Lincoln

As opposed to summer 2013 films that I never saw, this one was shown in 2012 and it was Lincoln. Personally I was intrigued but not so passionately interested in seeing Lincoln when it arrived in cinemas (I know - blame me as a philistine for wanting to see something like Wolverine over this film if you may). However, I then witnessed the globally acclaimed, multi-Oscar smash hit that it turned out to be for a lot of audiences, and I was only to happy to give the DVD a watch and finally see what was apparently an instant classic.

Yet whilst I certainly don't feel it was a bad film, I was nowhere near as blown away by it as everyone else apparently was.

It was quite an odd experience for me watching this film. At almost every turn, I could see the work and craft that had gone into each individual element and performance. Yet at numerous key instances, the attitude and approach that came along with it did not fit, and in some cases rendered such hard work mute.

OK - basic plot points I enjoyed. To see Lincoln's journey toward the end of slavery in America was fascinating. To see a portrayal of Lincoln at the end of his life anyway was fascinating. I do not have the historical nouse to tell you how authentic or acurate it was, but in terms of perceived authenticity for an audience, I feel this film was pretty high up there. Not only that, but each scene was shot beautifully; not too flashy, rather gritty and earthy sometimes, yet the look of the film felt crisp and sharp, many scenes were just a joy to watch cinematically and aesthetically.

Though it was shot to a high standard, for me the musical score was disappointing. Forgive me, as I only tend to mention the score of a film when I don't like it, yet this is sadly another case of that. This time, it was John Williams behind this soundtrack, who is quite possibly the most legendary and iconic movie score composers of his, or any age. The score-to scene setup was atmospheric enough, but nothing too special in my view; there were no real auditory wow moments.

I said the period of time this film focuses on was fascinating in many ways, and I stand by that. But I was somewhat dissapointed that a film so widely publicized as this "prolific" and "awe-inspiring" view of the great American president, didn't show more of his time on this Earth than the last few months of his life. Surely they're not trying to say this time was the only time worth looking at? 

Now let us move onto the cast, which in many cases for me was the crucial element to this film that let it down somewhat. Of course we start with Daniel Day-Lewis, the prolific and respected actor headlining the film. Again, I refer to the odd mix of experiences watching this film, with regards to his performance. I could blatantly see the hard work and preparation he had gone to in trying to make this character come alive, which in this instance I feel is a good thing. But it was almost as if he knew it too throughout every scene he featured in, and wanted to emphasize it completely to audiences at any possible moment in a non too-subtle, and even a haughtily arrogant manner. 

Maybe some of this was intentional and I'm just reading it wrong, I don't know. What I will say is that the result, whilst being just enough to drive the plot forward, was not that pleasurable and inspiring to watch. Day-Lewis' approach to the character may also have contributed to what happened when he tried to portray depth or diversity of emotion. Most of the time he played Lincoln subtly, and measured, which I feel worked well. But when the time came for the character to snap out of this with a bang, in moments of anger, sadness or frustration, I felt it did not come off that well. Thus Lincoln looked like a man who could not commit mostly to one emotional state, as if his mind was not in sync with his face and body. This resulted in precious few screenshots that might of worked to convey what he was meant to be feeling; most of the time the hallowed president looked like a badly controlled gangling puppet, with facial expressions as statuesque as his memorial in Washington DC. Again it really was a shame for me as I could see the effort and determination in Daniel Day-Lewis' eyes. It's just a shame that a lot of the time he did not let that be expressed throughout the rest of him. I wouldn't want to deny him his Oscar for his performance, but for me it just didn't work.

Lincoln's leading lady, First Lady Lincoln played by Sally Field, is another dissapointment for me I'm afraid. Some of the inter-play between the two was interesting to watch, but again most of the time Sally Field seemed incredibly obvious in what she was trying to do, rendering her character two-dimensional at best, even cliched.

However there were some positive cast and character moments in Lincoln that kept me glued. The portrayal of Lincoln's children (both young and old) and even at times his relationship with them, was quite different for me, and worthy of recognition. Joseph Gordon-Levitt who plays Lincoln's surviving eldest son deserves a lot of praise I think, despite his role and screen time being overshadowed perhaps. David Strathairn was very good, this performance being a jewel in a rising career (including star turns in several of the Bourne films, and in my opinion a brilliant guest star appearance in House MD a few years ago).

The star that I feel stood out by a mile, and is most deserving of all his acclaim and more, was Tommy Lee Jones in his portrayal of enigmatic, mysterious, yet inevitably incredibly compassionate Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. Though he was only nominated for an Academy Award, of everyone involved in Lincoln, I feel he deserved to win his. Incredibly refined, confident and watchable. Tommy Lee Jones, who I'm sure many will certainly already know as a great actor with a long and varied career, gave one of his best performances to date.

You may have noticed I haven't mentioned the director, which might seem like a terrible mistake on my part, for he is simply Steven Spielberg. Enough said, or so it should be. For despite his incomparable reputation and track record, I feel the director may be displaying similar symptoms to his main star, which sums up this film for me. Both he and Day-Lewis seem to be supremely confident in their own hard work and ability, which should result in an awesome film, but instead results in a distinct air of arrogance and cockiness about their approach, and a film that is not as clear cut and impressive as they might like. So for me, despite a few saving graces, Lincoln is a film that may well be enjoyable and different, and might end with its leading man walking dramatically and defiantly off into the distance, but is also a film that surely but sadly all too soon, scuttles out of my memory.