Plot: What’s it about?
The great thing about movies is that there’s bound to be at least one that suits you. Case in point, if your particular cup of tea is our 16th President, then you had not one but two films to choose from. Oh yeah, I’m lumping in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in with Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. It’s the same character albeit the stories are as different as night and day (pardon the pun). The aforementioned title is more of a fun watch while Spielberg’s vision, grandiose as it is, the far more historically accurate version. But as I mentioned at the opening of this review: there’s something out there for everyone. Who knows, someone might prefer Lincoln wielding an axe as opposed to acting distraught over freeing slaves. But this is geared towards Spielberg’s version, so we’ll stick to that one. And Fox is probably wondering why I haven’t covered their title. Ok, we’ve got all the right elements here: big name stars, epic saga of one of the most beloved President’s and a man that changed the course of our country. Is there a movie more geared for awards than this? Doubtful.
While I don’t envy the job of the President, I have to think that Abraham Lincoln had it just a bit harder than Barack Obama or George Bush (either of them). Lincoln chronicles the last five months of his life and isn’t your standard biopic. Based on a nearly1000 page novel by Harvard scholar Doris Kearns, this character-driven ensemble piece has all the elements. The entire “plot” is essentially what we already know – Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day Lewis) is focused on getting the country united and is working as hard as he can to get Congress to pass the 13th Amendment that will abolish slavery. Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field), Robert Lincoln (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Tommy Lee Jones (Thaddeus Stevens) are the standouts to a cast that needs no introduction. Call it a courtroom drama if you like, but there’s more heart and “action” in Lincoln than in so many other movies that purport it.
We all know the outcome of the film as it’s history and as someone I once knew said “It’s history. It happened.” So there’s no point in trying to twist and turn it to our liking. Abraham Lincoln was perhaps our greatest President and had issues that I don’t think many modern politicians could even fathom. The movie itself is about as well-made as they come with an all-star cast and three of the leads were up for Academy Awards: Tommy Lee Jones (a previous winner for The Fugitive), Sally Field (a previous two-time winner for Places in the Heart and Norma Rae) and Daniel Day Lewis who became the only actor in history to win the Best Actor statue three times for a male in a leading role. About the only downfall of this film is that Day Lewis’ performance somewhat supercedes the film itself, yet it begs to be seen. Spielberg’s epic biopic garnered a dozen Academy Award nominations and came away with a couple. He was favored to win his third Best Director Oscar, but Ang Lee took home that honor. I’ve no doubt that this film will be shown in history classes for years to come – a good thing indeed.
Video: How does it look?
A movie as high profile as this had better look its best and with Steven Spielberg behind the camera, odds are that will. Lincoln comes to Blu-ray in a 2.40:1 AVC HD image that is, simply put, perfect in every way, shape and form. The main thing that really lept out at me was the definition in the character’s faces. The grey hairs from Lincoln’s hair, the wrinkles in his forehead, the individual hairs that can be seen in mustaches and beards – the clarity is such that you’d think it’s tangible. The overall color palette used here is a bit on the muted side, but both contrast and black levels seem to work well off of each other, giving the film a very real sense of depth. Technology is getting to the point where essentially every new to Blu-ray film looks simply marvelous and Lincoln is no exception.
Audio: How does it sound?
You might not think it to look at the cover, but this film boasts a DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 sound mix. Granted, Steven Spielberg is involved and the guy did invent the DTS format to begin with, so it’s not too surprising that this film sounds as good as it does. Lincoln seems to have one of the most subdued audio tracks that I’ve heard in a while that’s both strong and silent at the same time. It seems to…flow which is the best way I can describe it. Vocals take front and center here and the dialogue sounds rich and robust without the slightest hint of distortion. Yes, there are some ‘action’ scenes which do merit some note, mainly the discrete sound effects that come from the other channels. I was expecting something good from this track, but not this good. Well done.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There are a few options with this film as is the case with some other Dreamworks titles. There’s the stand alone Blu-ray which lacks the DVD and Digital Copy and the one we reviewed here, the 4 disc set with a DVD, Digital Copy and an additional disc of bonus material. By and large, this version will set you back a few more bucks, so it’s up to you as to how you want to spend your money. Having said that we start off with “The Journey to Lincoln” and in this ten minute featurette, we get some interviews with the cast and crew, the writers and the sheer undertaking and the focus of this segment in Lincoln’s life. Next up is “A Historic Tapestry: Richmond, Virginia” in which selected cast members regale of us of the decision to shoot in Richmond and how it came to be. This ends the features on the stand alone Blu-ray. Moving on we find a rather interesting tidbit in “The Company of Character” which is a look at several members of the ensemble cast with Daniel Day Lewis leading the way along with Sally Field, Hal Holbrook, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tommy Lee Jones just to name a few. “Crafting the Past” is a look at the production design and not only the physical elements are explored, but the props, location and wardrobes are all highlighted as we learn of the attention to detail to give the film its authenticity. “Living with Lincoln” is the most robust supplement clocking in around a half and hour. In this we get an interview with Spielberg, his commitment to the project and just about everything you can imagine is stuffed into this feature. If you’re a history buff, this one right here might be the justification you need to get this deluxe edition. “In Lincoln’s Footsteps” interviews Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy and composer John Williams as they explore the film, the music associated with it and how they intertwined the sound into the body of the film. The other discs contain a DVD of the film as well as a digital copy of the movie.
