I loved it!
I’m looking forward to seeing it again…and again.
The movie covers the time period from January, 1865 to
April 9 at the end of the war and five days later when President Lincoln was
assassinated.
Spielberg had already begun to develop the idea of a
movie concerning Lincoln, but after attending a luncheon for historians where
he met and spoke with Doris Kerns Goodwin he decided to base his project on her
book, Team of Rivals, however, the scope of the book…..the scope of Lincoln’s
presidency is too large and complex a subject to digest into a movie format.
Spielberg had to decide what to focus on, and I’m pleased
he decided to focus on the struggle to end the war and most importantly
the wheeling and dealing that was necessary to get the 13th
amendment passed.
Here are 13 little tidbits regarding the movie….
1.Spielberg and his team spent over twelve years
researching the movie. The attention to
detail far outweighs other discrepancies here and there, even though those very
discrepancies are the subject of this post. One detail that amazes me happens
to be the watch sounds you hear in the movie…tick, tick, tick. The sound is from Lincoln’s actual pocket
watch he was wearing the night of the assassination. The watch is on display at
the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfurt, Kentucky. Spielburg recorded the
watch sounds and incorporated them into the movie.
2. Other "real" sounds that Lincoln would have heard were used as well. Lincoln often visited St. John's Episcopal Church after reading the war reports at the telegraph office. He would slip into the church if services were underway and slip out again before the members of the congregation would know the President of the United States had been there. Spielberg's team recorded the actual sounds of the St. John's steeple bell as well as the creaking of Lincoln's pew and the floorboards he would have stepped on.
2. Other "real" sounds that Lincoln would have heard were used as well. Lincoln often visited St. John's Episcopal Church after reading the war reports at the telegraph office. He would slip into the church if services were underway and slip out again before the members of the congregation would know the President of the United States had been there. Spielberg's team recorded the actual sounds of the St. John's steeple bell as well as the creaking of Lincoln's pew and the floorboards he would have stepped on.
3. There are no historical indications at all that Mary
Todd Lincoln ever attended any sessions of Congress including the House debates
or votes concerning the 13th Amendment though the movie indicates
her attendance. This is purely for dramatic flair…. I don’t have a problem with
it, but in 1865 it simply wasn’t done.
4. While the debate and voting scenes did take place in
the old House chambers at the U.S. Capitol, voting would not have taken place
called by state delegations. It would
have been done alphabetically. 5.Also, many of the representatives who voted “NO” on the 13th Amendment are not identified in the movie correctly. As with any congressional vote there are many reasons why a member votes for or against a measure, but Spielberg decided to change the names for fear the men’s families would be embarrassed or suffer undue attention.
I’m not sure how I feel about that….
6. At one instance President Lincoln mentions something about signing the 13th Amendment. That wouldn’t have……shouldn’t have been done. Resolutions are not turned into amendments by the signature of the President. They are passed by both houses of Congress and then ratified by the states. President Lincoln’s signature was NOT needed……..however, in a quirky move he DID. President Lincoln did sign the 13tth Amendment!
You can read about it here
7.In a few scenes the Executive Mansion is referred to as
the White House. This was not in vogue
during Lincoln’s administration, and would not have happened. In Lincoln’s day
the “people’s house” would have been referred to as the Executive Mansion or
The Mansion.
8.During the brief scene at Appomattox General U.S. Grant
is shown very clean however, according to the late historian Shelby Foote (loved
that man!) in Ken Burn’s Civil War series Grant attended the formal surrender
wearing the overcoat of a private and was very muddy.
9.At some point the political operatives Lincoln hired to
help sway votes in favor of the 13th amendment mention to the
President they are having problems paying people off since the coins they are
using have Lincoln’s likeness on them.
These coins did not exist during the fight to push the 13th
amendment through. They didn’t exist
until four years after Lincoln’s assassination, and of course, it was the
penny, not a fifty cent piece as mentioned in the movie.
10.Thankfully the last scenes of Lincoln do not go into
great depth regarding the Lincoln assassination. Thankfully….because most Americans are familiar
with the events and Spielberg wanted to hit on portions of Lincoln’s
administration that viewers might not know as much about. What was included was
a scene after Lincoln had been removed from Ford’s Theater and taken across the
street to the Peterson house. What the
scene portrays, however, is a little inaccurate. Rather than laying in the fetal position as
he passed away fully clothed Lincoln was placed on the bed diagonally as the
bed couldn’t support his tall frame any other way. Lincoln was also naked under the covers as
his clothes were removed so that he could be examined for other possible
wounds.
11.On the day the crew filmed the final vote in the old
House Chambers, Michael Stanton, the actor who played Hiram Price began to
cry. Later he told Spielberg his
great-grandfather had been a member of the press in 1865 and had sat in the
gallery that historic day. The moment
simply overcame him…..Stanton said, “There we were in this room recreating one
of the most important moments in American history and up there in the Gallery
sat my great-grandfather.”
Now…..THAT’S a historical moment!
12. While many historians have been critical of the voice
for Lincoln Daniel Day-Lewis developed for his portrayal of Lincoln, Spielberg
apparently approved of it. I liked it…. It is said when Day-Lewis developed a voice
he liked he made an audiotape of it and sent it to Spielberg in a box labeled
with a skull and cross bones meaning for Spielberg’s eyes only.
13.Finally, many critics and friends have stated to me
that Daniel Day-Lewis should win the Academy Award for his performance as
President Lincoln. I agree. He was fantastic, however, did you know he
wasn’t the first choice to portray Lincoln?
Yes…..Liam Neeson was involved in discussions regarding
the part, but finally bowed out because he felt he too old.
You can read some of my other postings concerning President
Lincoln listed below:Did Lincoln Make a Deal With God?
You can find some other interesting bits of information about the 13th Amendment here.
Nice work. Thanks for the review. I, unfortunately, have not yet seen the film but plan on doing so this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading your blog over the past few months.
Very well done. I wanted to see this movie and your column has moved it up my priority list. Thank you for the time you took to research for the column the work you put in shows.
ReplyDeleteSaw the movie and loved it but was wondering if you could answer a question for me. On the day of the vote, a young boy is seen in the background draping a French flag on a table. Do you know why a French flag would have been in this scene?
ReplyDeleteJill
Hi! I've been reading the book Team of Rivals and was debating on whether to watch the Spielberg movie or not...But anyways, just wanted to say you've made quite the impressive list. #10 is pretty surprising since most drawings portray Lincoln's death bed scene as him fully clothed and upright (the famous one anyways).
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how he managed to be set straight on the bed since historical accounts sad he was so tall...
I suppose that's a byproduct of romanticizing history, but anyways, great list! I learned a lot of things I wouldn't have otherwise about the film!