Movie Review: The Lincoln Movie is Propaganda

The Examiner ^ | November 17, 2012 | Davi Barker

[2ndDivisionVet]

With only a limited theatrical release last week, Steven Spielberg’s latest work of imaginative fiction is scheduled for wide release today. I know Hollywood plays fast and loose with history, but when they go out of their way to get the wallpaper in Lincoln’s office exactly right, and use a recording of his actual watch as the sound effect for his movie watch, but pay little deference to his actual statements or opinions… something must be said.

People are seriously calling the Lincoln movie a “much needed civics lesson.” In reality it’s essentially a 2.5 hour courtroom drama about slavery that never happened. Reviews everywhere celebrate the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, and he should be celebrated. He stunningly and artfully brought the fictional character of our grade school textbooks to life.

The film focuses entirely on the final years of Lincoln’s life, from the tail end of the war to his inevitable assassination (spoiler alert). Lincoln and his dagger-tongued Cabinet bicker about how to end the war and slavery at the same time. The Confederates want to negotiate a peace, and so does Lincoln, but see they’ve just got to end slavery before the war ends, not after… because… well no reason really.

Starting the story at the end allows the writers to conveniently ignore the uncomfortable history that lead up to it. Sort of how “Passion of the Christ” allowed Mel Gibson to ignore anything Jesus actually taught. Here’s some of what was suspiciously left out.

Before the movie began Lincoln imposed a blockade on Southern ports with no declaration of war from Congress. He suspended habeas corpus, which is the protection against unlawful imprisonment. When a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court called this unconstitutional Lincoln signed his own arrest warrant for the Justice...

[the OlLine Rebel]

Liberals love Lincoln. The CW is the only time liberals cheer for “the USA”.

Think about that for a bit.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I think this is a nice concise article hitting on all points about why this war isn’t all it’s cracked up to be by Yankees, those who got the spoils and the authorship of the history.

[piroque]

My favorite quote "Patrick Ronayne Cleburne "Every man should endeavor to understand the meaning of subjugation before it is too late... It means the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern schoolteachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the war; will be impressed by the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit objects for derision...

It is said slavery is all we are fighting for, and if we give it up we give up all. Even if this were true, which we deny, slavery is not all our enemies are fighting for. It is merely the pretense to establish sectional superiority and a more centralized form of government, and to deprive us of our rights and liberties."

--- Maj. General Patrick R. Cleburne, CSA, January 1864, writing on what would happen if the Confederacy were to be defeated.

[Bigg Red]

The left truly wants to destroy the icons of this country. It’s about destroying the patriotism and reverence that Americans once had for their country, and replacing it with worship of the gods of liberalism.

***
Bingo!

[onyx]

I’ll wait for netflix or Block Buster. I don’t spend an extra penny on Spielberg’s movies.

[Pelham]

“So yes, Lincoln freed all the slaves, by the EP and most importantly by war.”

An excellent summation of Lincolnism.

So the next time that some President decides that a moral imperative is being ignored he can just issue a Proclamation outlawing the practice and then kill any of the recalcitrant public by using the army.

So if Obama decides that one of his pet ideas is a moral imperative he simply needs to produce a Proclamation to that effect and demand that it be done. No need for passing a law by Congress or anything. And when some of the American people object they can be shot down by the army.

What’s not to like about that? He might get his own Marble Temple in downtown Washington DC like another semi-divine President.

[Usagi_yo]

It’s a far stretch to call this movie propaganda. Nobody is going to see this movie for a history lesson on the Civil War and this movie doesn’t even attempt that. This movie is a dramatization of the last 4 months of Lincolns life and his final push for the passage of the 13th amendment.

The movie had moments of weakness. The overly long camera shot of a Black maid, or a few black soldiers — it can be largely forgiven just to see one of the finest acting $6.50 matinee ticket can buy.

Don’t be jaded. Treat yourself for some intense acting by Daniel Day Lewis and just enjoy it because the only thing we’re sure that’s the movie gets correct is the 13th amendment passed and Lincoln was assassinated and the South Lost the war.

[mjp]

So, the South withdrew from the Union democratically, and Davis made clear they intended no hostility toward the North by writing, “We seek no conquest, no aggrandizement, no concession of any kind…all we ask is to be let alone.”

The Southern soldiers were motivated to fight because of:

1) nationalism
2) patriotism
3) defense of hearth and home (and property)
4) national rights
5) Southern independence
6) survival as a nation and way of life
7) liberation of the nation from invaders
8) ideology
9) duty
10) honor
11) principles
12) higher cause
13) loyalty
14) integrity
15) right of self-defense
16) instinct of self preservation
17) territorial instinct

[Usagi_yo]

Well, my K-12 Lutheran school didn’t make any bones about it, the war was about Slavery. The 10th amendment only applied because the south thought the 10th amendment allowed them slavery.

Now I like the 10th amendment and would like to see the Federal government weakened by repeal of certain provision of the 17th amendment, which would strengthen ‘States Rights’.

But lets be real here, Neither Slavery nor Abortion are 10th amendment issues. It’s just common decency.

[INVAR]

I’m of the opinion the Civil War was God’s judgement on our nation for the institution of slavery making a mockery of the liberty declared in our founding document (a sin paid for in blood makes one wonder how much blood God will require for the sin of abortion?).

That said - the historical revisionism we’ve mostly been subject to is amazing. The war itself did not begin over the abolition of slavery. The reason for the South seceding was not because they wanted to keep slavery alive. Lincoln did not raise up troops to invade his own country because of slavery.

What year and month did the war begin?

And then, what year and month was the Emancipation Declaration given?

Then ask yourself WHY did Lincoln wait until then to give the Emancipation Declaration?

The answer is found in the fact Lincoln was losing support for the War - in the North, where sentiment was growing to let the Confederacy go.

As to the war itself - had Lee listened to General Longstreet ins tea dog letting his pride of invincibility take over his judgment, the war would have ended much differently.

I have no desire to see Hollywood’s political usage of Lincoln to further the racial divide in this country.

[INVAR]

Corrrected above to state:

As to the war itself - had Lee listened to General Longstreet instead of letting his pride of invincibility take over his judgment, the war would have ended much differently.

I hate the anticipatory text function that respells words it thinks you intended instead of typed when you hit one wrong key.

[Engedi]

Husband and I went to see the movie, which we rarely go see movies. I am a history buff.

It showed, if nothing else, how the Repubicans voted for the EP and showed the Democrats referring to the Negroes using the N word. I personally thought- I hope some people in the audience learned that Republican Party fouht to end slavery. The audience did clap and laugh at the statements the Democrats were making, not to anything the Republicans were saying...

Democrats have stolen Republican history as far as the blacks. Our Party was the first to sit Blacks in Congress. If you get a chance go to Black Republican website, quite a lesson there.

[Varda]

“Sort of how “Passion of the Christ” allowed Mel Gibson to ignore anything Jesus actually taught. Here’s some of what was suspiciously left out.”

Gibson did the Stations of the Cross. Any reviewer that can’t grasp such a simple fact about a movie can’t be trusted to evaluate simple facts about other movies.

[Salamander]

I love Daniel Day-Lewis.

He is a very talented actor.

I will not be paying to see “Lincoln”.

If I want to see the truth of the conscripts and riots, I’ll watch him in “Gangs Of New York”, instead.

[paul544]

Exactly... This article is a far bigger pile of crap than anything Hollywood could produce.

[central_va]

Well, my K-12 Lutheran school didn’t make any bones about it, the war was about Slavery.

The teachers that fed you that BS did you no favors.

[Blue Ink]

Spin, spin, spin.

It’s strictly Spielberg cheerleader and studio spin that this movie is doing well.

For a movie that needs to make $200 million to go into profit, $20 million is not a good opening weekend.

No one happy with this number.

[Usagi_yo]

Pithy little platitudes.

We would be cheering a Republican President declaring an Fetus-emancipation proclamation and fight tooth and nail to make it so — meanwhile the Democrats would be saying it’s not about abortion, it’s about the children when in fact it really is *about* the children, only not their version of the Children.

[miss marmelstein]

I’ll wait for the new blu-ray “Gone with the Wind.”

[miss marmelstein]

His performance in Gangs of New York is amazing! He's a splendid, over-the-top, fun actor and, ordinarily, I'd love to see his Lincoln. But after what Spielberg did to the beautiful story of “War Horse,” I wouldn't go near this possible piece of dreck.