Steven Spielberg & Daniel Day Lewis' Lincoln

[Eddie Dean]

David Chen is literary my least favorite person in the internet.

 

[Evelisse]

Well I enjoyed it, pretty much same thoughts on the ending as others were saying. My second best portrayal of Lincoln ever, first place going to Bill & Ted's Lincoln, B & T's Excellent Adventure is also my only frame of reference for what I know of the life and times of Napoleon.

 

[Project862006]

Samuel L. Jackson says that he's not a fan of the ending of Stephen Spielberg's Lincoln. In an piece for the LA Times about movies with problematic endings this season, Jackson said he didn't like the final moments of the film.

"I don't understand why it didn't just end when Lincoln is walking down the hall and the butler gives him his hat," Jackson said. "Why did I need to see him dying on the bed? I have no idea what Spielberg was trying to do."

He continued, "I didn't need the assassination at all. Unless he's going to show Lincoln getting his brains blown out. And even then, why am I watching it? The movie had a better ending 10 minutes before."

​

 

[Brain Damage]

It's funny how that seems to be the universal critique of the film. I really do wish it had ended before the assassination, but it seems to me that people are making far too big of a deal out of it.

 

[DarkKnight88]

People always seem to have a problem with the way Spielberg ends his films nowadays (A.I., Minority Report, War of the Worlds).

 

[Matt Mortem]

I agree 100% with Sam Jackson. It should have ended with him walking down the hallway. It would have been much more powerful. It's not like people don't know what happened to Lincoln anyway.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Sam's definitely right. Plus the whole theater thing threw people off A LOT in two theaters being used. I heard audiences whisper, "oh, it's a different theater." Definitely not the way to end. We know how it ends. The story already ended and a hint of what to come would be have been more powerful.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Sam's definitely right. Plus the whole theater thing threw people off A LOT in two theaters being used. I heard audiences whisper, "oh, it's a different theater." Definitely not the way to end. We know how it ends. The story already ended and a hint of what to come would be have been more powerful.

I knew that Tad had went to another theatre to see Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp on the same night as the assassination so I knew it was the other theatre immediately when they showed Tad in attendance. Tad had wanted his father to go with him, but Mary insisted that the president keep his appointment to see Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater instead.

Anyways, I have to disagree with Jackson. Lincoln being martyred for freeing the slaves is crucial to the story. The movie would feel incomplete without it.

 

[The Guard]

Agreed. You cannot assume that your audience knows all the details of United States and Presidential history.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Kahran was that piece of information in the film though? If it was, perhaps it went over my and other heads, because it's not the first time I heard of the two theater confusion. I knew heading in, perhaps from reviews or IMDB or on here - I forgot - but could easily see how without knowing that it would be confusing and the way it was shot did confuse me of where I was.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Kahran was that piece of information in the film though? If it was, perhaps it went over my and other heads, because it's not the first time I heard of the two theater confusion. I knew heading in, perhaps from reviews or IMDB or on here - I forgot - but could easily see how without knowing that it would be confusing and the way it was shot did confuse me of where I was.

No, it wasn't in the film. I'm just speaking for me personally. I thought it was clever. We have seen Lincoln's assassination a few times recently, in films such as National Treasure 2 and The Conspirator. We had never seen what Tad experienced before. It was new.

I thought ending on the Second Inauguration Speech was brilliant.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Good point. But, as said - a film should give that information to the viewer. If it was perhaps shot in a non-confusing way where that was laid out there wouldn't be that many problems with it. But without that information, the viewer has no point of reference and it takes them out of it where they should be engrossed in it and from there on out to the end playing "catch up." I can see how it's good in that it's new, but there had to be a much less confusing way of doing it.

 

[Bruce Malone]

Agreed. You cannot assume that your audience knows all the details of United States and Presidential history.

I'm sorry anyone who didn't know that lincoln was assassinated didn't deserve the right to see that film.

Frankly anyone who didn't know that most blatant piece of history probably wouldn't have gone to that film anyways. Spielbergs decision to show lincoln on his deathbed was done for whatever reasons he thought but i doubt it had anything to do with him being worried people might not know what happened to lincoln.

I think it almost had to with the idea that people would only feel "closure" for that movie when they saw the "big moment" they knew was coming.

 

[The Guard]

I'm sorry anyone who didn't know that lincoln was assassinated didn't deserve the right to see that film.

Anyone who didn't know the history of the US Presidency or Lincoln doesn't deserve the right to see a film about part of his life? That's a bit absurd. I watch movies about United States and English historical figures and foreign leaders and historical figures and events all the time when I don't always know how things turned out...should I not be allowed to see those movies?

It's all well and good to argue the artistic merits of how they handled Lincoln's assassination and death.

But to suggest that bringing closure to Lincoln's story, while crystallizing the idea that he made great sacrifices, including arguably the greatest, his life, is somehow a weakness of the film because people really liked the shot of him walking down a hallway in silhouette and his last lines of real time dialogue...is just ridiculous.

The actual ending of the film, the inagural speech, is fantastic, and a much better, more appropriate and more cerebral summation of Lincoln the man and the politician and the issues the country was facing at the time.

 

[Ultimatehero]

The thing is everyone knows he risked his life and the risk was there. It wasn't that people "liked that shot" it was that the arc of the film was about the court case not Lincoln's life. The story of the film had ended. The arc of the film had ended. So in a writing and dramatic sense, it made better sense. People knew what was coming (unless you're a foreigner, I guess...) so showing it didn't add anything. Other than yeah, the son's reaction was new. The other part was since people didn't know it was two theaters the end only brought confusion and having to catch-up taking away the emotional impact. Many thought those scenes were unnecessary because the arc of the film was complete and the way everything led up to the theater 99% in the audience knew what was going to happen next making him being unaware that much more emotionally potent and charged.

 

[Bruce Malone]

Anyone who didn't know the history of the US Presidency or Lincoln doesn't deserve the right to see a film about part of his life? That's a bit absurd. I watch movies about United States and English historical figures and foreign leaders and historical figures and events all the time when I don't always know how things turned out...should I not be allowed to see those movies?

There are some things that transcend into common knowledge: man walking on the moon, Hitler starting WW2 etc. Lincoln being assassinated easily falls into that category. He's essentially as famous for being assassinated as for anything else he did.

I was being hyperbolic but for an adult to not know that lincoln was assassinated almost shows a willful level of ignorance of history. I'm not judging why spielberg chose to end the film the way he did, i didn't have particular problems with it. I'm just saying i'm sure he didn't end it that way to make sure people's ignorance's were addressed, i give him more credit than that.

 

[antonydelfini]

I agree that the movie should have ended with the Lincoln walking down the hall, but it's no big deal. It's still an awesome movie. His best since Munich.

Anyway, am I the only one who wants to see another Lincoln movie starring DDL? Could be about an earlier period in his life.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I saw it tonight, it is really well directed and the acting is excellent, no doubt DDL and TLJ will be getting noms and I wouldn't be surprised to see Sally Fields and David Strathairn nommed as well. Overall though I have to admit I found it a bit dull and almost fell asleep a couple of times.

 

[CGHulk]

I'm in the camp that having Lincoln's death showed his sacrifice (to the audience) for freeing the slaves.

 

[terry78]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielberg-reveals-daniel-day-409709

The letter/email DDL sent to Spielberg when he first declined the role.

 

[Motown Marvel]

I'm in the camp that having Lincoln's death showed his sacrifice (to the audience) for freeing the slaves.

but the movie didnt even connect that he was killed over the 13th amendment.

 

[marvelman2006]

I maintain the death scene was unneeded and should have ended with him walking down the hall. To show his death would be better for an actual biography movie and not one simply about passing a bill. It was called lincoln when it should have been titled the 13th amendment seeing as how lincoln implies a biography of sorts.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielberg-reveals-daniel-day-409709

The letter/email DDL sent to Spielberg when he first declined the role.

He should be in The Expendables 3.

 

[jacobed]

He's too smart to be in the crapfests that are the Expendables movies

 

[Tacit Ronin]

The film raised the idea of time and the men confined to it. When asked if he understood the repercussions freed slaves will have on the society, Lincoln replied that he didn't know. It wasn't his concern, it wasn't the issue and he wasn't the person to deal with it at that period of time, all he was concerned about was passing the 13th amendment. After which was passed, his death was like a calling card, his task was over, his time has passed. I thought it was appropriate. Tastefully done, too, never actually showing the assassination, because how he passed from time didn't matter, what mattered was that he did.