A new 20 minute featurette on Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, plus changes to the film for international release

Despite garnering 12 Academy Award nominations and grossing over $150 million in the US, LINCOLN is far from a sure bet for Best Picture at the Oscars. In fact, despite critical acclaim, the movie may not have as much success outside of American theaters.

If you have not seen LINCOLN, I encourage you to check out the brand new 20 minute featurette below courtesy of Apple Trailers. The fascinating video gives plentiful clips from the movie as well as a good deal of background on the historical context of the movie. Steven Spielberg has been saying since day one that this movie is not the biography of Abraham Lincoln but rather a snapshot of a major moment in his presidency. That is what gives LINCOLN a little something unique compared to the historical dramas we have seen in recent years. It is focused rather than sprawling.

But, that focus does give the studio some issues when trying to sell the movie overseas. The Hollywood Reporter says that when LINCOLN debuts in international markets, the opening of the movie will carry a new introduction text crawl explaining the situation of the Civil War and slavery. It always makes me feel like a xenocentric fool whenever I realize that other countries know as much about our political system and history as we do theirs. Sure, they may understand the general aspects of American politics, but with LINCOLN focused on the governmental process of passing amendments and bills, people in Europe and Asia may be left scratching their heads.

Audiences in Japan will also get a filmed introduction from Spielberg himself before the film begins to explain the film a bit as well. Marketing is being adjusted to fit LINCOLN into the context of the Civil War, which it seems many outside of America do not connect.

It will be interesting to see how well LINCOLN does everywhere else in the world. It is doing pretty well here and may do even better come Oscar night.