Steven Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt treated thousands of viewers on Thursday September 13 in a live Google+ Hangout to a trailer of their upcoming biopic “Lincoln.” In the trailer, we witness an uncanny Daniel Day Lewis take on the gravitas of one of America’s most iconoclastic presidents. The snippet reveals what appears to be both a reserved and fiery performance on Lewis’ part. We see Lincoln neither romanticized on the battlefield or building up enough log cabins to stretch to the moon. What we do see, is something that seems like one of the most careful and attentive portrayals of Lincoln to date.
Ironically, we have gems like Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter to thank for fueling Spielberg’s desire to create such a film. Lincoln’s presidency and accomplishments has lead to the building of a legend as opposed to a mere national leader. Spielberg stated that it was because of the the growing weight of the legend that he was motivated to create a film that contained “the content of Lincoln’s life treat him as a man, not a monument.”
Hangout viewers, both online and in Time Square, hung onto such sentiments and began disseminating the link to the trailer far and wide. This caused a spike in mentions on Twitter right after the 4 o’clock pacific hangout time. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for some though and quite a few hangout viewers reported seeing only a buffering image. Once again though, this can be seen as a positive as it indicates how the hangout was receiving a large influx of viewers.
Is this a new intriguing way for Hollywood to tease it’s upcoming releases? Historical subjects like Lincoln occasionally get lost in the tumult of B-rated romance comedies, gory horror sequels, and superhero movies these days. Perhaps embracing this format of screening trailers to a world wide social media audience all at one fixed time can create a more memorable impact. The Disney Interactive Studios Hangout was good evidence of this. If you missed the Hangout and wish to watch it yourself, check out the video of it below.
Mitra Faridian first joined the site in 2011 under the handle “Persian Poetess.” Her gaming and entertainment taste is very eclectic and she’s always open to a fun new virtual adverture. Email her at the following address: mitra [at] dragonblogger.com