Lincoln (2012)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2012
	Director: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park)
	Actors: Daniel Day-Lewis (In the Name of the Father), Sally Field (Stay Hungry), David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, Looper), Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black 1-3), James Spader (Stargate)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 19.03.2014, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: The story of the last four months of American president Abraham Lincoln (Day-Lewis), trying to end the civil war and pass the amendment to abolish slavery.
Review: As often with movies that received Oscars, it took time for the price of its Blu-ray to go down, but I have finally bought and watched it. To make short, I would say that Lincoln is possibly the best movie one can make about this period of American history, told from the point of view very close to the president. Daniel Day-Lewis deserved his Oscar for being so immersed in his role. I didn't know much about his career not about the life of Lincoln, but the meeting of both make a strong impression on me. Not only the way he talks and reacts, but also how he walks and tells stories. The movie is quite typical from Spielberg, with always (too) perfect lighting, costumes, sets, slow camera motions and things happening in the background of the scene. He made the interesting choice of focusing his movie on the 13th amendment only, while the book he adapted it from tells much more about Lincoln's life. Another interesting choice is to deliberately avoid showing key scenes in order to stay at the level of the characters and their reactions: we see very few battle scenes (except the crude introduction a la Saving Private Ryan, maybe to underline a recurring pattern in American History), we miss the signature of the Southern surrender, and the assassination. But you have to be well awake to follow the movie, and English subtitles helped a lot, as there is a large amount of debate and discussions in formal English language.
Rating: 8 /10