While press will supposedly begin seeing Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln toward the end of September and into October (I’m told people outside of NY and LA will be seeing it on the later end of the spectrum), the film is now confirmed to have its world premiere on November 8 as the Closing Night Gala film at the AFI Fest 2012.
Last year Clint Eastwood‘s J. Edgar was the big pic to play at the AFI Fest and was later named one of the AFI’s “Films of the Year” but was subsequently shut-out of the Oscar race receiving zero nominations. Like Lincoln, J. Edgar was played close to the chest by Warner Bros. throughout most of the Oscar season and was instantly judged based on comparisons to Leonardo DiCaprio‘s performance and makeup as controversial FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Daniel Day-Lewis has prompted similar scorn from many questioning his choice of tone for Lincoln’s voice.
The number of people questioning Day-Lewis’ performance (based solely on one trailer mind you) even prompted Slate to reach out to leading Lincoln expert Harold Holzer who attempted to squash all concerns saying, “Uncanny, convincing, and historically right… [T]he combined Kentucky-Hoosier twang [and] the surprisingly high-pitched voice. Lincoln didn’t growl–in fact some people said he whined!”
Holzer even praised Day-Lewis’ posture adding “the slump … the rounded shoulders that contemporaries noted … as if Lincoln literally had the weight of the world on him.”
So there you have it, the leading expert is on board and while, as Slate’s Forrest Wickman says, it’s not the “booming baritones we associate with our greatest orators”, isn’t it more important (and to be expected from Daniel Day-Lewis) that the performance be factually accurate? Or does the unexpected tone of voice affect your enjoyment since it isn’t what you may have suspected?
Lincoln will begin hitting theaters one day after its world premiere, November 9, in a limited roll-out that will expand nationwide the following weekend. I have included the trailer for you once again directly below in case you missed it the first time.
