The trailer for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln has finally arrived, now that that business with vampires is out of the way.

Based on a recent biography, the movie charts the last few months of Lincoln’s life, the ending of slavery and the Union victory in the Civil War. Spielberg says he’s most interested in the very close vote in the House of Representatives over the 13th Amendment that permanently ended slavery. He intends to show “Lincoln at work, not just Lincoln standing around posing for the history books…arguably the greatest working President in American history doing some of the greatest work for the world.”

I hope it presents a balanced, realistic take on what the situation was back then, and doesn’t just go for hero worship. Here’s a quote from Lincoln that I’ll guess is not in the movie -

“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races – that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”
- Abraham Lincoln, 4th Lincoln/Douglas Debate, 1858

Lincoln is released on the 9th November in the US, and 25th January in the UK. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and Tommy Lee Jones.

Sitting alone in a chair looking downbeat wrapped in something, going for an Oscar.