “interacting” with his security forces, he would have sought my opinion on this matter. ;-p

@Brian1946: Kathy Bates is only a couple years younger than Sally Field’s 66. Mary Todd Lincoln was 46 at the time of President Lincoln’s assassination. Weary though she may have been, and as good as those actresses look, it’s a big discrepancy.

I think Sally Field did an amazing job as Mary Todd, what on earth are you people talking about? She did a great performance and I think looked similar to her. So what if she was older? I think she fit the role well. I think Sally Field looks more like Mary Todd than Kathy Bates does!!!

Are you implying that Spielberg actually knows more about casting than we do? ;-0

@Brian1946 Ermm… Uhmmm…. Hm…. maybe? lol. Idk. But it is my opinion, I thought Sally Field did fantastic :) !!

I don’t think kathy Bates should play Mary Todd…. come on. She doesn’t even resemble her lol.