Lincoln
4-Disc Blu-ray l 2-Disc Blu-ray l DVD
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITER: Tony Kushner
STARRING: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Bruce McGill, Peter McRobbie, Lee Pace, David Costabile, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Jared Harris, Jackie Earle Haley
DreamWorks
RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2013

“A compass I learnt when I was surveying, it’ll… it’ll point you true north from where your standing, but it’s got no advice about the swamps, deserts and chasms that you’ll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp, what’s the use of knowing true north?”

We’re all familiar with Abraham Lincoln. We know he freed the slaves. We know his distinctive look. He’s even on our money. But how much do we really know? I for one can admit that I did not know much more than the basics, about the same as the average person would know (I fell asleep in history class a lot, what can I say), but as I’ve gotten older my interest in history has grown exponentially, and lessons via documentary or biopic and so on can be just as appealing as the latest popcorn flick.

With movies, however, we’re always wondering in the back of our brain just how historically accurate the story we’re being told really is. And this will happen no less while viewing Lincoln, the latest film from director Steven Spielberg which tells the story of our 16th president and his fight to pass the 13th Amendment, the amendment that aimed to put an end to slavery.

Lincoln
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Tony Kushner
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley
DreamWorks Studios
Rated | 150 Minutes
Release Date: November 9, 2012

Director Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln focuses on the tumultuous final months of President Abraham Lincoln’s life, the abolishment of slavery, and the Union’s victory in the American Civil War.

Lincoln stars Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) as the 16th President of the United States, Sally Field (The Amazing Spider-Man) as Mary Todd Lincoln, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises) as their oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln.

In the midst of the American Civil War, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared the freedom of slaves in ten rebellious Confederate states. The executive order was seen as a temporary war measure, as it did not actually free any slaves in border states or make the act of slavery illegal.

In order to abolish slavery once and for all, Republicans pushed The Thirteenth Amendment through the Senate. In order for it to be ratified, the amendment had to be passed in the divided House of Representatives – which is really what Spielberg’s film chooses to explore in depth.

In an announcement met by the shocked response of absolutely no one, Steven Spielberg‘s Abraham Lincoln biopic, Lincoln has been given an official release date right smack dab in the middle of awards season.

It’s been announced that the movie will hit select theaters on November 9, 2012, before expanding nationally on November 16th. The move is an interesting one because it puts Lincoln in an face-to-face battle with the monster that is sure to be the grand finale in the Twilight franchise, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.

At a recent promotional event to hype the upcoming supernatural-historical action hybrid Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in Springfield, IL, attendees were treated to a trio of new videos released especially for the occasion. Those videos are now online and you can watch them here below.

The first was a standard behind-the-scenes featurette that runs less than two minutes and features soundbites from director Timur Bekmambetov, producer Tim Burton, and others alongside clips from the movie that were recently seen in the teaser trailer.

Coming a little while after the release of a seemingly candid shot of star Daniel Day-Lewis caught in the throes of eating a meal whilst wearing what appears to be a rather epic beard in preparation of his turn in Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln, we finally have our first official look at what to expect from this hotly anticipated film.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has snagged a photo from the film’s set, and I must say, he plays a rather convincing Honest Abe.

You can check out the first real look at Day-Lewis as Lincoln below.