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Lincoln

  • 2012
  • PG-13
  • 2h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
266K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,712
146
Daniel Day-Lewis in 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.
Play trailer2:29
17 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaHistory

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

  • Director
    • Steven Spielberg
  • Writers
    • Tony Kushner
    • Doris Kearns Goodwin
  • Stars
    • Daniel Day-Lewis
    • Sally Field
    • David Strathairn
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    266K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,712
    146
    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Tony Kushner
      • Doris Kearns Goodwin
    • Stars
      • Daniel Day-Lewis
      • Sally Field
      • David Strathairn
    • 929User reviews
    • 566Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 107 wins & 252 nominations total

    Videos17

    Lincoln
    Music Video 3:15
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    Winner: Best Actor
    Trailer 2:29
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    Best Picture Nominee
    Trailer 2:20
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    Lincoln: Thaddeus Stevens Speaks To The House
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    Photos229

    Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012)
    James Spader, David Strathairn, John Hawkes, and Tim Blake Nelson in Lincoln (2012)
    Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012)
    Daniel Day-Lewis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Lincoln (2012)
    John Hawkes in Lincoln (2012)
    Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field in Lincoln (2012)
    Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012)
    Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, David Costabile, Wayne Duvall, and John Hutton in Lincoln (2012)
    Daniel Day-Lewis, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, David Costabile, Joseph Cross, Byron Jennings, and Jeremy Strong in Lincoln (2012)
    Sally Field in Lincoln (2012)
    Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012)
    Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Daniel Day-Lewis
    Daniel Day-Lewis
    • Abraham Lincoln
    Sally Field
    Sally Field
    • Mary Todd Lincoln
    David Strathairn
    David Strathairn
    • William Seward
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt
    • Robert Lincoln
    James Spader
    James Spader
    • W.N. Bilbo
    Hal Holbrook
    Hal Holbrook
    • Preston Blair
    Tommy Lee Jones
    Tommy Lee Jones
    • Thaddeus Stevens
    John Hawkes
    John Hawkes
    • Robert Latham
    Jackie Earle Haley
    Jackie Earle Haley
    • Alexander Stephens
    Bruce McGill
    Bruce McGill
    • Edwin Stanton
    Tim Blake Nelson
    Tim Blake Nelson
    • Richard Schell
    Joseph Cross
    Joseph Cross
    • John Hay
    Jared Harris
    Jared Harris
    • Ulysses S. Grant
    Lee Pace
    Lee Pace
    • Fernando Wood
    Peter McRobbie
    Peter McRobbie
    • George Pendleton
    Gulliver McGrath
    Gulliver McGrath
    • Tad Lincoln
    Gloria Reuben
    Gloria Reuben
    • Elizabeth Keckley
    Jeremy Strong
    Jeremy Strong
    • John Nicolay
    • Director
      • Steven Spielberg
    • Writers
      • Tony Kushner
      • Doris Kearns Goodwin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Steven Spielberg spent 12 years researching the film. He recreated Abraham Lincoln's Executive Mansion office precisely, with the same wallpaper and books Lincoln used. The ticking of Lincoln's watch in the film is the sound of Lincoln's actual pocket watch. Lincoln's watch is housed in the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort, Kentucky (not the Lincoln Presidential Library). It is the watch he carried the day of his assassination.
    • Goofs
      In Lincoln's death scene, he is shown lying somewhat on his side, on top of the covers on a bed at the Petersen House (across from Ford's Theatre). In reality, Abraham Lincoln lingered nearly 10 hours and had been put into bed under the covers to keep him warm, and diagonally, because he was so tall he wouldn't have fit otherwise.
    • Quotes

      Abraham Lincoln: It was right after the revolution, right after peace had been concluded. And Ethan Allen went to London to help our new country conduct its business with the king. The English sneered at how rough we are and rude and simple-minded and on like that, everywhere he went. 'Til one day he was invited to the townhouse of a great English lord. Dinner was served, beverages imbibed, time passed as happens and Mr. Allen found he needed the privy. He was grateful to be directed to this. Relieved, you might say. Mr. Allen discovered on entering the water closet that the only decoration therein was a portrait of George Washington. Ethan Allen done what he came to do and returned to the drawing room. His host and the others were disappointed when he didn't mention Washington's portrait. And finally his lordship couldn't resist and asked Mr. Allen had he noticed it, the picture of Washington. He said he had. Well, what did he think of its placement? Did it seem appropriately located to Mr. Allen? And Mr. Allen said it did. The host was astounded.

      [British accent]

      Abraham Lincoln: "Appropriate? George Washington's likeness in a water closet?"

      [normal voice]

      Abraham Lincoln: "Yes," said Mr. Allen, "where it will do good service. The world knows nothing will make an Englishman shit quicker than the sight of George Washington."

      [the whole room laughs]

      Abraham Lincoln: I love that story.

    • Crazy credits
      No opening credits except for the main title.
    • Alternate versions
      For international releases, an additional prologue about the Civil War was added prior to the start of the film. It mostly shows archive photos with the prologue text included in it. This was decided by the studio's marketing department in its research which realized that while many non-American audiences know of the titular character, most of them are not familiar with the war itself.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.10 (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      We Are Coming, Father Abra'am
      Words by James Sloan Gibbons

      Music by Stephen Foster (as Stephen Collins Foster)

    User reviews929

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    By its very making, director Steven Spielberg has written the greatest obituary for one of the greatest leaders of the modern world.
    The very mention of a Steven Spielberg project and everyone goes bug-eyed in excitement and curiosity; everyone from casual movie goers to mainstream critics to cinema house managers. Now reunite Spielberg with long standing producing partner Kathleen Kennedy, throw in a multi-award winning star cast lead by Daniel Day-Lewis and a story about one of the most revered Presidents in US history and you have an Academy Award nominated movie by default. Lincoln has all these fine qualities and a whole lot more. This is not just a great film for the reasons stated above, or because it is very easy to praise a film directed by Spielberg. This is also not just a masterpiece or a very important and powerful film for the sake of calling it so. From the drawing boards to its last take, Lincoln is every bit exquisitely fashioned filmmaking — an amalgamation of art, literature, politics, society, history, and most importantly, humanism.

    Here's a brief re-cap to get you up to speed on the relevance of the American Civil War (1861 to 1865) as depicted in the film. The United States of America is divided as cotton rich states of the South refuse to phase out slavery. After Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln secures the Presidency, almost a dozen states in the South pull out of the 'Union' and become the Confederate States of America. As a bloody civil war rages between North and South, the film's story begins with President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. This is the Commander and Chief of the armed forces calling for slavery to be abolished in all states by seeking a landmark constitutional amendment. For this to happen, Lincoln must procure enough votes through Congress for a stay order on making slavery illegal anywhere in America. Challenged with factions within his Republican party, Lincoln becomes his own worst enemy in a daunting personal crisis: save thousands of lives by ending the war or prolong the war in favour of ending slavery.

    Running at 150 minutes, this film is a slow burner with extensive dialogues and frequent courthouse debates; but like the trudging power of a steam locomotive, Lincoln pushes forward with remarkable pace while never losing sight of its destination. Piloting this powerhouse of a film is Daniel Day-Lewis in easily his finest hour as a method actor. His Lincoln is tall and bent over with war-stressed fatigue and a shrill voice, but armed with a quiver full of wisdom and remedial anecdotes for when push comes to shove. Throughout the narrative Lincoln is torn within as he manages his duties as the President of a nation, as a father who has lost a son, and as a husband who must confide in his wife when decisions become complex. This is also when I must mention Sally Field in another fine delivery as First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and the epitome of the phrase 'Behind every great man is a woman'. Field's Mary is a tragic character whose depiction of a bleeding heart is memorable in a scene where she confronts Lincoln as the father of their children, not a man with immense power. With strong characterisation forming the flesh and blood of the film, you can also expect riveting roles from Tommy Lee Jones and David Strathairn, besides a multitude of top actors.

    This is one of the most important films of the year and perhaps even the times we live in. By its very making, Spielberg has written the greatest obituary for one of the greatest leaders of the modern world. Lincoln is to Steven Spielberg what Gandhi is to Richard Attenborough; the commonality being crucial moments in history, rather than a history lesson per se. If I have to nit-pick, I suspect there could be historical anomalies in the narrative if this film is solely considered a biopic. This is why I strongly recommend the film as a political drama rather than a componential biography. Is it safe to say that President Abraham Lincoln was a self-made man? That he was extremely intelligent despite dropping out of school? That he changed the future of an entire nation? That Barak Obama is the current President of the United States of America because Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery? If you said 'yes' to any of these questions then Lincoln is more than just an Academy Award magnet—it is a landmark film made by people reiterating that freedom is a birth right for people everywhere.
    helpful•51
    19
    • LloydBayer
    • May 30, 2014

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    FAQ4

    • Why does Abraham Lincoln's voice sound so high-pitched?
    • What are the differences between the US Version and the International Version?
    • Did Lincoln really say his primary goal was to save the union and not end slavery?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 16, 2012 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • India
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Office Seekers
    • Filming locations
      • State Capitol, Capitol Square - Ninth & Grace Streets, Richmond, Virginia, USA(U.S. Capitol scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Dreamworks Pictures
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Reliance Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $65,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $182,207,973
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $944,308
      • Nov 11, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $275,293,450
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Datasat
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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