Jottings - Slice of Life - 238 ( Mystic Pizza - The birth of Julia Roberts as an actor)

Lincoln - the Movie - A Must Watch

Two hundred and seventy two words and less then three minutes was what it took Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United states of America, to delivery the Gettysburg address - acclaimed as one of the greatest speeches In American history; and undoubtedly the most eloquent expression of Freedom ever proclaimed in the name of democracy. Few leaders of men have had the opportunity to change the course of history; and fewer still had the courage and the strength of rightful conviction to steer Mankind into new pathways of thought and action. Abe Lincoln belonged to this elite group of Statesman philosophers. The American civil car between 1861-65 is one of the momentous periods in Human history, where the future of a free world was at stake, and a modern era was emerging out of its chrysalis after centuries of medieval incubation. The outcome of this war would determine the future of Democracy as Political model; and the creation of a just and equitable society, where every man can chose to live a life of dignity and grace without regard to Color or race. It needed a person with tremendous integrity; deep sense of Justice and fairness; indomitable will - to pull a generation out of that quagmire of oppression. Lincoln was such a man. It was almost as if the age gave birth to the right kind of Human being in him : A compassionate man, imbued with deep sympathy ,buttressed by an astute political mind ,able to articulate the most profound thoughts in a language clothed in simplicity and directness, a delightful sense of humor - and above all a deep intuitive conviction of the equality of the Human race, made him the almost unconsciously the vehicle of the voice of Freedom in the modern age. The thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United states of America passed in December 1865, marked the beginning of a new age where there would no more slavery; and the name of Lincoln will keep resonating down the ages as the harbinger of freedom in the true sense of the word.

There needed to be a movie that can capture those momentous times, and none better than Steven Spielberg to immortalize it. In two and half hours of mesmerizing drama, Spielberg lifts us a to height of sublimated appreciation of the finer nuances of Film making. A tight screenplay,measured dialogues ;the incandescent brilliance of Daniel Day-Lewis as President Lincoln, the mercurial performance of Sally Field as Mary Todd- Lincoln's forlorn wife, The mellowed landscaping of a blood ridden war,The breathtaking angles of the President's countenance, the meandering dialogues and dry wit of the President, the breathtaking metamorphoses of Lincoln overcoming odds , the political intrigues that weave through relationships , the strains of personal loss and physical agony - all of this and more is captured by the maverick genius of Spielberg. One is imperceptibly drawn into the story in small doses, living and breathing the air of those pivotal times. One visibly ages with Lincoln, torn apart by personal tragedy, as he relentlessly pursues his idea of freedom and, equality.The final shot, where His placid body lies in bed in a fetal position with Blood oozing from his temple will be indelibly etched in our minds , and so will Spielberg be remembered for having conceived and realized these magnificent moments of History on screen for us - a legacy that belongs to the entire Human race. Watch this film without fail. It may help us value our freedom better.............