Lincoln (2012)

As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Tony Kushner (screenplay), Doris Kearns Goodwin (book)

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn

Won 2 Oscars. Another 55 wins & 113 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Abraham Lincoln
Sally Field	...	Mary Todd Lincoln
David Strathairn	...	William Seward
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Robert Lincoln
James Spader	...	W.N. Bilbo
Hal Holbrook	...	Preston Blair
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Thaddeus Stevens
John Hawkes	...	Robert Latham
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Alexander Stephens
Bruce McGill	...	Edwin Stanton
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Richard Schell
Joseph Cross	...	John Hay
Jared Harris	...	Ulysses S. Grant
Lee Pace	...	Fernando Wood
Peter McRobbie	...	George Pendleton

Storyline

In 1865, as the American Civil War winds inexorably toward conclusion, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln endeavors to achieve passage of the landmark constitutional amendment which will forever ban slavery from the United States. However, his task is a race against time, for peace may come at any time, and if it comes before the amendment is passed, the returning southern states will stop it before it can become law. Lincoln must, by almost any means possible, obtain enough votes from a recalcitrant Congress before peace arrives and it is too late. Yet the president is torn, as an early peace would save thousands of lives. As the nation confronts its conscience over the freedom of its entire population, Lincoln faces his own crisis of conscience -- end slavery or end the war.

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Plot Keywords:

slavery | civil war | u.s. president | american civil war | constitutional amendment | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for an intense scene of war violence, some images of carnage and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Steven Spielberg/Abraham Lincoln Project

Filming Locations:

Laburnum House - 1300 Westwood Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$944,308 (USA) (9 November 2012)

Gross:

$182,204,440 (USA) (19 April 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Reliance Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In several scenes in the Cabinet Room, a tube can be seen hanging between the ceiling and the table. This is a rubber hose carrying natural gas (methane) from the overhead gas lighting system to the table lamp. The hose occasionally moves slightly, seemingly on its own, due to fluctuations in the pressure of the natural gas system.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film, a young soldier tells Lincoln that he'd heard Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address two years earlier. The scene is set in December 1864 or early January 1865. Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, 13 months earlier.

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Quotes

Abraham Lincoln: I wish He had chosen an instrument more wieldy than the House of Representatives.

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Connections

Referenced in The 85th Oscars (2013)
Mentioned throughout, including the "Here's to the Losers" song.

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Soundtracks

"Quintet No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 174, III. Menuetto Ma Allegretto"
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

The Daniel Day Lewis Factor

I remember fondly, Henry Fonda and Raymond Massey as Lincolns in "Young Mr.Lincoln" and "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" They gave remarkable performances. But, here and now in this extraordinary Steven Spielberg/Tony Kushner version, the illusion is complete. I was watching the president and not for a moment thought of the actor. That in itself is close to unique. I left the theater with the feeling I've just had an out of body experience. Everything around the central performance - and I call it a performance because I don't know what else to call it - falls into place in a miraculous way. The photography, the production design, the wardrobe made it possible to actually smell the period. Congratulations and thank you.