After hearing about Steven Spielberg’s Abraham Lincoln film for years and then an update a year ago that filming was about to commence, we finally have a first trailer for the film that is set to hit theaters this November.
Spielberg has said that “Lincoln” is a story about the man, not the monument, and that it wouldn’t be a “war movie” but instead is a film that focuses on the last four years of the 16th President’s life and all that he accomplished in that short period.
While Liam Neeson was set to play the iconic commander in chief for a duration during this film’s decade-long development, after many years it was decided that Neeson had gotten too old to play the role the way Spielberg envisioned it and Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis stepped into the famed top hat to work his magic on another role that seems geared to get him accolades of praise. Look for the film to be nominated for multiple awards this coming awards season.
Take a look at this very first trailer for “Lincoln”:
Right from the start, this trailer looks amazing and all of the period aspects are there, from the clothes and wigs to the historical locations. The film boasts an amazing cast of award-winners, nominees and some very prominent and successful young talent as well. Daniel Day-Lewis is President Abraham Lincoln, Sally Fields is his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the eldest child of the Lincolns, Robert Todd Lincoln. Some of the other important key players in the film are played by Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, Jared Harris, David Strathairn, Lee Pace, James Spader and John Hawkes.
Spielberg has said in the past that this film is “less visual” than some of his other historical films. Many vital scenes take place in the confines of darkly-lit Congressional halls and rooms around the White House, where Lincoln worked tirelessly to formally end the Civil War and get the 13th amendment passed and abolish slavery. You can see the beauty in this simplistic look and the very real feeling you get when you watch the trailer.
The trailer is subtle, yet dramatic in its impact and for any Lincoln enthusiasts, Spielberg fans or even history buffs, this is a film to get excited about. Besides boasting an amazing director, pivotal and legendary main character and an outstanding cast, the fact that character and method actor Daniel Day-Lewis is playing the title role is enough to get me to see this film. He has transformed himself time and again for roles which are typically over-the-top (“There Will be Blood,” and “Gangs of New York”) but are compelling and always riveting to watch, so I am curious how his take on Lincoln focusing on the true aspects of the man we all seem to see one way in our mind.
An interesting little observation from the trailer is that the voice he chooses to use for Lincoln is much higher then we typically seem to see and interestingly enough it is a historical fact that Abraham Lincoln’s voice was not as deep and authoritative as we have come to expect to hear whenever anyone portrays him.
The film is being scored by John Williams, whose work you are familiar with even if you don’t realize it at first. He is a staple in many of Steven Spielberg films and always seems to come through with a unique sound that will become instantly recognizable with the film in the future. I am not sure if what we hear in the trailer is the final version of the score, but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to hearing the rest of it.
There are many other reasons why you should be looking forward to seeing “Lincoln” in theaters but you should watch the trailer again and discover them for yourself. “Lincoln” will be making its way into theaters for a limited release Nov. 9 before going wide on Nov. 18.
It should be interesting to see how the film does since it is opening up against “Skyfall” in its first week and then competing against “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2” it its second week in theaters.
How do you think “Lincoln” will fare against James Bond and vampires this coming November and does it look like a Oscar worthy film to you? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
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The trailer also features fewer of the hammy moments or corny beats that made the previews for Spielberg’s last film, War Horse, somewhat divisive; if that is reflective of the final film, then Lincoln could very well prove to be the respectful, yet refreshingly non-romanticized historical piece we’ve been hoping for.