Best Picture, Director, Actor, Music, Supporting Actor and Actress, Cinematography, Costumes and Production Design.
Those are the Oscar noms that will likely go to Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln." As for winning - Daniel Day-Lewis just might become the first man ever to grab a third statue for Best Actor.
The renowned performer, who already won for "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood," accepted this role on one condition: a full year to prepare. During that time, he read more than 100 books on the subject - while working tirelessly with the makeup artist to perfect Lincoln's look.
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In this undated publicity photo released by DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as President Abraham Lincoln in Stephen Spielberg’s new film, “Lincoln.”
The results are spectacular.
If this isn't what Lincoln was like, it's surely the way we all think of him: gentle, wise, compassionate, democratic, utterly determined, self-deprecating and generally fearless - except perhaps toward his wife, here played with rawness and ferocity by Sally Field.
Groundless were my fears that Field and writer Tony Kushner might tone down Mary Todd's famous fire and stubbornness: This First Lady is as headstrong as a freight train - blazing and precise in persistent grief over the loss of son Willie at age 11; yet she is a fully rounded individual, garnering respect and sympathy from the audience and from those in Washington's shark-infested social atmosphere.
Politically, "Lincoln" was an eye-opener for me, as it may be for others in the wake of an election that rarely showed us at our best. Many have lamented the low level to which modern politics have sunk - but it was apparently no different in Lincoln's day.
His work to win approval for a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery is this film's principal focus; I was stunned at what Lincoln and his team went through to achieve this worthy goal - scheming, maneuvering, compromising and often literally buying votes.
In addition to Field and DDL, "Lincoln" features a bevy of veteran supporting actors: Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, Jackie Earle Haley, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tim Blake Nelson, among others.
It's amazing how cutting-edge actors like Haley, Nelson and Spader - so well suited to modern-day hipness - simply disappear into their historical roles. Jones in particular seems poised to take a second Oscar.
The film also features yet another excellent score from the veteran John Williams; I wish they'd credited the trumpet soloist, who practically qualifies as a character in the film (sit through the closing credits if you want to hear some real playing).
And as ever, Janusz Kaminski's photography is breath-taking; he has filmed all of Spielberg's movies since "Schindler's List" - for which he won an Oscar, followed shortly by another for "Saving Private Ryan." This time around, however, he's up against Roger Deakins' mesmerizing work in "Skyfall."
Spielberg and Co. are fortunate to have a subject that is worthy of all this talent and hard work; after a painfully divisive election, here's one politician we can all get behind.
