The Lost Cause Movie Analysis
Lost Cause? Not in Lincoln
The movie Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a good representation of Civil War history with major emphasis on emancipation and the Thirteenth Amendment. One thing to notice is that this recent movie does not jump onto the Confederate Lost Cause bandwagon like many of the older movies I saw in the past. It shows that the Lost Cause view of the Civil War is beginning to fade away in modern day era but also shows the influences of present day view on Civil War history.
According to the Lost Cause mythology, the slaves were content with their masters, Union generals were often portrayed as barbaric, incompetent commanders, Confederate generals like Lee and Jackson were focused on and …show more content…
Although the movie itself takes place mostly in the North, the theme slavery plays a significant part throughout the movie. One character to point out immediately is Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave but now a member of Lincoln’s household. In one scene, Lincoln’s younger son, Tad, asks Mrs. Keckley if she was beaten when she was a slave; she responds with, “I was beaten with a fire shovel when I was younger than you.” This shows the cruelty she experienced as a slave. Another significant quote by her is at the part where she talks to Lincoln after the play; she tells Lincoln that, “White people don’t want us here . . . Negroes have been fighting and dying for freedom since the first of us was a slave.” Her words show that the notion of slaves happy with their masters under the Lost Cause mythology is rejected in this …show more content…
Lincoln is no exception. This movie was released in 2011, so it is influenced by the present day view of Civil War history. The Lost Cause view turns out to be fading away as almost none of the Lost Cause mythology elements are present in this movie. However, it also reflects other noteworthy modern era influences and views on the Civil War. For example, nowadays people fail to notice things in the Civil War like the abolitionists. And indeed, there is no sign of abolitionists to be found in Lincoln, only the radical Republican Party members. Another thing to point out is the passiveness of the African-American roles in this movies. The black soldiers, former slaves and free black men in this movie seem to not have a big impact to the story and are simply waiting for freedom and salvation. At the beginning of the movie, the two black soldiers talk to Lincoln during a rainy night. The younger one simply points out the unequal treatments they are getting and hoping things will get better in the future while the older one seems uncomfortable with the topic and wants to change the topic. The black characters in this movie all seem to be very passive, including Mrs. Keckley; they all seem to be waiting for their savior, Lincoln to do something for them. This may be a result of this notion of “Lincoln the Great Emancipator” of the modern day era. The racism and mistreatment suffered by black people, including
The movie Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a good representation of Civil War history with major emphasis on emancipation and the Thirteenth Amendment. One thing to notice is that this recent movie does not jump onto the Confederate Lost Cause bandwagon like many of the older movies I saw in the past. It shows that the Lost Cause view of the Civil War is beginning to fade away in modern day era but also shows the influences of present day view on Civil War history.
According to the Lost Cause mythology, the slaves were content with their masters, Union generals were often portrayed as barbaric, incompetent commanders, Confederate generals like Lee and Jackson were focused on and …show more content…
Although the movie itself takes place mostly in the North, the theme slavery plays a significant part throughout the movie. One character to point out immediately is Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave but now a member of Lincoln’s household. In one scene, Lincoln’s younger son, Tad, asks Mrs. Keckley if she was beaten when she was a slave; she responds with, “I was beaten with a fire shovel when I was younger than you.” This shows the cruelty she experienced as a slave. Another significant quote by her is at the part where she talks to Lincoln after the play; she tells Lincoln that, “White people don’t want us here . . . Negroes have been fighting and dying for freedom since the first of us was a slave.” Her words show that the notion of slaves happy with their masters under the Lost Cause mythology is rejected in this …show more content…
Lincoln is no exception. This movie was released in 2011, so it is influenced by the present day view of Civil War history. The Lost Cause view turns out to be fading away as almost none of the Lost Cause mythology elements are present in this movie. However, it also reflects other noteworthy modern era influences and views on the Civil War. For example, nowadays people fail to notice things in the Civil War like the abolitionists. And indeed, there is no sign of abolitionists to be found in Lincoln, only the radical Republican Party members. Another thing to point out is the passiveness of the African-American roles in this movies. The black soldiers, former slaves and free black men in this movie seem to not have a big impact to the story and are simply waiting for freedom and salvation. At the beginning of the movie, the two black soldiers talk to Lincoln during a rainy night. The younger one simply points out the unequal treatments they are getting and hoping things will get better in the future while the older one seems uncomfortable with the topic and wants to change the topic. The black characters in this movie all seem to be very passive, including Mrs. Keckley; they all seem to be waiting for their savior, Lincoln to do something for them. This may be a result of this notion of “Lincoln the Great Emancipator” of the modern day era. The racism and mistreatment suffered by black people, including