Last night, during the Presidential debate, a new trailer for Steven Spielberg's biopic Lincoln fittingly debuted. The film, which comes out in November, follows the fascinating, enigmatic, inescapable and complex President through his life and accomplishments. While I cannot pretend to be a Lincoln expert, I remember being shocked that Lincoln wrestled with severe depression and guilt throughout his life. For an American legend now carved in stone, he was after all, a man.
Spielberg's Lincoln, which stars the scary good Daniel Day-Lewis, seems to acknowledge the strife and struggle Lincoln experiences in his personal life with his wife Mary (Sally Field) and son Robert (Joseph Gordon Levitt), his public life as he battled for change facing the guilt of lives lost in The Civil War, and his own fight with inner turmoil and conviction. Now days, with the election fastly approaching and everyone fearing a doomsday future, it is refreshing to remember leaders of the past, who helped carry the burden while the country went through unimaginable difficulties that surely must have felt like the end of a nation. Near the end of the trailer, Lincoln proclaims himself as, "The President of the United States of America, clothed in immense power". Power and men make for interesting narratives, especially in the hands of a great director like Spielberg.
Watch the newest trailer here. To see the more theatrical trailer, go here.
No comments:
Post a Comment