Lincoln hits "true North"

I watched Lincoln on Friday at the movie theater on opening night and loved it.

Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns-Goodwyn is the third-best book I have ever read and the task of turning it into a movie seemed daunting.  This movie does the book justice by wisely focusing on two political fights (to pass the 13th Amendment and to end the Civil War) and how they impacted each other.

Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed Lincoln very well and managed to reveal emotions even with the way he stood or held himself.  He took the posture of a man in contemplation when needed and even with internal turmoil as he struggled with the loss of his son at a time when he did not have the luxury of personal grief.

The movie is at least 95% dialogue, and yet is absolutely gripping and full of tension.  As great as Day-Lewis was as Lincoln, Tommy Lee Jones still nearly stole the movie with his portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens.  

Team of Rivals revealed so much of Lincoln's personality and this movie captured so much of that.  For example, Lincoln loved to linger in the war room by the telegraphs and tell stories.  The movie showed Lincoln in that role as an entertaining spinner of yarn even during the most stressful of times.  It was his storytelling, in fact, that often gave him release.

Lincoln was a brilliant man with amazing insight into people who was also absolutely unflappable.  But, he was also prone to deep, yet private, melancholy.  He never showed weakness, and therefore lived his sadness privately and quietly.  The movie shows him carry that weight while navigating treacherous political and military waters.

The story that stays with me from the movie was Lincoln trying to win Stevens over to moderate his radical stance for the sake of progress.  He told the story of a compass and how it always shows "true North" without fail.  But, Lincoln explains, it will never show you what mountain ranges or swamps lie between you and "true North."  His point was that you can sink in the swamp a couple of miles into your journey by seeking only "true North," or you can compromise by taking the occasional Westerly route and actually reach "true North."



(this clip shows Stevens compromising in the best way possible by making it seem as though he were NOT arguing that all men, including black men, are equal in every way... he did this creatively and effectively.)

Lincoln turned rival Stevens into a solid supporter of the Amendment and won his respect.  This scene and the resulting scenes with Stevens holding the line even on issues with which he disagreed left a powerful impression.  And, it accurately showed Lincoln as Kearns-Goodwin so thoroughly described him: thoughtful, persuasive, and cunning.

I think about the book and remember just how lucky this country was to have its greatest and most resilient president during its most dangerous crisis.  This country has never faced anything as difficult as the Civil War in its history and may never face anything as trying again.  Yet, somehow, at that moment, the best person for the job lived in the White House.

I recommend this movie to anyone.