"Lincoln" Bells of joy, light of blessing

A realist and conflicted father

Lincoln is a far-sighted and scheming strategist. This film does not portray him as an idealistic president, but as a realist who uses political tactics. Rather, the word idealist is more fitting for Republican Congressman Stevens, played by Tommy Lee Jones. One of the leaders of the radical Republican Party, he is an egalitarian who hates racism with a passion. He is thoroughly opposed to any concessions to the South, and even calls Lincoln, who shares the same aspirations, a "slowpoke." In a scene where the two men meet face to face, he utters the following lines:

"When the war is over, I will seek complete equality for the Negroes. And not just the right to vote. I will seize all the lands and property of the rebels by order of Congress. I will use their wealth to stabilize the lives of hundreds of thousands of Negroes, and I will mobilize armed men to crush the rebel culture."

However, Lincoln warns, "Be careful in uniting people who disagree." There is a conflict between idealists who want to build a free world and realists. If we were to follow the example of classic Hollywood movies, Stevens should have been the main character. However, Spielberg chose a too-modest theme, the House of Representatives passing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, centering on a man who is willing to compromise in order to deal with practical issues. In this, the author senses Steven Spielberg's extraordinary resolve and maturity as a filmmaker.

"Lincoln" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Lincoln is also a troubled father who is torn between his eldest son, Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is willing to serve in the military despite his opposition, and his wife, Mary Todd (Sally Field), who does not want to lose her son in the war. and a husband. Spielberg depicts one man's conflict as a subplot, running parallel to the main plot of a man struggling to abolish slavery.

What I suddenly remembered was `` War of the Worlds '' (2005), Spielberg's film adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic science fiction novel. In this film as well, Ray (Tom Cruise) is running away from a Tripod attack with his two children, but he is unable to accept his son Robbie (Justin Chatwin)'s desire to fight alongside the U.S. military.

At some point (perhaps after he reconciled with his long-estranged father, Arnold), Spielberg began to speak directly about his father's struggles. The same is true of Lincoln, a realist who engages in sophisticated political maneuvering.

A script that took six years to write