Abraham Lincoln

A new movie about Abraham Lincoln opens in theaters this weekend. You can read more about the Spielberg movie in the Smithsonian Magazine. Spielberg bought the rights to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals before it was even completed. If you have read the book, you realize it is a hefty tome. As the screenwriter started his work, it was soon realized that such a complex person as Lincoln would require coverage that led to a much-too-long film if it was to accurately capture the man and not just be a sketchy caricature. (Be sure to click on some of the other links about Lincoln in the digital article as well.)

The director finally decided to focus on the efforts to pass the 13th Amendment. Lincoln realized his Emancipation Proclamation was on somewhat shaky footing and needed to be represented in the Constitution itself to ensure it wasn’t overturned. The passing of the amendment was also in the final months of Lincoln’s life so it allowed a condensed look at the president leading up to his assassination. This achievement is covered in only a handful of pages of Goodwin’s book. A lot of the “rivals” were active in this time, but many of Goodwin’s great explorations of them are not in the movie. What is fascinating and covered in the magazine article are lesser characters that time has overlooked.

I’m not sure I will see the movie right away, but it is on my to-see list. Since I go to a movie theater maybe twice a year, if that, you can see I think this is a worthwhile movie. In a time when our country seems so divided, it is good to reflect on our history of Civil War and how we moved beyond that divisiveness but at great cost. Lincoln had a heart’s desire to heal the nation, yet he was willing to stand up for emancipation.