The award-winning force behind ‘Lincoln’

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There's 'Life of Pi' and 'Les Miserables,' and then there's 'Lincoln,' one of the most-anticipated films (and Oscar nominee) this year

LINCOLN'S TROUBLES SET A NATION'S COURSE. Daniel Day-Lewis plays one of the America's greatest presidents

MANILA, Philippines – “Lincoln” may have failed to bag this year’s Golden Globes Best Picture (which went to Ben Affleck’s “Argo”), but moviegoers are keeping it in their must-watch lists. 

The biopic about Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States and regarded as one of the country’s 3 greatest presidents (rubbing shoulders with George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt), is the loving work of a multi-awarded team. 

READ: ‘Lincoln’ screens in US Congress

At the helm is Steven Spielberg, a two-time Oscar-winning director remembered for the diversity of his films, many of which have become well-loved classics such as “ET,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Jaws,” and “Jurassic Park.” 

“Lincoln” itself is based on the novel of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin and boasts of a screenplay written by another Pulitzer Prize winner, Tony Kushner. Adding laurels to the film are Academy Award winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, and Sally Field.

Day-Lewis’s portrayal of Abraham Lincoln garnered him this year’s Golden Globes Best Actor award.  

Gripping history

ENSHRINED IN HISTORY. Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field play the first couple in 'Lincoln'

“Lincoln” is far from being a dragging historical epic. Spielberg’s genius, after all, lies in his ability to tell a complex story in riveting ways. His latest offering is no exception.

“Lincoln” is a historical thriller that immerses viewers in the last 4 months of Lincoln’s presidency (which ends in the first assassination of a US President). 

These last months stand out as the most perilous of his term and encompass both the pinnacle and bottom of his career as America’s leader. 

READ: ‘Lincoln’, ‘Life of Pi’ lead Oscar nominations

Watch the movie’s international trailer here:

Among many things, Lincoln is credited for ending slavery through the passing of the 13th Amendment. Lincoln’s push for the amendment, which Spielberg believes was the president’s “most complex fight,” is the film’s emotional center.

The historical drama strips Lincoln’s last days to their most electrifying: stormy debates, political intrigue, family drama, and his private fears and hopes.

The man and the monument

TO BATTLE. Abraham Lincoln fought battles on the field and in congress

But the best part of the film is the man himself. 

Spielberg says, “My movies more often are told through pictures, not words. But in this case, the pictures took second position to the incredible words of Abraham Lincoln and his presence.”

Viewers will see Lincoln brought back to life in the most startling, intimate way. This rare peek brings to the fore the great man’s paradoxes: he was funny and solemn, a playful storyteller and fierce power broker, a shrewd commander and a vulnerable father.

READ: Guess who: Predicting the new Oscar winners

But in many ways, the president’s story cannot be separated from his country’s. “Lincoln” is also a story about America and its struggle to emerge from the dark cloud of slavery. Through this murk, Lincoln fought a battle that came to define not only him, but his nation as well.

“Lincoln” screens in Philippine theaters on Feb 20, 2013, four days before the Oscars. – Rappler.com


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