Lincoln (film)

Lincoln
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteven Spielberg
Screenplay byTony Kushner
Based onTeam of Rivals
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJanusz Kamiński
Edited byMichael Kahn
Music byJohn Williams
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • October 8, 2012 (2012-10-08) (NYFF)
  • November 16, 2012 (2012-11-16) (United States)[4]
Running time
150 minutes[5]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$65 million[6]
Box office$275.3 million[7]

Lincoln is a 2012 American biographical historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln.[8] It features Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Tommy Lee Jones in supporting roles. The screenplay by Tony Kushner was loosely based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln and covers the final four months of Lincoln's life.

The film focuses on Lincoln's efforts in January 1865 to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude by having the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives.

The film was produced by Spielberg and frequent collaborator Kathleen Kennedy, through their respective production companies, Amblin Entertainment and the Kennedy/Marshall Company. Filming began October 17, 2011,[9] and ended on December 19, 2011.[10] Lincoln premiered on October 8, 2012, at the New York Film Festival. The film was co-produced by American companies DreamWorks Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Participant Media, along with Indian company Reliance Entertainment, and distributed theatrically by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the Touchstone Pictures label in the United States and Canada on November 16, 2012, and by 20th Century Fox in international territories.[11][12][13][2]

Lincoln was acclaimed by critics, who lauded its acting (especially Day-Lewis's), Spielberg's direction, and its production values. In December 2012, it was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Spielberg, and winning Best Actor (Motion Picture – Drama) for Day-Lewis. At the 85th Academy Awards, it was nominated for twelve Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director; it won for Best Production Design and Best Actor for Day-Lewis, his third in the category.[14] It was also a commercial success, grossing over $275 million at the box office.[7] It has since been cited as one of the best films of Spielberg's career and one of the greatest films of the 21st century.[15][16]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Debruge, Peter (November 1, 2012). "Lincoln: Review". Variety. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c McClintock, Pamela (January 23, 2012). "Fox Partnering with DreamWorks on Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  3. ^ "AFI Catalog: Lincoln (2012)". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. ^ The Deadline Team (July 18, 2012). "Disney Dates Steven Spielberg's Lincoln Into Awards-Season Fray".
  5. ^ "Lincoln (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. December 13, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ^ McClintock, Pamela (October 17, 2013). "DreamWorks' Stacey Snider Reveals How Studio Slimmed Down to Stay Alive". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Lincoln (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  8. ^ Breznican, Anthony (April 13, 2011). "Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' gets its Mary Todd: Sally Field". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  9. ^ McClintock, Pamela (October 12, 2011). "Participant Media Boarding Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  10. ^ "Filmmakers really liked Petersburg". The Progress-Index. Petersburg, Virginia. December 29, 2011. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  11. ^ "Lincoln (2012)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  12. ^ Fischer, Russ (November 19, 2010). "Daniel Day-Lewis to Star in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln". /Film.
  13. ^ Prabhakar, Binoy (January 19, 2013). "Anil Ambani's Reliance Entertainment hits Oscar jackpot with Lincoln". The Economic Times. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  14. ^ "Daniel Day Lewis Wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role | Stories99". Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  15. ^ "The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far". The New York Times. June 9, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  16. ^ Bradshaw, Peter; Clarke, Cath; Pulver, Andrew; Shoard, Catherine (September 13, 2019). "The 100 best films of the 21st century". The Guardian.


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