Lincoln

Movie: Lincoln

Genre: historical drama

Synopsis: I think a better title would have been “The 13^th”.  This movie covered a period of few weeks near the end of the Civil War.  It focused on the extraordinary efforts Lincoln (Daniel Day Lewis) and his allies expended in getting Congress to pass the Thirteenth Amendment – the abolition of slavery. The infighting, backstabbing, and behind the scenes arm twisting done by those trying to pass the amendment as well as those trying to block it make todays Congress look like a bunch of choir boys.  We get a lot of insight into the incredible pressure Lincoln was under and how absolutely imperative he felt it was to get the bill passed.

My two cents: This was a fabulous movie – both times that I saw it in the theatre.  It turns out that I knew almost nothing about the background of the Thirteenth Amendment and how it got passed.  We get to see just how many of his inner circle were pressuring Lincoln to forget about the 13^th and the visceral opposition by a lot of incredible racist members of Congress. We also get to see what a skilled politician he was. 

Just a great great movie.

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