The movie depicts the last days of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. He tries to put an end to the American civil war, which is slowly pulling the whole nation into chaos and separating the Northern and Southern states. In addition, he intends to abolish slavery in the Southern states with the help of the 13th amendment to the constitution. This intention upset many people who were against the abolishment of slavery, and in the end, Lincoln had to pay with his life for it. Not only was the civil war brought to an end a few months after his death, but also the 13th amendment came into force after the ratification by the federal states; and thus, slavery was finally abolished in the USA.

Steven Spielberg's historical drama film was awarded with numerous prizes, among them the Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor. So far, the movie grossed more than 200 million dollars worldwide, with a budget of 50 million dollars. To sum it up: it's a great, nicely shot movie and most of all an outstanding dedication to President Abraham Lincoln.

The marketing section of FOX decided to provide a short explanation of the necessary facts about Abraham Lincoln and the American history in the international release outside of the USA. They came to the conclusion that most people probably wouldn't know about the role that Abraham Lincoln played in the civil war and in the abolishment of slavery.

Comparison between the PG-13 DVD and the German FSK 12 DVD by 20th Century Fox.

0 Min
The US version contains one more logo of Touchstone Pictures.
10 sec

1 Min
The additional explanation in the international version begins after the title display and ends with the beginning of the scene on the battlefield.
48 sec