Posted on 09/25/2007 8:30:06 PM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
Sally Field wins an Emmy and suddenly everyone wants to 'really, really like her' again. Fresh off her controversial appearance on the Emmys, when she won for Brothers & Sisters, Sally Field has been cast as Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of Abraham Lincoln, in Steven Spielberg's long-awaited biopic of one of the most important leaders of all time. Liam Neeson has already been cast as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln bases on Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Steven Spielberg's Lincoln will center on the life of the leader in the time leading up to the Civil War as he inspired the troops of the North to fight. As E! reports, Liam Neeson has been attached to the project since way back in 2005, when it looked like Spielberg might do the flick between Munich and War of the Worlds. But the film has been postponed a number of times due to casting and scheduling conflicts. With the casting of Sally Field, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is closer to actually happening than ever before.
Now, of course, Steven Spielberg is filming a little movie called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, so Lincoln will have to wait. That film will be released May 22, 2008 and Spielberg has a history of doing one big summer movie and one "serious" winter movie. Jurassic Park and Schindler's List both came out in 1993 and War of the Worlds and Munich dropped in 2005. Don't be at all surprised if Spielberg drops Indiana Jones 4 and Lincoln in 2008. E! does note however that it could be tough to start Lincoln with Sally Field's Brothers & Sisters schedule. It may have to wait until her summer hiatus, but Spielberg could still get it out before the end of next year. Lincoln reteams Spielberg with Neeson from Schindler's List and Tony Kushner, the writer of Munich. It's got Oscar bait written all over it.
The 60-year-old Sally Field has a long history in television and film, recently finishing an arc on ER and being a series regular and Emmy winner now on Brothers & Sisters. Sally Field has been nominated for an Oscar twice and won both times for 1979's Norma Rae and 1984's Places in the Heart.
He wants to make the argument all about philosophy, but it is the actions of Lincoln that harmed us, not his philosophy. Certainly it is impossible to argue that Lincoln destroyed the right to succession, at the very least. As FEDGOV grows ever larger and more invasive it would be nice to have this back on the table.
He goes onProgressivism was based on the same historical-evolutionary brand of thought, dating back to Rousseau, that justified black slavery as the cornerstone of Confederate civilization.
Slavery was a lot older as an institution than Rouseau, so it's just silly to say that was some animating ideology for the South. The actual cornerstone of Confederate Civilization was not Rouseau's progressive philosophy, but agriculture. A key cause of the civil war was the Norths desire to tax agriculture while tarrifing mechanical imports, all of which benefited New England manufacturers at the expense of southern farmers.
And Progressivism begat modern megastate liberalism.
Sure, but Lincoln begat the 19th century authoritarian megastate that was the needed precursor for Wilson's plan.
Among his accomplishments:
BTW: Slavery was a great wrong and a deep blight on America. As much as I dislike many of Lincoln's actions the ultimate result was a victory for humanity, and to be celebrated. However it is unfortunate that Lincoln has become the symbol of the Abolition, and not some other prominent leader in the Abolitionist movement.
2. Who was the first US president to impose an utterly unconstitutional military draft?
3. Who was the first US president to cause US troops to unconstitutionally occupy the territory of not one but two states (SC and FL) which had seceded from the Union in blatant violation of the 10th Amendment to the United States constitution?
4. Who was the president who purported to declare null and void the property ownership in slaves of the slaveholders of the 11 Confederate States which had seceded from the "Union" in blatant violation of the Due Process Clause of the 5th Amendment to the United States Constitution?
5. Who, as US president, jailed dissenting newspaper editors, smashed their presses, physically expelled a US Congressman who represented Ohio from the "Union" for dissenting, allowed drumhead military tribunals to try US civilian citizens, caused Sherman's "March to the Sea" of raping, looting, pillaging and slaughtering Southern non-combatants?
And, no, it does not particularly matter what Jefferson Davis may have done in the CSA since Confederate independence efforts do not justify illegal activity on Lincoln's part.
Masugi's analysis depends on Henry Jaffa of all people. Jaffa was a single-minded Lincoln worshiper who needs not to be taken seriously be conservatives. DiLorenzo has compiled an interesting but utterly one-sided alternative history of Lincoln which is a counterpoint to Jaffa but DiLorenzo is not making serious historians nervous by comparison. DiLorenzo's work has some merit but is clearly an over the top polemic.
Type-casting?? Mary Todd Lincoln went from nutty opportunist before the Civil War to just plain nuts after the assassination. [of course, having your spouse murdered right next to you like that could drive almost anyone over the edge]
From what I understand about the woman she was very difficult to live with throughout their lives together and made Abe Lincoln miserable. But he managed to suck it up, become stronger than ever, just as he did from the very very serious depression he suffered in his 20s (the real love of his life died young, and it shattered him for awhile), before he even knew her. He became an immense figure in the face of much personal misery and then of course the national agonies of the civil war. I have never understood Mary Todd Lincoln to be anything but a rather unsympathetic figure, but I would be happy to be corrected.
Please add me to your Civil War II ping list.
You obviously don't consider Jeff Davis a president in American History. There's hope for you yet.
Probably because most of it is nonsense. Habeas corpus can be suspended if circumstances require it. That's right there in Article I of the Constitution. No declaration of war was needed since one declares war on other sovereign nations, not rebellious parts of your own. And Lincoln never ordered an arrest warrant for Taney. Not a single Taney biographer has ever unconvered any evidence to support the claim.
That's like saying Rosie O'Donnell balances out all the supporters of the U.S. military. Presenting a completely unbalanced portrait of Lincoln as a balancing factor is dishonest.
Actually it's a weak analogy because it would depend on what the EU constitution has to say on the subject. Can you enlighten us?
Just illegal actions on their own part, right?
Inspired casting. Mary Todd Lincoln was driven to insanity. She was even described as a "hell-cat." Poor woman.
But we'd have other problems to worry about then, and maybe more serious ones.
It's by no means clear that what happened was the worst of outcomes.
Maybe they're going for a certain gawkiness, and I guess he has that.
Tom Hanks is supposed to be a relative of Lincoln's mother (Nancy Hanks), but I'm glad he didn't get the part.
After Big and Forrest Gump to be portrayed by Hanks is no great honor.
Sally Field? Whatever ...
Not as inspired as casting Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Todd Lincoln though ...
Tell that to all the 1000+ fawning awed authors of all the other books on Lincoln.
And I'm not holding all of them up as paragons of biographical writing, either. Sandburg, for example, is an embarrassment and has done more than almost any other writer to perpetuate Lincoln myths. But being completely biased, for or against, is still being completely biased. If Carl Sandburg is one extreme of objective writing the Tommy DiLorenzo has to be considered the opposite extreme, and if Sandburg has his myths then Tommy does as well. In the middle, in case you're interested, are men like David Donald.
I know who you’re talking about. That wasn’t Jeff Daniels, that was an actor named John Costelloe.
Don't be silly. Sally Field has held up well for 60.
Unlike some people, I don't let ideology get in the way of facts. She's always been a babe.
She’s a walking freak show.
Have you noticed that half the time, Van Susteren can’t manage to get the words “Anna Nicole” out of her over-botoxed mouth, and says “Ann Nicole” instead?
Yup.
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