FOR THE WEEKEND: Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln & David Strathairn

I'm eagerly looking forward to the release, later this year, of Steven Spielberg's movie Abraham Lincoln. Apart from the obvious historical interest of the biographical movie, rarely have so many of my favourite actors been seen together in one film: Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader and David Strathairn - a hatrick! If only Paul Giamatti were in the cast too I'd be so overcome I'd need to be tied down in my cinema seat. Throw in Sam Elliott and I'd probably implode!

Leaving aside Tommy Lee Jones and James Spader for the moment (I'm sure they'd be relieved), I'm concentrating on David Strathairn today. He's an actor I'd often recognised in character parts, but until fairly recently hadn't connected the name to the face. Once I did, I began collecting DVDs and tapes of movies in which he has appeared over the years - more on that later.

Picked to play Abraham Lincoln himself is Daniel Day Lewis. Brilliant actor, of course, and is said, once in makeup to look uncannily like portraits we have of the man himself (see right). Liam Neeson was slated to play the part originally, but withdrew as he felt he's too old for the part. Appearance is half the battle in biographical movies. I'm sure DDL will turn in an Oscar-worthy performance, and yet, astrologically, David Strathairn would be much, much nearer to Abraham Lincoln in nature. He could easily be made to look like Lincoln too - though perhaps, like Liam Neeson, he is a tad too old.


David Strathairn was born on 26 January 1949 in San Francisco, Ca. at, according to Astrodatabank, 2:37 AM He will play William H. Seward (right), Lincoln's Secretaty of State, an outspoken abolitionist and a core member of Lincoln’s wartime cabinet. Seward was born on 16 May 1801 in Florida, New York at, according to Astrotheme 2:00 PM.

Daniel Day Lewis was born on 29 April 1957 in London. No time of birth available. He will play Abraham Lincoln who was born on 12 February 1809 in Hodgenville Ky. at, according to Astrodatabank, 6:54 AM.

On the face of it David Strathairn matches Lincoln's astrology better, and Daniel Day Lewis, astrologically, has more in common with William H. Seward.

Lincoln and Strathairn share Aquarius Sun and Capricorn Moon. They share that Aqua/Cap look too!

Daniel Day Lewis and William H. Seward share Sun and Mercury in Taurus.

Just a quirk of fate, I guess.

Back to David Strathairn's earlier movies seen recently. I've enjoyed every one. They're not listed in chronological order of release, but in the order in which we've watched them.

Common thread of David Strathairn's portrayals, for me, is a sense of quiet stability, reliability, and steadfastness. He's well able to portray these characteristics because they're part of his own nature, or so I suspect: reflections of Cardinal Capricorn Moon/Jupiter/Venus, and Fixed Aquarian Sun/Mercury/Mars.

Son of the Morning Star (TV 1991): Two-tape 3 hour VHS set . It's a "Custer's last stand against Crazy Horse and his braves" story, in more detail, clearer context, than most movies featuring the same scenario. Gary Cole (who I remembered as the Nighthawk from an old TV series Midnight Caller) plays George Armstrong Custer and gives the old war horse a more believable side than the usual stereotyped version. The presentation is longwinded, not for the faint-hearted, but worth the effort for anyone like myself, eternally fascinated by US history. Oooh - and David Strathairn (above), bedecked with startlingly blond wig, as Captain Benteen - launched me on a David Strathairn film search.



Limbo (1999): Set in a small Alaskan town, this movie defies any clearcut description. It's not a feel-good kind of movie, not a romance, not exactly in the horror or thriller genre either, but trace elements of all are there. Interesting characters, trying hard to re-program their lives, are its basis; excellent performance by David Strathairn in particular, with female lead Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Kris Kristofferson features in a more minor, though pivotal, role.



LA Confidential (1997): Film noir-ish tale of police corruption in 1950s Los Angeles. David Strathairn plays wealthy Pierce Patchett, who runs a stable of high-class call-girls who, having been altered by plastic surgery closely resemble popular glamourous female movie stars. Good movie, based on James Ellroy's novel. Leading roles went to Kevin Spacey & Russell Crowe.



Goodnight & Good Luck (2005): A movie where David Strathairn plays the lead: Edward R. Murrow, veteran radio and television journalist. The film tells of his conflict with U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the anti-Communist "witch-hunts" by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. David Strathairn was nominated as Best Actor for his performance, the film received 6 nominations in all. Written and directed by George Clooney who also played the role of Fred Friendly, co-producer of the show See It Now, with Murrow. Excellent film, amazing performance by David Strathairn!



Lathe of Heaven (2002) is a second adaptation of Ursula Le Guin's short novel. Ms Le Guin did not approve of this adaptation - and, having read her book since seeing the film, I can see why! The film omits some of the most intriguing parts of the book! It's a very engaging sci-fi/fantasy tale even so. In this adaptation David Strathairn plays the part of Mannie, a character who doesn't actually appear in the novel in the way he's presented in the film - which is odd. His role is mysterious, but is probably there to present a continuous stable presence for the main character, George Orr (hmmmm) to rely on throughout the chaos his dreams bring upon the world around him. I'm glad David Strathairn was in the movie - it was the only reason I bought the DVD that led me to the book - which I thoroughly enjoyed.


Return of the Seacaucus Seven (1980): One of those "reunion" films - story of seven friends, former activists, who spend a weekend together in New Hampshire ten years later. Written and directed by John Sayles. David Strathairn, (far right) in what I think was his first film role, plays a character who, though a friend of The Seven, is not a part of the group. The Seven are more yer white collar types, while he's a mechanic and gas station hand with, probably, more common sense than all the rather precious navel-gazing Seven had in total! Though film critics admired the film, we struggled through it and came out distinctly underwhelmed.



Matewan (1987) another film written and directed by John Sayles. It's fiction, but based on factual events around a coal mine-workers' strike and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia.

The struggles of coal-miners, through the years, and in countries all over the world, are legend. Mining coal before the advent of technological aids, was one of the hardest, most dangerous and valuable occupations of all, yet the men who did the job received some of the worst treatment. Makes my blood boil! I loved this film.
The excellent Chris Cooper (another character actor who doesn't get nearly the acclaim he deserves)plays the lead as union organiser. David Strathairn plays fair but firm police chief Sid Hatfield. A ten-out-of-ten movie for me, this one. Again, I have David Strathairn to thank for leading me to it!





Sneakers (1992) a "caper" movie based on juggling electronics, computer hacking, technology in general (as it was in 1992, anyway). David Strathairn plays Erwin "Whistler" Emory, a blind telephone expert, with an exceptionally acute sense of hearing. Well played Mr. Strathairn! Robert Redford has the leading role.
Entertaining movie - by the last scenes I remembered I'd seen it before many years ago - but that was BDS (Before David Strathairn)!



O Pioneers!(1992)A TV movie adaptation of the novel by Willa Cather. Set in late 19th century Nebraska it's a story of a Swedish immigrant family, and their challenges. Left as head of the family after her father's death, Alexandra Bergson (Jessica Lange)discovers a fierce love of the land she has inherited. It's a simple story, simply told and is a touching tribute to a part of the US often derided. David Strathairn plays Alexandra's love interest, Carl Lindstrum. He doesn't have a lot to do, but as always he turns in a solid performance.



Steel Toes(2006) ~~~ A Canadian film described in my previous post.






I half-suspected that I'd noted David Strathairn's name at some time in the past in one of these posts. After a bit of digging I found these words from a 2010 post, about a movie My Blueberry Nights: "Other characters the heroine meets on her travels are played by Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and, best acting of the movie: David Strathairn - an actor who deserves a starring part - SOON!" It took a while for me to catch up with his body of work, but now I'm on board and on a roll! Still many more DS films to sample, and no doubt blog about.

HATRED: "the madness of the heart"

Quote in the title is from Lord Byron. A somewhat related observation from commenter "edejan", under an article titled :
5 Recommendations for a New Politeness by Roy Speckhardt, Director of the American Humanist Association attracted my attention; the comment went like this:

The problem I see isn't lack of civility. That's the symptom. The problem is the seething and roiling hatred under the surface of so many people today. This is what needs to be addressed. Our social fabric is frayed to the point where the need for civility as a bonding force is not deemed necessary or even important. We are a nation which has been brutalized and divided by the greedy predators in powerful positions and have lost our sense of commonality and humanity. Perhaps what we really need is a re-ordering, restructuring and reinforcement of our social structure. How can that be done? I don't know.

I don't know either..

20th century British astrologer C.E.O. Carter wrote that:

"Hate is one of the most extreme Martian vibrations, through Scorpio rather than Aries, and probable generally with an admixture of Saturn or Uranus. The last-named is often violent in its antipathies, and, like Scorpio, may remember slights and insults after long periods. In maps (natal charts) capable of nourishing hatred and revenge the benefics are usually obscurely placed."

We all have all the signs and planets in our natures, some more emphasised than others, some dormant but alive - all are present in all of us, waiting to be called upon.

“........there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average human being to supply any given army on any given day”
― Charles Bukowski

Hatemongers will use any twisted logic and lies to persuade the uninformed or passive that their views are the right ones. People waving hate-ridden signs, and shouting abuse could, on the surface be seen as a release valve of sorts; but whipping up and encouraging hatred of this nature among onlookers, who will perhaps not stop to think things through for themselves, carries likelihood of far more dramatic and disastrous eventualities.

The original draft of this post had a different second half. I deleted it and replaced it with the following paragraphs relating to a movie we watched on DVD last Sunday evening. It's a little-known Canadian film, adaptation of a stage play by playwright David Gow : Steel Toes. The film's content is so relevant to the issue of hatred that I decided to include a reference to it here. I came across the DVD during my search for films in which David Strathairn has appeared.

In Steel Toes , set in Montreal, but would be equally relevant in any location, anywhere in the world, a liberal Jewish lawyer, Danny Dunckelman (David Strathairn) is appointed to represent a white supremacist, neo-nazi skinhead, Michael Downey (Andrew Walker). Downey is on trial for the racially motivated attack and murder of an East Indian immigrant.

There could be no clearer illustration of what hatreds can lead to than the first, barely watchable, scene of this film. Downey, crazed by hatred kicks to the edge of death - wearing steel-toed Doc Marten boots - an Indian cook, who has accidentally splashed Downey's clothing when throwing out some liquid.

90 minutes of dense and intense dialogue take viewers through opposing mindsets, beliefs and embedded hatreds of the skinhead and the lawyer. The lawyer, professionally bound to defend this man whose beliefs he finds alien and despicable, needs to delve deep into his own background and the teachings of his father, to face his own dormant hatred before he can begin to find a way to assist the neo-nazi to understand, and come to terms with, his own emotional excesses.

The lawyer understands, and tries continually to explain in some way to Downey, that the struggle against evil is primarily an internal one. Downey's failure and downfall was to externalize his struggle and inner fears by identifying specific scapegoats. Immigrants, for him, were The Enemy of "besieged" white men. Taking a broader view, outside of the film's scenario, instead of (or as well as) immigrants, targets could have been gays, any non-white people, or conversely from a "black" point of view any white people, muslims, the 1% (I must watch myself!), political right-wingers, left-wingers, women, men.....the beat of hatreds, both deep and shallow, goes on.

Strathairn and Walker give exemplary performances in what must have been seriously difficult roles for both: Strathairn isn't Jewish, and Walker, in real life, is worlds away from the skinhead neo-nazi mentality. The actors needed to acquire in depth insights into the beliefs of the film's two central characters. In interview at the end of the film David Strathairn explained that he, though not Jewish, had attended Temple and read parts of the Torah in preparation for the role.

Before the injured man died in hospital from internal bleeding he had made a statement, written for him by his wife, detailing his loss of sight, inability to walk or sit resulting form the brutal beating he received from Downey, but offering Downey compassion and forgiveness. Dunckelman repeatedly makes Downey read this document aloud until a change occurs and crazed hatred and anger begin to subside.

The film will long remain in my memory, especially lawyer Danny Dunckelman's words in the last scene of all as he examines his father's prayer shawl (Wiki has the proper term for this shawl = a tallit). I recalled a phrase used by the commenter I quoted earlier in this post: "....our social fabric is frayed....."
Danny Dunckelman says, echoing earlier meditations (and I admit to not really understanding the words, but still finding them beautiful) :

These seven threads comprise a cloth: spirit, light, time, space, birth, death, and the seventh thread, which is the mystery of the universe. This seventh thread is also the opposite of spirit, the opposite of light, the opposite of time, the opposite of space, the opposite of birth, the opposite of death. The seven threaded dimensional cloth, which is the very fabric of the unnameable. The fabric extending out from any point of our universe. This movement, this animation, this extension in the cloth is the divine dance of eternity.