| Lincoln | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Spielberg |
| Screenplay by | Tony Kushner |
| Based on | Team of Rivals byDoris Kearns Goodwin |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński |
| Edited by | Michael Kahn |
| Music by | John Williams |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates | |
Running time | 150 minutes[5] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $65 million[6] |
| Box office | $275.3 million[7] |
Lincoln is a 2012 Americanbiographicalhistorical drama film directed and produced bySteven Spielberg, starringDaniel Day-Lewis asUnited States PresidentAbraham Lincoln.[8] The film featuresSally Field,David Strathairn,Joseph Gordon-Levitt,James Spader,Hal Holbrook, andTommy Lee Jones in supporting roles. Its screenplay byTony Kushner was loosely based onDoris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 biographyTeam of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln and covers the final four months of Lincoln's life. The film focuses on President Lincoln's efforts in January 1865 to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude by having theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by theUnited States House of Representatives.
Lincoln was produced by Spielberg and frequent collaboratorKathleen Kennedy, through their respective production companies,Amblin Entertainment and theKennedy/Marshall Company. Filming began October 17, 2011,[9] and ended on December 19, 2011.[10] It premiered on October 8, 2012, at theNew York Film Festival. The film was co-produced by American companiesDreamWorks Pictures,20th Century Fox andParticipant Media, along with Indian companyReliance Entertainment. It was distributed theatrically byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through theTouchstone Pictures label in the United States and Canada on November 16, 2012, and by 20th Century Fox in international territories.[11][12][13][2]
Lincoln was acclaimed by critics, who lauded its acting (especially Day-Lewis'), Spielberg's direction, and its production values. It was nominated for sevenGolden Globe Awards, includingBest Motion Picture – Drama,Best Director, and winningBest Actor (Motion Picture – Drama) for Day-Lewis. At the85th Academy Awards, it received twelve nominations, includingBest Picture andBest Director; it won forBest Production Design andBest Actor for Day-Lewis,his third in the category.[14] It was also a commercial success, grossing over $275 million at the box office.[7] It has since been ranked as one of the best films of Spielberg's career and one of the greatest films of the 21st century.[15][16]
In January 1865,U.S. PresidentAbraham Lincoln expects theAmerican Civil War to end soon, with the defeat of theConfederate States Army. He is concerned that his 1863Emancipation Proclamation may be discarded by the courts after the war and that the proposedThirteenth Amendment will be defeated by the returningslave states. He feels it imperative to pass the amendment beforehand, to foreclose any possibility that freed slaves might be re-enslaved.
TheRadical Republicans fear the amendment will be defeated by some who wish to delay its passage; support fromRepublicans in the states is not yet assured. The amendment also requires the support of severalDemocratic congressmen to pass. With dozens of Democrats beinglame ducks after losing theirre-election campaigns in 1864, some of Lincoln's advisors recommend waiting for a new Republican dominatedCongress.
He relies onFrancis Preston Blair, a founder of the Republican Party, to influence members of the state conservative faction to vote for the anti-slavery amendment. Blair in turn insists that Lincoln allow him to engage the Confederate government in peace negotiations, knowing his two sons will once again be in danger after the spring thaw permits renewed military operations. While Lincoln knows such negotiations would anger the Radical Republicans he needs to support the slavery amendment, he also cannot proceed without Blair's support and reluctantly authorizes the peace mission. Lincoln andSecretary of StateWilliam H. Seward also need to secure Democratic votes for the amendment and Lincoln suggests they concentrate on the lame-ducks who will feel freer to vote independently. Lincoln also authorizes agents to offer federal jobs to the soon to be unemployed Democratic congressmen.
Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of President Lincoln and First LadyMary Todd Lincoln, returns fromHarvard Law School and announces his intention to discontinue his studies and enlist in theUnion army. He hopes to earn a measure of honor and respect outside of his father's shadow. The President reluctantly secures an officer's commission for him. His wife fears their son will be killed and presses her husband to pass the amendment and end the war.
At a critical moment in the debate in theUnited States House of Representatives, racial-equality advocateThaddeus Stevens agrees to moderate his position and argue that the amendment represents only legal equality between the races, not a declaration of actual equality. Confederate envoys ready to meet with Lincoln are instructed to remain outside ofWashington, D.C. as the amendment approaches a vote on the House floor. Rumors of the peace envoy circulate, prompting both Democrats and conservative Republicans to advocate postponing the vote. In a carefully worded statement, Lincoln denies there are envoys in Washington, and the vote passes by a margin of two votes. Black visitors to the gallery celebrate, and Stevens returns home to his "housekeeper" and lover, a biracial woman namedLydia Hamilton Smith.
When Lincolnmeets with the Confederates, he tells them that slavery cannot be restored, as the North is united for ratification of the amendment, and several of the southern states' reconstructed legislatures would also vote to ratify. As a result, the peace negotiations fail, and the war continues. On April 3, Lincoln visitsthe battlefield atPetersburg, Virginia and speaks with Lieutenant GeneralUlysses S. Grant. On April 9, Grant receives GeneralRobert E. Lee's surrender atAppomattox Courthouse. On April 14, Lincoln meets members of his cabinet to discuss future measures toenfranchise blacks, before leaving forFord's Theatre. That night, while Lincoln's sonTad is watching a play atGrover's Theatre, the manager stops the play to announce thatthe President has been shot.
The next morning, at thePetersen House, Lincoln dies with a peaceful expression across his face. In a flashback, he finishes intoning hissecond inaugural address on March 4 with the words, "With malice toward none, with charity for all".
While consulting on aSteven Spielberg project in 1999,Doris Kearns Goodwin told Spielberg she was planning to writeTeam of Rivals, and Spielberg immediately told her he wanted the film rights.[30]DreamWorks Pictures finalized the deal in 2001,[31] and by the end of the year,John Logan signed on to write the script.[32] His draft focused onAbraham Lincoln's friendship withFrederick Douglass.[33] Playwright Paul Webb was hired to rewrite, and filming was set to begin in January 2006,[31] but Spielberg delayed it out of dissatisfaction with the script.[34]Liam Neeson said Webb's draft covered the entirety of Lincoln's term as president.[35]
Tony Kushner replaced Webb. Kushner considered Lincoln "the greatest democratic leader in the world" and found the writing assignment daunting because "I have no idea [what made him great]; I don't understand what he did any more than I understand howWilliam Shakespeare wroteHamlet orMozart wroteCosì fan tutte." Kushner said Lincoln'sabolitionist ideals made him appealing to a Jewish writer, and although he feltLincoln was Christian, he noted the president rarely quoted theNew Testament, and that his "thinking and his ethical deliberation seem verytalmudic".[36] By late 2008, Kushner joked he was on his "967,000th book about Abraham Lincoln".[37] Kushner's initial 500-page draft focused on four months in the life of Lincoln, and by February 2009, he had rewritten it to focus on two months in Lincoln's life when he was preoccupied with adopting theThirteenth Amendment.[35]
Spielberg arranged a $50 million budget for the film, to placate initial distributorParamount Pictures, who had previously delayed the project over concerns it was too similar to Spielberg's commercially unsuccessfulAmistad (1997).[38] Eventually, Paramount dropped the film in February 2009.[39] The film's North American distribution rights then shifted toWalt Disney Studios, after DreamWorks established a new distribution deal with Disney that same month.[38] DreamWorks remained uneasy about solely financing the project and therefore approached20th Century Fox to co-finance half of the film.[40][41] Fox agreed to join the film as a co-production partner, as well as taking international rights.[42][38]Participant also agreed to finance a 25% share in the film.[38]
Spielberg approachedDaniel Day-Lewis about the project in 2003, but Day-Lewis turned down the part at the time, believing the idea of himself playing Lincoln "preposterous".[43]Liam Neeson was cast as Lincoln in January 2005, having worked previously with Spielberg inSchindler's List.[31] In preparation for the role, Neeson studied Lincoln extensively.[44] However, in July 2010, Neeson left the project, saying that he had grown too old for the part. Neeson was 58 at the time, and Lincoln, during the period depicted, was 55 and 56.[45] In an interview withGQ, Neeson said he realized during a table read that the part was not right for him in "a thunderbolt moment", and after the read, he requested that Spielberg recast his role.[46] Co-starSally Field, in a 2012PBS interview, suggested that Neeson's decision was influenced by the death of his wifeNatasha Richardson less than a year earlier.[47][48] After dropping out of the role, Neeson incidentally suggested Day-Lewis to Spielberg. Neeson andLeonardo DiCaprio both spoke to Day-Lewis to convince him to accept the role. In November 2010, it was announced that Day-Lewis would replace Neeson in the role.[49]
While promotingIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in May 2008, Spielberg announced his intention to start filming in early 2009,[50] for release in November, wanting to honor the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.[30] In January 2009,Taunton andDighton, Massachusetts, were being scouted as potential locations.[51] Filming took place inRichmond,Fredericksburg, andPetersburg, Virginia. In reference to Petersburg, according to location manager Colleen Gibbons, "one thing that attracted the filmmakers to the city was the 180-degree vista of historic structures" which is "very rare".[52]
TheVirginia State Capitol served as the exteriors and interiors of the US Capitol, and the exteriors of theWhite House. The House of Delegates inside the building was remodeled to fit for the House of Representatives chamber set. Scenes representing Grover's Theatre were filmed in Richmond, Virginia, at Virginia Repertory Theatre'sNovember Theatre.[citation needed]
John Williams composed and conducted the score. It was recorded by theChicago Symphony Orchestra and theChicago Symphony Chorus.[53][54] The soundtrack album was released bySony Classical on November 2, 2012.
All music was composed by Williams except "Battle Cry of Freedom," which was written in 1862 by American composerGeorge Frederick Root (1820–1895) during theAmerican Civil War. Williams composed Track 6, "With Malice Toward None", for Chris Martin, principal trumpeter of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the time.[55]
Lincoln premiered at theNew York Film Festival on October 8, 2012.[56] It was also screened at the2012 AFI Film Festival on November 8, 2012.[57]Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed the film in North America through theTouchstone Pictures banner, while20th Century Fox distributed it internationally.[2] For its international release, 20th Century Fox added a minute-long introduction with photographs to provide historical context and reference for audiences unfamiliar with the American Civil War.[58] For the film's release in Japan, the film was screened with a preamble introduction featuring Spielberg.
Disney Publishing Worldwide released several companion books and ancillary literature in anticipation of the film, includingLincoln: A Cinematic and Historical Companion andLincoln: A Spielberg Film – Discover the Story.[59] DreamWorks andGoogle Play released the film's trailer during aGoogle+ hangout with Spielberg andJoseph Gordon-Levitt on September 13, 2012.[60] A teaser trailer was released on September 10, 2012.[61]
Lincoln was released byBuena Vista Home Entertainment onBlu-ray,DVD, anddigital download in North America on March 26, 2013. Both of the Blu-ray releases included featurettes to accompany this film titledThe Journey to Lincoln andA Historic Tapestry: Richmond, Virginia, which discussed the filming ofLincoln by Spielberg in Richmond.[62] It debuted at No. 1 in Blu-ray and DVD sales in its first week.[63]Disney Educational Productions and Participant donated DVDs and a teaching guide,Stand Tall: Live Like Lincoln, to more than 37,100secondary schools in theUnited States, after Spielberg received letters from educators who wished to incorporate the film into theircurriculum.[64][65][66]
Lincoln grossed $182.2 million in North America and $93.9 overseas for a total of $275.3 million, against its $65 million budget.
The film had a limited opening in eleven theaters with $944,308 and an average of $85,846 per theater. It opened at #15, becoming the highest opening of a film with such a limited release. It opened in 1,175 theaters with $21 million and an average of $11,859 per theater.[7] Disney produced additional prints of the film to accommodate theater demand.[67]
On the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 288 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Daniel Day-Lewis characteristically delivers in this witty, dignified portrait that immerses the audience in its world and entertains even as it informs."[68] OnMetacritic the film has weighted average score of 87 out of 100 based on 45 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[69] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[70]
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Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars, and said: "The hallmark of the man, performed so powerfully by Daniel Day-Lewis inLincoln, is calm self-confidence, patience and a willingness to play politics in a realistic way."[71] Glenn Kenny ofMSN Movies gave it five out of five stars, stating: "It's the most remarkable movie Steven Spielberg has made in quite a spell, and one of the things that makes it remarkable is how it fulfills those expectations by simultaneously ignoring and transcending them."[72]
Colin Covert of theStar Tribune wrote: "Lincoln is one of those rare projects where a great director, a great actor and a great writer amplify one another's gifts. The team of Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis and Tony Kushner has brought forth a triumphant piece of historical journalism, a profound work of popular art and a rich examination of one of our darkest epochs."[73] Charlie McCollum of theSan Jose Mercury News called the film "one of the finest historical dramas ever committed to film."[74] Despite mostly positive reviews,Rex Reed ofThe New York Observer wrote: "In all, there's too much material, too little revelation and almost nothing of Spielberg's reliable cinematic flair." However, reviewers were unanimous in their praise of Day-Lewis's performance.
A. O. Scott fromThe New York Times wrote that the film "is finally a movie about how difficult and costly it has been for the United States to recognize the full and equal humanity of black people" and concluded that the movie was "a rough and noble democratic masterpiece".[75] He also said that Lincoln's concern about his wife's emotional instability and "the strains of a wartime presidency ... produce a portrait that is intimate but also decorous, drawn with extraordinary sensitivity and insight and focused, above all, on Lincoln's character as a politician. This is, in other words, less a biopic than a political thriller, a civics lesson that is energetically staged and alive with moral energy."[75]
As reported in theMaariv newspaper, on February 3, 2013, Israeli Prime MinisterNetanyahu and his ministers discussed Spielberg's film, which several of them saw in Israeli cinemas. They debated whether, with the aim of abolishing slavery, the ends justified the means used by Lincoln, and compared Lincoln's predicament with their own complicated situation in the confusing aftermath of the2013 Israeli elections.[76]
In July 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition ofThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 222.[77] That same month, it ranked number 85 onRolling Stone's list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century."[78]
Eric Foner (Columbia University), aPulitzer Prize-winning historian of the period, claimed in a letter toThe New York Times that "The film grossly exaggerates the possibility that by January 1865 the war might have ended with slavery still intact." He also noted, "The 13th Amendment originated not with Lincoln but with a petition campaign early in 1864 organized by theWomen's National Loyal League, an organization of abolitionist women headed bySusan B. Anthony andElizabeth Cady Stanton."[79]Kate Masur (Northwestern University) accused the film of oversimplifying the role of blacks inabolition and dismissed the effort as "an opportunity squandered" in anop-ed forThe New York Times.[80]Harold Holzer, the co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation and author of more than 40 books, served as a consultant to the film and praised it, but also observed that there is "no shortage of small historical bloopers in the movie" in a piece forThe Daily Beast. Holzer states, "As for the Spielberg movie's opening scene ... it is almost inconceivable that any uniformed soldier of the day (or civilians, for that matter) would have memorized a speech that, however ingrained in modern memory, did not achieve any semblance of a national reputation until the 20th century."[81]
Barry Bradford, a member of theOrganization of American Historians, offered an analysis of some of the finer historical points of the film's representation of clothing, relationships and appearance.[82]Allen Guelzo (Gettysburg College), also writing forThe Daily Beast, had some plot criticism, but disagreed with Holzer: "The pains that have been taken in the name of historical authenticity in this movie are worth hailing just on their own terms".[83] In a later interview with theWorld Socialist Web Site, Guelzo claimed that "the film was 90 percent on the mark, which given the way Hollywood usually does history is saying something" and that it "got with reasonable accuracy a lot of Lincoln's character, the characters of the main protagonists, and the overall debate over the 13th Amendment. The acting and screenwriting were especially well done... I had never thought that Daniel Day-Lewis was acting, because what he portrayed seemed so close to my own mental image of what Lincoln must have been like."[84] A historian has suggested that the depiction of Lincoln's high pitched voice, somewhat awkward mannerisms and even how he walked was remarkably accurate.[85]
David Stewart, an independent historical author, writing for History News Network, described Spielberg's work as "reasonably solid history", and told readers of HNN to "go see it with a clear conscience".[86] Lincoln biographer Ronald White also admired the film, though he noted a few mistakes and pointed out in an interview withNPR, "Is every word true? No."[87]
HistorianJoshua M. Zeitz, writing inThe Atlantic, noted some minor mistakes, but concluded that "Lincoln is not a perfect film, but it is an important film".[88] Following a screening during the film's opening weekend, theMinnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force held a panel discussion in which Dr. David Woodard ofConcordia University remarked: "I always look at these films to see if a regular person who wasn't a 'Lincoln nut' would want to read a book about it after they watched the movie. I get the impression that most people who are not history buffs will now want to read something about Lincoln."[89]
Regarding the historical source material for Kushner's screenplay, legal historian Michael Vorenberg, a professor atBrown University and author ofFinal Freedom: The Civil War, The Abolition of Slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment,[90] noted several details throughout the film that "could only have come from [his] book."[91] Among these details were specifics of dealings between Democrats and Thaddeus Stevens, the story behind securing Alexander Coffroth's vote and the fact that African Americans were present in the congressional galleries during the final vote.[91] Ultimately, Kushner replied directly to inquiries fromThe New Republic writer Timothy Noah, explaining that while he had read Vorenberg's book and many others as research, he insists thatTeam of Rivals was his principal source material.[92]
Regarding the portrayal of Lincoln's final moments, editor Rhoda Sneller ofAbraham Lincoln Online, references a diary entry from Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. The entry conflicts with the final scenes in the film in which the dying Lincoln is seen dressed in a nightgown, hunched over in his bed. Welles wrote "The giant sufferer lay extended diagonally across the bed," and "he had been stripped of his clothes." The differences between the first hand account and the present Lincoln serve to paint a more concise and dignified image of the president's death.[93]
Lincoln was listed on many critics' top ten lists.[94]
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