Lincoln

Spiritually Speaking at the Movies: Lincoln” 2012, PG-13. 2h29m.

Should you see it? Absolutely, with enthusiasm. If you have a shred of a heart, I believe “Lincoln” is a story that will bring long-lasting change to anyone who embraces the myriad of messages it contains.

Daniel-Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. David Strathairn as Secretary William Seward. Tommy Lee Jones as Rep. Thaddeus Stevens. Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. Hal Holbrook as Francis Blair.

There are few movies that leave one speechless, in awe, with a hushed silence in the soul and spirit when the curtain falls and the lights come on. Lincoln, directed by Stephen Spielberg and expertly portrayed by Daniel-Day Lewis, is one of those rare films. It is a perfect patriotic piece of America’s 250th year of existence, and a soul-searching reminder of where we came from and where we are going as a nation — and where we might yet fall short.

The problem I find searching for patriotic-themed movies for the Fourth of July is that so many of them are military in nature, either celebrating warfare or being cynically against it. We often honor military sacrifice and service on the Fourth, and no one argues we should be constantly thankful for those attributes of patriotism.

But with “Lincoln,” in a couple of well-spent hours, is a story of a different fight for freedom. It’s America’s collision course with slavery, and the tragic destiny and conclusion during Lincoln’s tenure as president from 1861-1865. It takes place during the national trauma of the Civil War, or the War between the States, as some still prefer to call it.

No American today would countenance slavery. The idea has become repugnant to our very natures. Yet, this masterful film — that could have fallen well short of the necessary perspectives making it great — shows how very narrowly, slavery could have been preserved, perhaps in some sort of perpetuity.

For a nation struggling to be “a City set on a Hill,” - the destiny of the American promise to the world - this would not do. Lincoln called America a place where government by the people, for the people, “shall not perish from the earth.” It almost did.

We see the literal battle for the passage of the 13th amendment to America’s Constitution; to once and for all, abolish slavery, making all Americans free. Does this sound dry and boring? I assure you it is not.

This is a breathtaking, edge-of-the-seat wonderment that the 13th amendment passed at all.

There is a quite amazing sequence where Lincoln the lawyer is informally addressing his cabinet in a late-night meeting about slavery. He talks about the questionable legalities of his actions, and it concerns him.

This scene could have descended into a legal mumbo-jumbo no average viewer’s brain could retain and eyes would glaze over. But Spielberg and Daniel-Day Lewis employ the image of Lincoln’s folkiness to explain how he used the legalities of the War Powers act to justify the emancipation proclamation. The danger is how it would be null and void after the war was over because, yes, the war would be over and everything confiscated during it as a result of the act. Including slaves.

This explanation is so well done, even I could understand the complexities. You should have no problems grasping the awesome significance of what Lincoln was trying to accomplish.

In that light, “Lincoln” is one of those films every American school child from the 7th-grade on, should see. The film is rated PG-13, but at age 11, I memorized the Gettysburg address in the 6th grade. We children were all familiar with the Civil War that had been concluded just 95 years earlier.

The story opens more than a year after Lincoln has delivered his address at Gettysburg, and in the final months of the war. The outcome of the war seems like a done-deal, but North and South belligerents are still fighting as if it is not.

A sobering opening scene features hand-to-hand combat in the muck, mire and mud of death and is a memorable reminder for the horrors of war. For parents, viewer discretion is advised. Mercifully, it is brief, but it IS intense.

After the opening, the war quickly takes a back seat to the passage of the amendment to abolish slavery. Politicians quibble and tertiary problems and prejudices surface in abundance. How Lincoln navigates all that noise and fuss with wisdom and perspective is simply quite amazing. It’s why the American President — any President — needs prayer.

“I need the 13th Amendment to rid the nation of slavery now and for all time,” Lincoln tells his advisors, many of whom tell him it cannot be passed under any circumstances.

He replies he cannot accomplish anything of “value and worth, until we cure ourselves of slavery. This amendment is that cure. Abolishing slavery by constitutional amendment settles the fate for all coming time, not only for the millions now in bondage, but of unborn millions to come.”

Lincoln needs only two more votes to see his amendment pass. Asked by his cabinet how in the world they can get those two votes, Lincoln stands up before him, and thunders:

“Buzzard’s guts man! I am the President of the United States of America, clothed in immense power. You WILL procure me those votes,” and leaves them with that.

The next day, the cliff-hanging vote takes place on the floor of the House of Representatives, again with expert direction and action. You will never forget how in the world this ever happened. Sally Field as Mary Lincoln is in the gallery with her mouth open in disbelief at what she is seeing. You may share that reaction as you see it take place.

The realization that this mired mess still happens in Washington today, makes it real that Godly intervention is essential for adherence to a right and best path for the nation. We have not because we ask not, we are counseled in Scripture.

The final scene highlights Lincoln’s second inaugural address and features his quotes from the Bible putting into spiritual perspective the what, why, how of the destructive Civil War. The entire address is well worth reading for spiritual and insightful edification.

A cast of veteran actors embellishes the expert nature of the story-telling. The screenplay is excellent. The cinematography, sumptuous. Director Spielberg has one of his finest moments. It is a treasure of a film that is perfect for America’s 250th Fourth of July observances

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Patrick Butler