An insightful and well-researched essay by J. Hoberman at Tablet Magazine which considers the film -- directed by Spielberg and written by playwright Tony Kushner, two of America's highest-profile Jewish artists -- as a "Jewish" representation of Abraham Lincoln. "As imagined by Spielberg and Kushner, Lincoln’s Lincoln is the ultimate mensch. He is a skilled natural psychologist, an interpreter of dreams, and a man blessed with an extraordinarily clever and subtle legal mind. A master storyteller who speaks in parables and employs slyly self-deprecating humor, he is a small 'd' democrat glad to converse with anyone, willing to shoulder the solitary burden of historical tragedy, and, although capable of righteous wrath, ruled by compassion for all."
Hoberman then goes on to trace how the Great Emancipator -- should we call him the Great Oy-mancipator in this case? Sure, why not -- was championed and exalted almost immediately after his death by American Jews who recognized a modern day Moses in his story. Like that founder of the Jewish faith, Hoberman says, Lincoln was a man who "successfully led the oppressed out of bondage but was unable himself to enter the Promised Land." Using excerpts from historical speeches, he connects the history of American Judaism with Lincoln hero worship. I confess when I watched "Lincoln" last week, none of this struck me -- but reading Hoberman's piece, it now feels facepalmingly obvious. That's good film criticism for you -- it goes straight-up Old Testament on you. On Nov 14, 3:00 pm, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > Some Background Information for That Spielberg/Doris Kearns-Goodwin Lincoln > Movie . . .Posted byThomas DiLorenzoon November 14, 2012 12:10 PM > . . . that premiers this Friday, courtesy ofBob Wenzel. The movie is said to > about the latter pages ofthe bookTeam of Rivals: The Political Genius of > Abraham Lincolnby the confessed plagiarist Doris Kearns-Goodwin. Ireviewed > the bookon LRC when it came out several years ago. > Statism is the "religion" of all leftists like Doris Kearns-Goodwin, and they > just cannot think of enough superlatives for the most "successful" statists > in history. To such people, politics is life. There is nothing more. Goodwin > has spent her career as a hagiographer for FDR, Lyndon Johnson, the Kennedys, > and now Lincoln. She describes him with words like "decency," "kindness," > "morality," "sensitivity," "compassion," "honesty," "empathy," "uncommonly > tenderhearted," "phenomenal memory, " "remorseless logic," "acute reasoning > faculties," "a man who had never met his intellectual equal," "the very > embodiment of good temper and affability," "magnanimity," "a master among > men." > Regarding the fact that Abe was an atheist, Goodwin does her best to spin it > by writing of how sorry we all should feel for "Lincoln's inability to take > refuge in the concept of a Christian heaven" because "he confronted the loss > of loved ones without prospect of finding them in the afterlife." Boo hoo. > Enjoy the movie. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
