Customer Reviews

Abe Lincoln in Illinois

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This film is the perfect film recreation of Abraham Lincoln. Raymond Massey is brilliantly cast as young Mr. Lincoln. Whenever I think of Lincoln films, I think of Raymond Massey as the one and only Lincoln. The overall casting is superb and the story is exceptional and is well presented. There are a number of memorable points in the film. Lincoln's first introduction to politics is amusing. I tend to think that Ruth Gordon's portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln is right on. Lincoln rarely stands up to her in her critiscm of thier lifestyle, his clothes, etc., but when he does, it is extremely powerful.

Massey doesn't do this on his own. The ensemble cast is exceptional, from the teacher who helps him improve his education, to the local judge, to his law partner and Stephen A. Douglas. All these people help make this film the exceptional story that it is.

If there is one film about Lincoln to recommend, this would be my first pick.

With all due respect to Henry Fonda, Walter Huston, and a myriad of other cinematic Lincolns, Raymond Massey is the Abe to end all Abes. His moving and mesmerizing performance gives us the real Mr. Lincoln in all his complexity. Alongside the warmth, compassion and humor for which we love and revere Mr. Lincoln, we see in Massey the dark side as well: the doubts, fears, indecision and deep melancholia with which Abraham Lincoln struggled his whole life. Ruth Gordon is superb as Lincoln's ambitious and rather overbearing wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. No hagiography, this movie lets us see the Lincolns as human beings with real "issues", rather than as mere heroes of history. Besides all this, we have Massey's physical resemblance to Lincoln, which is at times astonishing.

What's most amazing is that the spirit of the most quintessentially American of our American heroes should be so wonderfully captured and portrayed by ... a Canadian!

Poetic, stagy adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winning play with Raymond Massey breaking all ground for anyone who has ever portrayed Honest Abe. There's fine support also from Ruth Gordon as Mary Todd, his wife, and Gene Lockhart as Stephen Douglas. You know how it ends, but still a must.

My wife and I agree that this movie is the best portrayal of one of America's finest presidents. I have collected and read many books on Mr. Lincoln and this production really does capture the spirit of what I believe the man "Lincoln" was like. I would highly recommend this to the one interested in living history.

This would have to be a demonstration that no one can portray our image of Abraham Lincoln better than Raymond Massey. As an Australian, I cannot understand why the American film industry has not found it fit to produce this film on DVD or why the public are not calling for it to be put on DVD. I would have thought Americans would see it as priceless antique just like John Wayne's :The Long Trail".

This film, I believe released in 1940 is a very accurate portrayal of Abraham Lincoln's life from young man to right after his election to the Presidency. It appears that great research went into portraying the true psychology of the main characters as well as giving the audience a view of that time period. Two great stars appear in this movie along with a great supporting cast. Ruth Gordon plays Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd. She is superb in this role. Raymond Massey is unparalleled acting as Abe. He even looks very much like Lincoln and with mannerisms I had previously read about. He is probably the best actor to ever play the part. Also the costume design looks very authentic along with the other details of that time period. See for yourself! I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and also the music in it. You won't be disappointed!!

It's probably been fifteen years since I saw this film, and despite the time that has passed, I still hear Raymond Massey's voice whenever I think of Lincoln or read his words such as the Gettysburg Address. That's how definitive and on-the-mark his performance is. I've seen a number of other actors play the great man, but Massey captured him better than any one else. Apart from the title performance, I have to say that the movie involved me much more than I was expecting. It gave me a good feel for his life and character, and it's one of the better biographies I have seen. Watch this film.

Beautifully written, directed and acted, this film is a treasure as a piece of Americana, and though it may be an interpretation of history in parts, has enough truth in it to be relevant, and shows such things as the famous Lincoln-Douglas debate.
Robert E. Sherwood wrote the screenplay based on his Pulitzer Prize winning play, and Raymond Massey, Howard Da Silva (Jack Armstrong), and Herbert Rudley (Seth Gale) re-create their stage roles.
The direction by John Cromwell is superb, and James Wong Howe's cinematography (which was nominated for an Oscar but lost to "Rebecca") makes one forget that we are looking at a sixty-five year old film. Massey was also nominated, but lost to James Stewart in "The Philadelphia Story"...1940 was certainly a good year for films.

Raymond Massey (who was 34 at the time this film was made) has somehow been made to resemble Lincoln from youth to maturity, and the depth he brings to the part is very moving; I love the way his eyes slowly fill up with tears in his final speech as he leaves Illinois for the White House.
Though the film presents a harsh portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln (brilliantly played by Ruth Gordon) who acknowledges she is seen as "bitter and nagging", there is no doubt that Mary was a huge part of Lincoln becoming who he was meant to be, and like every "woman behind the man" must have been a tough character in a petite form, the flint to start Lincoln's flame.
Not to be missed by history buffs, and for Massey's marvelous performance, which he felt was his finest. Total running time is 110 minutes.

I WISH SO MUCH THAT THIS WONDERFUL CLASSIC WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE IN DVD.
THIS WAS A SUPERB FILM AND MASSY'S PORTRAIAL WAS SECOND TO NONE. THIS IS A MUST FOR ANY FILM BUFFS WHO LOVE GOOD HISTORY-DRAMA.

John Bennett
NSW, Australia

I dont think the reader can go wrong if and when to watch this film.The performance by Raymond Massey is the definitive portrayal of the life of Abraham Lincoln and this film has provided even inspiration over the years since I have known this film.It is not so easy to separate what I know outside of the movie about Abraham Lincoln and what is portrayed in the film.However I do not know just how some of these reviews are suppose go, to me however I do not know of any more importent time in the last 500 years than the time when Abe Lincoln was elected president and strove to provide the kind of leadership that was so endearing to our hearts as a people that perhaps there may never have been such a president as there was in Abraham Lincoln.I sincerely beleive that there has hardly been any greater contribution made then the service offered this country by its president at that point in time.I think Abraham Lincoln was a great president perhaps none other knew peril so close to home and while all around a million soldiers faught on a thousand mile front.This is almost and perhaps it is a great film because there was no one greater than abe lincoln and I dont think there is any better film as well.I truly would recommend this to any wishing a worthwhile moviegoing experience.This is now off the record this is such rich and fertile territory that many truly inspiring stories as well as historical information is available thru literature,videos,and perhaps the most influential a institution of higher learning(like college)that just this picture alone, even though entertaining cannot provide the answers as to whose footsteps were they.Abe Lincoln walked at midnight and even now it is his terrible swift sword,that makes way for the coming of the Lord.In this lovely film early on,Abe Lincolns mother says to him as he is about to leave home,"I could not of loved you anymore then if you were my own son,Abe says, I will be thanking you always ma,for you great kindness to me. She says,wherever you go,whatever you do,remember what the good book says,the world passeth away but he that do the will of God abideth forever. Abe says,I'll remember ma,good bye and his mother says good bye dear abe.This is a very endearing scene that provides early on an idea about character,love,and the world that we knew.A very fine film worth many viewings and a permanent place in any video library.