“Argo” is the clear favorite to win the Best Picture and it was my favorite film of the year. But the winner for the best studio marketing campaign for this awards season, by far, is “Lincoln”.
As a first year member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association I had no idea what to expect as far as receiving movie screeners and other “goodies” from the studios. I must say, as the season winds-down, that it has been overwhelming. I’ve gotten over 100 films on DVD, dozens of scripts, soundtrack CDs, and other very cool items. And practically all of the best extras are from “Lincoln”: coffee table books, numbered artwork, making-of DVD, even a Mary Todd Lincoln cookbook. DreamWorks has spared no expense in publicizing and celebrating this special film.
And now they’ve taken thing even futher, with the announcement that every High School and Middle School in the country will be sent a copy of the “Lincoln” DVD when it is released. This is part of a campaign, “Stand Tall: Live Like Lincoln”, kicked-off this week in conjunction with Abe’s birthday. Director Steven Spielberg is excited to have millions of students see the film:
“As more and more people began to see the film, we received letters from teachers asking if it could be available in their classrooms. We realized that the educational value that “Lincoln” could have was not only for the adult audience – who have studied his lfe in history books – but for the young students in the classroom as well.”
The DVD package each school will receive includes an Educator’s Guide to help teachers engage in discussions and a complete lesson plan relating to the signifcance of Abraham Lincoln’s leadership and the importance of that period in our nations’ history.
Congratulations to Participant Media, DreamWorks Pictures, Fox/Newscorp and Disney In-Home for this effort. I’ve already seen “Lincoln” twice, but will be more than happy to host the screening at my school when our copy arrives.