"...I leave it to you to determine how it shall be done, but remember that I am President of the United States, clothed with immense power, and I expect you to procure those two votes ...”
I give lots of credit to Stephen Spielburg for his genius in directing the movie, as well as the screenwriter who provided such a tension driven script. At the moment of the quote I listed at the beginning, I had grown to love the character of Lincoln as much as I had through the many books about him I had read in my younger years. I literally choked back tears and found it difficult to catch my breath being so lost in the moment, which is rare for me. I also felt that the other actors, notably Tommy Lee Jones, really came into the movie prepared. This could be attributed to Daniel's reputation as a character actor and how he consumes himself with a role. I would assume that makes everyone on-board a bit more inclined to known their role and play it well.
While the language might keep me from presenting it to students in school, I would want them to watch it regardless, as it is an epic performance by actors who assumed bigger than life roles and nailed them all. I felt that the story itself was a tribute to a man who often recognized as the most popular president in American history. Having read much about his life, it is easy to see how his own personal struggles and misfortunes helped shape the man, who would have the courage and perseverance to take the reins in a time of chaos and change America forever.