{"id":32440,"date":"2013-08-20T12:36:54","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T19:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32440"},"modified":"2020-12-12T14:20:31","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T21:20:31","slug":"abraham-lincoln-1930","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32440","title":{"rendered":"Abraham Lincoln (1930)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Do you suppose there&#8217;s a human being who wants peace more than I do?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abe-Lincoln-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abe-Lincoln-Poster-195x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-54955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abe-Lincoln-Poster-195x300.png 195w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abe-Lincoln-Poster-667x1024.png 667w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abe-Lincoln-Poster-83x128.png 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abe-Lincoln-Poster-176x270.png 176w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abe-Lincoln-Poster.png 731w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter mourning the loss of his first love, Ann Rutledge (Una Merkel), Abraham Lincoln (Walter Huston) marries Mary Todd (Kay Hammond), becomes president of the United States, oversees the bloodiest war in American history, and eventually dies at the hands of assassin John Wilkes Boothe (Ian Keith).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Biopics<\/li>\n<li>D.W. Griffith Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<<\/li>\n<li>Walter Huston Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nFamed silent director D.W. Griffith&#8217;s foray into sound films was less than successful, resulting in just two unexceptional &#8220;talkies&#8221;: 1931&#8217;s <em>The Struggle<\/em> (about a marriage threatened by alcoholism), and this episodic biopic about one of America&#8217;s most legendary presidents. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1597\" height=\"1033\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1.png 1597w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1-300x194.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1-1024x662.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1-128x83.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1-768x497.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1-1536x994.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still-1-417x270.png 417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1597px) 100vw, 1597px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Abraham Lincoln<\/em> has been somewhat unfairly maligned over the years &#8212; most notoriously by Harry Medved and Randy Dreyfuss in their book <em>The Fifty Worst Films of All Time<\/em> (1978), where the authors call out (among other things) the melodramatic acting style of Merkel (who they refer to as &#8220;very simply beneath contempt&#8221;):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1519\" height=\"1017\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2.png 1519w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2-1024x686.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2-128x86.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2-768x514.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Merkel2-403x270.png 403w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1519px) 100vw, 1519px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; the occasionally clunky dialogue (&#8220;Oh, Ann! I love you so!&#8221;), and the screenplay&#8217;s revisionist tendencies (i.e., Lincoln spouting part of his inaugural address before settling down to watch his final play at Ford&#8217;s Theater). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1503\" height=\"1031\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech.png 1503w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech-300x206.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech-1024x702.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech-128x88.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech-768x527.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Speech-394x270.png 394w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1503px) 100vw, 1503px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, Medved and Dreyfuss&#8217;s attack simply comes across as mean-spirited &#8212; as is their entire book, come to think of it. While <em>Abraham Lincoln<\/em> hasn&#8217;t dated all that well, and is far from accurate as a nuanced history lesson, it&#8217;s not nearly the clunker these authors claim it to be. <em>Abraham Lincoln<\/em> is primarily a victim of its own era &#8212; the transition between silent films and talkies, a time when few directors were getting things completely &#8220;right&#8221;. In addition, the episodic nature of the screenplay doesn&#8217;t do the subject any favors, with far too much material covered in too short a time. Huston does a fine job as Lincoln:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1533\" height=\"1021\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston.png 1533w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston-1024x682.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston-128x85.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Huston-405x270.png 405w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1533px) 100vw, 1533px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; though I ultimately prefer Henry Fonda&#8217;s more introspective interpretation in John Ford&#8217;s superior <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32369\"><em>Young Mr. Lincoln<\/em> (1939)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some evidence of fine composition (by Griffith) and cinematography (by Karl Struss)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1485\" height=\"1025\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1.png 1485w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1-300x207.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1-1024x707.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1-128x88.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1-768x530.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Abraham-Lincoln-Still2-1-391x270.png 391w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1485px) 100vw, 1485px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo. Listed as a film with Historical significance in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0020620\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.nytimes.com\/movie\/review?res=9403E7DB1338E433A25755C2A96E9C946194D6CF&#038;gwh=E11385D7BD871DB4C139B94C6817CD8A\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/abraham_lincoln.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4037linc.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/66713\/abraham-lincoln#articles-reviews?articleId=313587\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Do you suppose there&#8217;s a human being who wants peace more than I do?&#8221; Synopsis: After mourning the loss of his first love, Ann Rutledge (Una Merkel), Abraham Lincoln (Walter Huston) marries Mary Todd (Kay Hammond), becomes president of the United States, oversees the bloodiest war in American history, and eventually dies at the hands of assassin John Wilkes Boothe (Ian Keith). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Biopics D.W. Griffith Films Historical Drama<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32440"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57380,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32440\/revisions\/57380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}