Having studied the American Civil War, Lincoln, and the topic of the abolition of slavery being my dissertation topic at University, I felt like I had a good understanding as to the role of Lincoln in this situation. Watching Daniel Day-Lewis acting as Lincoln, you could see that he was in his zone acting to the utmost of his abilities with great effect. No matter what reviews were given on the film as a whole, whether it be of people saying it was too long winded, boring or just an extended documentary on the life of Abraham Lincoln in the later stages of the American Civil War, no one can deny the ability of Daniel Day-Lewis to control his character as being a central figure in the film, his calmness within the role as a whole, and the amount of empathy he receives from the audiences through his staggering performance of arguably the most influential man in American History.
I do have one minor issue with the film though. The film started after the Emancipation Proclamation was introduced by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 - this is significant because, from what I have read and learnt previously, before 1863, Lincoln had his mind set on winning the Civil War at all costs and not really focusing on abolishing slavery until the end of the war, if that. It was only when the Civil War extended longer than he anticipated and when it became apparent that it was only going to be through the abolishing of slavery (or for the meantime show he was opposed to human slavery as an institution) that the Civil War could be won, and by which foreign support could be provided, leading to the ultimate port blockades to prevent supplies going to the front line for the Confederate forces. The film showed none of this 'previous mind-set' Lincoln had and focused solely on his fight for emancipation and the passing of the 13th Amendment - the abolition of the slave trade in the free world! I would compare it to the film 'Amazing Grace', featuring Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Gambon, where it shows the fight for abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire. However, the one thing Amazing Grace shows that Lincoln didn't was slavery in full effect as well as the overall effects of slavery on politician, priest and women alike. It was as if to understand the full story of Lincoln, told and untold throughout the film, you needed to have brushed up on your pre-Emancipation Proclamation American History. Nevertheless, the film should be awarded the highest praise, and Daniel Day-Lewis's Oscar is most well deserved.
On to another history orientated film, this time a musical, not just any musical, but Les Miserables. With an outstanding cast of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham-Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Eddie Redmayne, it was definitely going to be one of the films to watch of 2012/2013. Set in the time of the French Revolution during the Nineteenth Century, the musical shows how lives are changed for the characters Jean Valjean and Javert from inprisonment and imposing law, to family, to love and ultimately death. In my opinion, Hugh Jackman did an incredible job playing the part of Jean Valjean, a previous prisoner of 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread who turns a new leaf and becomes the master of a factory and mayor of his town. I already knew that Hugh Jackman could sing (better than Russell Crowe at least) through his performance at the Tony Awards a couple years back with Neil Patrick Harris
*cue youtube link* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgivKET0Mrs
However, his performance in Les Miserables was quite mind-blowing, nearly on par with Daniel Day Lewis's in Lincoln. To hear that Anne Hathaway got an Oscar for 'Best Supporting Actress' was astonishing as well considering her character was only in the film for the duration of half an hour, there or thereabouts. Nonetheless, it was a performance to be proud of and one which deserved praise of the highest accord. It has to be said that never has a film needed more of a comedic interlude then Les Miserables did. This was duly dolled out in the shape of the class act duo Thenardier and Madame Thenardier (played by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter). The inclusion of their humorous scripting was what was needed to keep the movie entertaining. Not only did they work wonders as a partnership but they gave something different to an otherwise serious and provocative musical. Sacha Baron Cohen's line 'You stole our courgette' was one of the more comedic additions to the musical, even if it was a bit childish.
As much as I love Russell Crowe for his acting in Gladiator, Robin Hood, A Beautiful Mind, and Master and Commander, I wasn't so sure on his singing ability whilst playing the part of Javert in Les Miserables. For instance, every time he was hitting a high note in his solo's the camera would inadvertently lift up 50 meters or so, possibly to spare his blushes to show he couldn't reach the notes. Nonetheless, acting wise I think he played the part well, though one can say he did sing better then Pierce Brosnan did in his rather drab performance in Mamma Mia.
Thus ends another blog entry from myself, I hope you enjoyed this latest one and thank you for reading it!
Jonathan Whitehead
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