Lincoln Movie - Your Reviews

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These are always interesting. Movie goofs (from IMDB.com)--some have already been pick-up by the keen eyes of some of the previous posters.

Anachronisms

Mary Lincoln worries at one point that her son might be killed by a sniper. The term sniper did not come into use in the US until well after the Civil War. The equivalent term for that period would have been sharp shooter.

During a scene after one if the House sessions the camera pans to the Washington statue within the Virginia Presidents room of the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, VA. In order to show the statue from the front the shot had to include the bust to its right of President Woodrow Wilson, 28th President who wasn't born until 1856.

Near the beginning of the film, Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones) leaves his office. He opens a door and it closes back via an automatic door closer. These weren't invented until the 1880s.

In one scene, William Bilbo mentions to Mr. Lincoln that his (Lincoln's) face is on the 50-cent piece. This is technically incorrect. Lincoln appeared on the .50 fractional currency piece (fractional currency was paper currency that was issued instead of silver coins during the silver war). However, Lincoln did not appear on his .50 fractional currency until at least the fourth series which started in 1869.


There were several references by characters in regards to the White House. Actually, at that time, it was still referred to as the Executive Mansion, or The Mansion. The term "White House" did not come about until Theodore Roosevelt was President.


When Lincoln is talking to two "Colored" soldiers at the start of the film about their recent battle, one of them self-identifies as a member of the 5th Mass. [Colored] Cavalry. However, the 5th Mass. was not fully mustered until May, 1865 -- a month after Lincoln was assassinated.


Character error

At the beginning of the film a young soldier tells Lincoln that he was there to hear him deliver the Gettysburg Address two years earlier. This opening scene is set in December 1864 or early January 1865; Lincoln delivered his speech on November 19, 1863 - 13 months earlier. The soldier should have said one year ago.

Continuity

When Grant and Lincoln are talking at the house on the day Lincoln visited Petersburg on the final day of battle, they both stand up and Lincoln extends his hand to shake Grant's hand and Grant takes it but as the camera switches to a different angle of the two men, Lincoln is extending his hand and Grant takes it again.

Preston Blair (Hal Holbrook) takes Tad Lincoln by both hands. In the shots from one angle Blair has his hands under Tad's. In the shots from another angle, Tad's hands are under Blair's.

Seward's cigar length changes too rapidly while he, Lincoln, and Mr. and Mrs. Jolly discuss the vote. At the end of their brief conversation, the cigar is much shorter than it should be after only a few puffs.

When Robert waits outside the military hospital, in the shot looking from inside the hospital outside to the carriage, the American flag over the door is billowing in a breeze. When the shot switches to the outside looking in, the flag is completely still.

Factual errors

During the surrender at Appomattox, Gen. Grant, is dressed as one would expect, clean and well-kept. However, according to historian Shelby Foote, during the Ken Burns' Civil War documentary, he states that Gen. Grant was very muddy, and was wearing the overcoat of a private, not his own.

Lincoln's secretary John Nicolay was Bavarian by birth and spoke with a heavy German accent.

In the scenes where Congress is debating and then ultimately voting on the 13th Amendment all desk in the chamber appear to be occupied, but if the Southern States had not ceded from the Union there apparently would not have been enough desks for their 18 representatives. Accordingly, there should have been 18 vacant desks during those scenes.

The two-seat horse buggy ridden by Lincoln had two men in the front, but are in the wrong places. The shotgun rider should be on the right, and the coachman (the one with the whip) should be on the left (this was required to protect pedestrians from the whip of the coachman).

As portrayed in the film, Robert E. Lee rides up on his horse to meet with U.S. Grant at Appomatox, but only salutes Grant, and doesn't even dismount. Actually, the two men met in the house where they both convened, and Grant graciously accepted Lee's surrender, and agreed to give 50,000 rations to Lee for his men, who were starving.

When the roll call of the members of congress began, by state, in alphabetical order, the speaker began with Connecticut. He should have began with California, which was admitted to the union in 1850 and had 3 representatives in the 38th congress (March 1863 to March 1865).

Incorrectly regarded as goofs

One Senator says that the 13th amendment will be the first time slavery is mention in the Constitution. Slavery is often believed to be mentioned explicitly but it was not. In fact, the absence of the direct mention of slavery formed the basis of an argument made by abolitionists including Lysander Spooner that slavery was unconstitutional even before the 13th amendment.

The piece being played by the pit orchestra before the announcement of Lincoln's assassination is Beethoven's "Egmont" Overture. This is not intended to take place at Ford's Theatre, but at a concert being attended by Tad Lincoln elsewhere. It is merely a "red herring," as the viewer assumes the assassination sequence to be shown.

Revealing mistakes

Early on, Lincoln meets with Seward and others in a White House office (or drawing room); bright daylight streams through a window in the background. The camera briefly pans past a clock that reads 5 pm -- very close to sunset in mid-November.