Director Steven Spielberg has been working on bringing President Abraham Lincoln to the big screen for over a decade, and his long-in-the-works project finally hits theaters next month with Lincoln.  In the first of what is likely quite a few profiles of the director and his film leading into awards season, Spielberg recently sat down with 60 Minutes to discuss the project’s development and production, as well as his career.  Surprisingly, much of the interview focuses on Spielberg’s upbringing and how his estranged relationship with his father (and later reconciliation) affected his career.

There’s also some great stuff about Lincoln, including an interview with Daniel Day-Lewis and the revelation that Spielberg and sound designer Ben Burtt got permission to record the ticking of Lincoln’s actual watch to use in the film.  Both pieces of the interview are a must-see for film fans.  Hit the jump to take a look.  Lincoln opens on November 9th in limited release and November 16th wide.

The first interview focuses mostly on Spielberg’s family life and how that influenced his films, while the second is more Lincoln-centric.  It’s a revealing look at how the filmmaker’s personal life is reflected in his work: absent fathers reign supreme when he and his father were estranged (Hook, E.T., etc.), then become heroes after he and his father patched things up (War of the Worlds, Minority Report, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).

Via 60 Minutes:

Here’s the synopsis for Lincoln:

Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.