No matter how you understand the cause of the civil war, whether it is religious, cultural, moral or economic interests, the crux is slavery. Either the starting point is slavery or the end point is slavery. As long as slavery is solved, all contradictions between the north and the south will disappear. But if it is not solved, even if the civil war is over, a new war will be fought again as long as there is an opportunity. The surrender of the south is just a long truce. The north has made great sacrifices, paying the lives and future of thousands of young people. In any case, there will be victory. There must be a saying about how to make the south never rebel again. There are only two solutions, either permanently disarm the South or abolish slavery. The former is obviously impossible, not to mention the Second Amendment to the Constitution. It is totally unacceptable that every southerner can take up arms and leave some states at a disadvantage forever. Then the solution can only be the latter, that is, the abolition of slavery.
What about the thirteenth amendment to the constitution? The full text of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is as follows: Section 1 Slavery and forced labor shall not exist anywhere in the territory of the United States under the jurisdiction of the United States, except as punishment for crimes committed by legally convicted persons; Section 2. Congress has the right to pass appropriate legislation to implement this clause.
At that time, as a radical in the Republican Party, Thaddeus Stevens, a representative of Pennsylvania (that is, everyone in the film looks like a cripple who owes him 320 silver) actually wanted this amendment: "Everyone is equal before the law, and no one can treat others as slaves. Congress has the right to enact appropriate legislation to ensure the implementation of this declaration anywhere in the United States. "
Comparing the two, we will find that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution cannot even guarantee legal equality. That's why there are fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. In the movie, in order to promote the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, thaddeus Stevens only admitted the legal equality against his will, and the plot of denying the equality of all beings was actually an artistic fiction. In reality, the political opinions of the radicals at that time were actually limited to the level of legal equality.
Therefore, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is the lowest repeal bill. Without this bill, the civil war would be in vain. Therefore, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is Lincoln's bottom line, something that can never be discussed and traded. This is the key to understanding the movie Lincoln. This is reflected in many places in the film. For example, Lincoln dreamed that he was about to reach the other shore by boat, suggesting that the Abolition Act was the last shore and the whole civil war. For example, the cruelty at the beginning of the war, the soldiers telling the sacrifices of their loved ones and reciting the Gettysburg address all imply that the abolition of slavery bill is imperative, otherwise the soldiers' blood will be wasted. Therefore, Lincoln's determination to promote the abolition of slavery was determined at the beginning of the film and unshakable. The question is how much sacrifice Lincoln has to pay for it.
In addition, we should also note that although the film only tells the story of Lincoln's vigorous promotion of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, it is actually a biographical film. After all, the focus of the film is Lincoln himself, not the meaning of the Thirteenth Amendment. The thirteenth amendment is just a clue, a story-telling setting, and its purpose is to portray Lincoln. So there will be a lot of family scenes that have nothing to do with the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and Lincoln will inexplicably come up with all kinds of cold jokes, so that the film will also make an official speech through the mouth of the Secretary of War. However, the significance of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is vague, and it is only mentioned in a few necessary places, such as a beginning and an end, so that the audience will not forget why these people are doing this.
So, on the other hand, this movie script is very clever. The reason why this story is captured from Lincoln's Long Years is that the climax and suspense are well set and the conflicting characters are concentrated. As a clue, you can insert anything you want to express, such as Lincoln's fatherly image, Lincoln's approachability, Lincoln's political skills and pragmatic attitude, without making the film feel fragmented.
For Lincoln's portrayal, a golden statue of Lewis has already explained the problem, so I don't need to say anything. I only said supporting roles. There are two supporting roles in the scene, which I think is more exciting and quite touching. One is that Rep. Stevens spoke against his will and the amendment was passed. When Stevens hesitated, the camera swept the waiting reporters and realized that his speech now would change history, followed by Mary and Calais (black people) who humiliated him. The former is one's own dignity, and the latter is the happiness that black people are about to get. A pair of difficult choices, in the end, Ashley and Litton are two opposing parties, with Ashley's ardent expectations and prestige for his former colleagues (Stevens mocked Litton in the previous plot). Then Stevens lowered his head and said this sentence with the fastest speed. "I don't think all beings are equal, I just think they are equal in law, nothing else." No matter what the other party said afterwards, he said it again like a repeater until he was angered by Pendleton. Finally, he said it again. I feel different three times. The first time I felt ashamed, the second time I escaped, and the third time I accepted it completely. This is the classic three-stage psychological stage of doing disgusting things. Of course, I was deeply impressed by pendleton who participated in the opposite play. I found that his pioneer seems to be losing his position. First, he helped me, but it was really bad. Then he jumped out and went into battle by himself. The last sentence is "How dare you?" The indignity of losing identity is different from Xiao Mu's performance.
This story is a small climax, and the brewing mood is quite wonderful. It always reminds the audience of what kind of inner suffering Stevens experienced before making such a choice, and makes the audience feel how great Stevens' sacrifice is, which makes people admire and move.
The next story is the story of Robert, the eldest son. First of all, thank you for the script. Unexpectedly, Robert first put up a flag and said, "You can't scare me, I just want to join the army." As a result, I was scared to pee when I saw the broken limb and leg. However, the idea of joining the army has not been dispelled, but it has become more determined and unquestionable. This treatment has greatly improved Robert's image. Being aware of your fears and facing them directly is true courage, not ignorance. Eagles don't breed pigeons.
Secondly, I still want to talk about the performances of two actors. When Robert was called by Lincoln, the first expression was actually the expression of a child eager for comfort from his parents, as if to say, "Dad, it's terrible." But when he stood up, his expression had withdrawn. As a father, Lincoln expressed his disapproval in the same tone as his son Robert, and then Robert said a very hurtful sentence: "You are afraid of my mother, not of my death (you won't let me join the army)." Then Lincoln couldn't help slapping and immediately realized that he was wrong. He quickly hugged his son's face, as if asking if his son's face was very painful. I was really sorry just now, and then Robert threw it away and left angrily. Lincoln kept rubbing his hands like a wrong child, which made people feel particularly sad. After Robert left, Lincoln muttered, "I can't lose you, son." Typical introverted father.
I have to say that watching movies made by famous directors and actors can't guarantee that the films will be excellent, but they will never let you down.