Is 'Lincoln' the real deal?

'This comes closer to reality,' says Lincoln biographer James McPherson after seeing Steven Spielberg's biopic. McPherson and other historians helped Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner flesh out the man and his times.

November 28, 2012|By Rebecca Keegan, Tribune Newspapers
  • The Lincoln family in 1864: (from right), President Abraham Lincoln, his sons Thomas and Robert and his wife, Mary.
The Lincoln family in 1864: (from right), President Abraham Lincoln, his sons Thomas and Robert and his wife, Mary. (MPI/Getty Images)

Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" is a historical biopic more concerned with depicting the 16th president's logrolling politics than his log-splitting childhood.


"There have been other movies about Lincoln," said James McPherson, a Civil War historian, Abraham Lincoln biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Battle Cry of Freedom," in a recent interview after seeing the film. "They tended to reflect a romanticized Lincoln, almost a mythologized Lincoln. This comes closer to reality. This shows Lincoln's exhaustion, his gauntness — and his storytelling."


In focusing on a short span of time, the movie delves deeply into Lincoln's personality, his political tactics and his relationship with his Cabinet and family. As a result, McPherson said, he considers "Lincoln," which stars Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, the most accurate screen portrayal of the great leader that he's ever seen.

We asked the historian to help answer some of our questions after seeing the film. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. (Warning: If you haven't seen "Lincoln" yet, this interview contains some spoilers):




He was accessible, but usually in his office in the White House. He would in effect hold office hours, and people could come to see him. The opening scene where he's basically out on the street talking to soldiers is probably pretty fictional.






That was pretty much true. When (Lincoln's third son) Willie was alive, the two of them together had free rein in the White House, much to the consternation of (Lincoln's private secretaries) John Hay and John Nicolay, and much to the consternation of some members of the Cabinet. Lincoln was a very indulgent father toward those two boys but not toward his older son, Robert.
