I went to go see Steve Spielberg's "Lincoln" at my local theater this past Sunday afternoon. I won't place any spoiler's in here, because we all know what eventually happens. I will say, before I review the film, that at the conclusion, people in the theater stood up and applauded.
I am a "Lincoln-phile." I had hoped, at one time, do do graduate work with the preeminent Lincoln scholar in the United States, the late Professor Don Fehrenbacher of Stanford. So I come to this with a good background into the life and politics of Lincoln.
The film primarily focuses on the effort to get the proposed 13th Amendment (one of the "Reconstruction Amendments" to the Constitution) approved by a 2/3rds majority of the House of Representatives, so it could be sent to the States for ratification. The portrayals of the main players is extremely accurate, not only in appearance, but in how they felt about this issues of the day.
There is some dramatic license taken in the film, but not much. It a very good example of historical fiction, or perhaps, dramatized history, as it recalls history as recorded by the participants.
I strongly recommend the film. Even more, I recommend the book upon which the film is primarily based - Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
