Movies have become better sources of information today. Many learning institutions teach history with movies being the aid materials. Movies provide a clear understanding of a particular concept being derived. They provide real historical events of a given society. Movies capture attention. They are a symbolic representation of the real events in the society. A movie review provides brief-detailed information about a film. The review then illustrates the relevance of that particular movie. This work focuses on a movie about the U.S history. The movie is titled “Lincoln.” The historical events illustrated in this movie are also outlined.
There are many actors in this particular movie. Two of them are Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis and David Strathairn. Daniel acts as the president Lincoln. He is an English actor, born on April 29th 1957. He attended actor training in Bristol Old Vic for three years. He is considered to be a method actor. He is one of the selective actors in the film industry. He has earned numerous awards. David acts as the secretary of state William Seward. He is an American actor born on January 26th 1949. He is a character actor. He appears in many independent and Hollywood films (Gabbard & Harold 14). He is also a stage actor and has performed over 30 roles in theatre. He has also received several recognition awards in the film industry. Both actors and others not mentioned have helped in the development of this great film. The “Lincoln” movie majorly describes the reign of President Abraham Lincoln. This is towards the end of the civil war in United States of America (Gabbard & Harold 15).
President Lincoln expects the civil war to be over within a month. This takes place in the year 1865. He fears that the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 may be ruled out by the court once the war is over. The slaves’ states are to return. The slaves may be able to defeat the proposed Thirteenth Amendment by the President. The radical republicans fear that the amendment will also be defeated though they prioritize on ending the war. This amendment still requires the participation of Democratic congressmen. President Lincoln remains adamant on having the amendments and slavery issue settled before the conclusion of the civil war (Lincoln).
Lincoln heavily relies on the founder of Republican Party for support. Francis Blair, the founder pays great effort to end the hostilities. He asks the president to allow him engage the Confederate government in peace negotiations. The president is reluctant on offering Blair the request (Lincoln). William Seward and Lincoln continue to secure all the necessary Democratic votes. The lame duck democrats already lost their re-election. Lincoln sees them as a tool to use as he begins his second term of presidency. Seward and Lincoln are not willing to offer bribes. However, the agents offer federal jobs to the people so that they vote for the amendment (Lincoln).
The votes for the amendments proceed. It succeeds narrowly by a margin of two votes only. Lincoln has ordered the confederate envoys to be kept out of Washington. When a rumor exists that the confederates are around to initiate the peace talks, the President gives a statement that is technically truthful (Lincoln). He says that they will be or are in the city. In real sense, he had ordered them to be kept out. Lincoln later meets with the confederates. He vividly tells them that slavery cannot be restored (Lincoln). The reasons are that the North is united to ratify the amendment. The southern states have also reconstructed legislatures. Lincoln visits the Lieutenant General Ulysses Grant. Later after six days, the general gets surrender from Robert E. Lee (Lincoln). Lincoln is shot and the Secretary Stanton announces that “Now he belongs to the ages.” This film ends when Lincoln gives the speech of his second inauguration.
This film illustrates the actual historical events that happened in U.S.A. It describes the administration of the President Abraham Lincoln. He is not easily moved even by his advisers. The film gives the exact historical details. It started from the year 1862 during his reign. Slavery was scrambling fast (Gabbard & Harold 5). History describes Lincoln as the silent man who ever lived. The accuracy of his actions and character is greatly portrayed in this film. This film focuses especially on the last four months of Lincoln’s presidency. During this time, Lincoln works to bring the civil war to a close (Gabbard & Harold 8). He fights to secure the success of the thirteenth amendment.
The film explains Lincoln’s dilemma in January 1865. He faces hostilities with regards to the Emancipation Proclamation (Gabbard & Harold 10). He is also under intense pressure to negotiate peace talks with the confederates. The film shows the fact that Lincoln is able to prevail over the opposition from his advisers. By January 1865, he replaces the rivalry team with a team full of loyalty. The film has also described Lincoln as man who wanted actions and not words (Gabbard & Harold 16). He wanted things done and not said. Daniel Lewis has clearly portrayed this in the film. He has acted exactly like Abraham Lincoln.
The film helps one in understanding the history of US in a better way. One is able to watch and understand about the actions of President Lincoln. It also explains better how the civil war ended during the reign of President Lincoln. The movie moves one’s mind into the days of slavery and civil war. It gives more insight and understanding as it clearly enlightens someone about racism as a pervasive practice.
The movie reviews provide a great in-depth understanding of the real events in the society. Watching the movies enables one to acquire more information. The movie “Lincoln” provides a good basis for understanding certain critical moments in United States. This movie enlightens someone on the civil war period in the United States. One also understands the slavery period just as it happened in that period. A person’s mind is drawn back to those specific historical periods and moments just by watching the movie.
Works Cited
Gabbard Vaughn $ Holzer Harold. Lincoln and Freedom: Slavery, Emancipation, and the Thirteenth Amendment. SIU Press, 2007. Print.
Lincoln. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Touchstone, 2012. Film.
