The first full trailer for Steven Spielberg's biopic of the 16th president hit the internet yesterday to mixed reviews. Chronicling the last 4 months of the legendary figure, if the trailer is any indication, Spielberg's comments on the film being more about Lincoln the man, than Lincoln the monument seem to spot on.
The first thing I noticed about the trailer was really how much it's impact depended on how much you know about history. Sure, you can get a lot of Day-Lewis's performance (which I'll get to in a second), but without having at least some historical knowledge, all the characters and their comments really lose a lot of their meaning. This is not a critique of the film, I actually really appreciate. While I myself don't know a ton about history during this time, I will certainly do some research before the film to make sure I get the most out of it. I really respect Spielberg for staying true and not spoon feeding the audience any details. If nothing else, this biopic is going to accurate.
Speaking of accurate, wow. Does Daniel Day-Lewis look good as Lincoln, or what? Now, most of you probably don't know this, but Day-Lewis is one of my favorite actors of all time. I think his intensity, precision, and commitment are unsurpassed. And this one appears to be no difference. Not only does he (granted, with help from hair and makeup) look uncannily like the Great Emancipator, he embodies the weight that Lincoln had to be feeling during one of the most stressful times in American history. Besides all the political and social issues facing him, Lincoln had already faced many personal tragedies by this point. And you can see this all in Day-Lewis's eyes and the way he carries himself. Even if the film turns out to be a bust, you can be sure Daniel Day-Lewis is getting an Oscar nomination (he will probably be the favorite) for this undoubtedly masterful performance.
That all being said, the trailer does not leave me feeling great about the film. Though the cast seems fantastic, the cliche John Williams emotional strings really feel manipulative and leave me nervous and hoping this doesn't end up being another WARHORSE. Though I am a huge fan of Williams's music and Spielberg as a director, lately they have a really hard time using music in a way that works (for me, at least). MUNICH was a near perfect film, except for one particular music cue that really turned me off. And I couldn't help be reminded of this, by the clunker intro to Tommy Lee Jones's Thaddeus Stevens.
Trailer being what it is, I'm still extremely excited to see what Spielberg does with this long-anticipated documentation of an American Icon. The fact that the battle scenes seem to actually be taking a backseat to Lincoln's own personal struggles is something that I'm really looking forward to seeing, and everyone should see it, regardless of how the trailer strikes you.
LINCOLN hits theaters November 9th.
