Marco Saah 10/12/13

Cinematic Analysis: Part A

The film, Lincoln begins in January of 1865, directly after president Abraham Lincoln is elected to his second term in office leading a nation that is torn in half. Two recurring themes in the film are, the importance of self sacrifice, and compromise. The movie opens with a scene of a brutal civil war battle, and a dialogue between Lincoln and two colored soldiers about racial equality. This establishes the setting. Shortly after this in the film, Lincoln realizes that its possible the war could be coming to a close fairly soon, but he still has not passed the 13th amendment to abolish slavery. He has to decide whether to keep the war going longer in an attempt to pass the amendment, or try and end the war as soon as possible. This exemplifies the theme of sacrifice in the film. The war must continue, and lives must be lost, for the 13th amendment to pass. After Lincoln decides he wants to go through with trying to pass the amendment, he ensures he has the support of all the republican members of the house, by talking with Preston Blair, who has influence over the republicans. Then, he secures some democratic votes by recruiting agents to offer democrats federal jobs in exchange for their vote. Not a monetary bribe, but close to it. But, this only works with a few of the democrats. Lincoln must bargain and reason with some of them, connecting back to the theme of compromise in the movie. At this stage of the film Lincolns son, Robert, joins the army. Lincoln already lost one of his three sons, and it is difficult to see Robert join. This again shows the theme of personal sacrifice in the film. Then, after all the compromise, sacrifice, and loss of life, the amendment that would end it all is put to a vote, and passed. With the amendment passed, Lincoln is free to initiate peace talks with the south, and he ends the war. At the end of the movie, with the amendment passed, and the war over, there is a positive and bright mood. But this is destroyed when President Lincoln is assassinated. Lincolns assassination is the last event in the film, but the last scene in the movie is Lincoln making a speech about freedom and reconstruction, to end on a positive note.

Cinematic Analysis: Part B

The historical setting of the film Lincoln is shortly before the end of the civil war in America, specifically January 1865. The war ended in May of 1865. The two main aspects of American society portrayed in the film were, how slavery was dividing the nation, and how the war and the draft had left so many widows and orphans. After all the bloodshed and division, the nation had a tired and weary mood. This is shown in Lincolns second inaugural address, Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained (Lincoln 686). Both sides of America had lost so much, there was a national want for peace after so long, In preaching malice toward none and charity for all, Lincoln expressed his magnanimity toward the vanquished, a tenderness made possible by the common bond of guilt that bound the North and South (Kunhardt 266). Both sides wanted the war to end quickly, the change in society because of the conflict had taken its toll on all of America. The film itself, is very historically accurate. Most of the important events between Lincolns reelection, and his assassination are shown in the film. For example, the passing of the 13th amendment, and the conclusion of the civil war. Also, even though Lincoln takes place towards the end of the civil war, it was still relevant in some ways when it was released, in 2012. Many of the political quarrels that occur in the house of representatives in the movie, are similar to disputes we have in todays politics. There are two extreme sides, and it is very hard to compromise and try to find middle ground.

Cinematic Analysis: Part C

In the film, Lincoln various cinematic techniques are used to develop the plot, and make viewers more aware of the importance of certain characters, or aspects of the setting. One cinematic technique that is used quite often is, camera angles. Frequently, when a character is shot at from a high angle, it means they are less important, or not dominant in the given situation. High angle shots make the subject appear smaller, and more vulnerable. The same goes for low angle shots. If a character is shot at from a low angle, they appear bigger and taller. This frequently indicates the characters importance or dominance in the scene. This can be seen especially in all the scenes that take place in the House of representatives. For example, when Fernando Wood, and Thaddeus Stevens are arguing over slavery in the house, high angle and low angle shots are used often. When Fernando Wood addresses Thaddeus, there is a high angle, over the shoulder shot looking down on Thaddeus. Then, when Thaddeus stands up to reply, the shot switches, and looks down on Fernando. These shots help to communicate who may winning the argument they are having, and which character is dominant at a given time. Another cinematic technique used in the film, was lighting. Soft, or bright light, is often used to communicate a happy, or peaceful time in the plot of a movie. Hard light is the opposite, hard light indicates a serious, or dramatic turn in a film. Whenever Lincoln is having a serious conversation, there is hard light. One example of this is when Preston Blair is advising Lincoln to talk peace with the south. In the scene Blair talks about how the war has gone on too long, and how too much blood has been spilt. Lincoln and Blair stand in front of a fire place, and the only other light source is a window that is slightly ajar. This makes the scene have very hard light, and it sets the tone of the emotional and serious conversation that takes place in the scene.

Works Cited

Lincoln, Abraham. "Second Inaugural Address." Lincoln Speeches, Letters, Miscellaneous Writings Presidential Messages and Proclamations. Ed. Don E. Fehrenbacher. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 1989. 686-88. Print.

Lincoln, Abraham. "Chapter 9." Lincoln an Illustrated Biography. By Philip B. Kunhardt, Philip B. Kunhardt, and Peter W. Kunhardt. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. 266-67. Print.