Customer Reviews

American Experience - Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This documentary on the life of Abraham Lincoln is an excellent exploration of the character and inner life of our 16th president. At the same time it provides the viewer with much valuable information about the character of his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, their marriage, the tragic deaths of two of their children, and how Lincoln continued to love his wife until his death, even though she was in many ways a liability for him. While the Lincolns as individuals are the focus of the series, the viewer is not shortchanged in regard to the presidency or the Civil War. Lincoln's growth during his four years in office is examined critically and fairly by various historians.

The story of the Lincolns was originally shown on PBS's program "American Experience," and follows the format that has made that series so respected by viewers. Photographs, drawings, paintings, maps, and other artifacts contemporary to the times alternate with new film footage that enhances the story line. Well known performers do the voiceovers -- in this case David Morse is Lincoln, and Holly Hunter is the voice of Mary Todd Lincoln. There are no stagey recreations of events with unknown performers taking the parts of historical characters, which one often sees in series made for The History Channel or Arts and Entertainment Network. The three volume set runs about six hours and contains bonus materials that appear on each individual disc. The quality of the picture and sound is outstanding. The music is excellent and of the time period, and is never distacting.

While people of all ages and backgrounds in American history could enjoy this series, I especially recommend it to families with high school or college age students, along with Ken Burns "The Civil War" and the PBS video biography of General Grant. This would also make an excellent gift for Father's Day or for a Civil War buff's birthday.

It has often been observed that Abraham Lincoln has been enshrined to the point of deification. During the recent Ronald Reagan obsequies, rituals laden with religious references, we the television viewers were treated again & again to images of the Lincoln Memorial, as though Lincoln himself were some sort of national demigod to whom proper deference must be rendered from time to time. All this has served to strip away much of Lincoln's humanity, to the point that we find it hard to believe that he was, just as most of us are, an ordinary spouse & parent, trying to balance the demands of home with the demands of work.

This documentary helps to remind us of that side of Lincoln, as we see the young ambitious lawyer/politician & his equally ambitious wife struggle to make a life together. It is a story, above everything else, of great personal loss (for both Abraham & Mary Lincoln), and at times it makes this documentary painful to watch. As one watches Abraham Lincoln cope the overwhelming stress of a wartime presidency, having already lost two children, one yearns for the time when Abraham & Mary Lincoln can finally, even for a little while, relax in retirement and enjoy each other's company once again, without the demands of the office to distract them. Despite knowing it never did happen, I found myself feeling this way. Of course, the story takes the viewer through to a marriage ended by murder & a subsequent emotional collapse. It is exhausting to watch.

The documentary provides a great amount of detail. Some have complained that one sees the same images of the Lincolns over and over again, although I would think that after "The Civil War," people would be used to seeing an unending series of still photos on the television screen. It comes with the territory, and unless you want actors dramatizing the life of the Lincolns, you really have little choice in presentation. My only objection with the documentary is that it is a little too sympathetic at times. For example, the fact that the Lincolns were not particularly good parents is overlooked. Even in the best of times, Robert Lincoln's relationship with his parents was ambivalent, and was sometimes downright chilly. Tad Lincoln, on the other hand, was so spoiled and overindulged that by the time he was around 12, he was a virtual illiterate because his parents didn't have the heart to make him attend to his studies. One gets no sense of this in the documentary.

Everyone loves a happy ending, but unfortunately there really isn't one to be found here. However, the saddest tales generally are the ones that leave the most lasting impact. One cannot watch this story without being deeply moved.

Now that Ken Burns' epic "The Civil War" has hit DVD, this 3 disc baby of David Grubin's will keep you entertained just as much. David McCullough's narration in this film is as pleasant as it was in the former, and David Morse reads Lincoln as well as Sam Waterston. Holly Hunter reading Mary also does well. Plus like The Civil War, there is a who's who of interviewees who relate some very good historical facts. This is the first film that I ever watched on American Experience. A welcome edition to my library let alone the collection of PBS documentaries now available on DVD.

During the pivotal Presidential election of 1860, three of the four major candidates running for the White House had once courted Mary Todd. The story of how this young woman spurned Stephen Douglass and John Breckenridge in favor of Abraham Lincoln has always been a fascinating tale. The fact that this same woman ended up committed for insanity after her fragile emotions failed to survive the deaths of her husband and three of her four sons. The title of David Grubin's film, as well as the first episode, traces the parallel courses of the future couple. Both lost their mothers when young and had completely opposite reactions to their stepmothers. More importantly, when they found each other they were able to recognition they shared the same ambition and this most improbably couple made their way to the White House at the most pivotal moment in the nation's history.

Of course it is history that overwhelms the story Grubin sets off to tell. For the last two thirds of "A House Divided," basically from the start of the Civil War until the assassination of Lincoln, Mary becomes a minor character. However, given the essentially balanced nature of the first couple of episodes, this shift becomes somewhat disconcerting. Eventually I adjusted to this shift, having recognized that the Civil War certainly put Lincoln's marriage on the back burner, but I think Grubin could have cut two hours from this series, whittling down the recapitulation of basic Civil War history to keep the focus on the increasingly unhappy couple. After all, that is the hook that is used to reel us into watching this documentary, which originally aired on PBS's "American Experience."

Each of the three-videotapes in this series contains two episodes. Comparisons with Ken Burns's landmark "Civil War" series are inevitable not only because of the subject matter but because David McCullough again does the narration as the unofficial voice of the Civil War. There are certainly some stylistic differences, which result in some melodramatic moments in this series, which begins with a storm night and children whispering about the crazy lady living in the room over the parlor of that Springfield house. Civil War battles are a conglomerate of black & white period photos and firework explosions. You will recognize Holly Hunter as the voice of Mary Lincoln right away, but might be surprised to learn that David Morse is doing Abraham Lincoln (I know I was). Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think Grubin could have edited a two hour version of this focusing on Mary Tood Lincoln that would have been absolutely first rate. However, let me be clear that as it now stands "Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided" is definitely worth viewing.

If you're looking for a theatrical viewpoint or version to the story of Abraham & Mary Lincoln's life, do not look here. I enjoyed this series because it goes very well into depth about Abraham and Mary's life as well as the Civil War and what part they played during it all. It may not cover all things about Abe or Mary but it reveals many facts, letters and feelings that the general public does not know about the Lincolns and I believe the purpose of this video is to reveal the information for the purpose to educate and this DVD succeeds in doing that. The images may be comprised of mainly period photos, letters and reinactments but the information given on the Lincoln's personal thoughts, decisions and circumstances is so interesting that it definitely makes up for any lack of visual stimulation.

I was very pleased to see a documentary about the relationship between the Lincolns because there are so many stories and myths surrounding their relationship. I enjoyed the documentary, but because all the trials and tribulations are revealed, I found myself extremely depressed.

This is an excellent dvd. The depth of the information presented is the best I've seen thus far! I have only one criticism of it -- there was no mention of the conspiracy to kill Lincoln!! That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. However, either A&E or the History Channel did a fantastic job in portraying the plot to kill Lincoln and also would be worth investing in. It had the whole elaborate plan about how Boothe conspired to kill not only Lincoln, but the vice president and the secretary of state as well. Between the two products, you would have an excellent representation of what actually happened. After seeing both these dvds, I can honestly say I was glad to know that Boothe had been shot!! Not that I advocate shooting anyone for any reason!!

The material on this particular dvd was very well presented and used some reenactment scenes. I enjoyed hearing all the views of each of the historians as the information given brought it more to life than just reading about it!

In my opinion, this dvd was very definitely well worth the price and I would highly recommend it!

I had seen this on television several years ago. It's still so darn popular that you can't get a great price on it anywhere. The price here was ok, but not great. It's expensive anywhere! I love the integration of BOTH Lincoln stories (his and hers) and the chronological integration of family and Civil War. Enjoyable soundtrack. Very fine reading by professional actors. Well-paced.

Having just read a book about Mary Todd Lincoln I was interested to learn more about both Lincolns and their lives together. This video presentation gives wonderful information about their lives before they met and what differing backgrounds they came from, including family history, education, etc. We then learn about their courtship and marriage and family life. Woven into this family story are the political events of the time
covered in interesting detail. All is told using old photographs interspersed with commentary by various historians and experts of the Civil War. The story moves on to Lincoln's political career and his rise to become President. During this time, Mary deals with the loss of one son, to be followed during the White House years with the loss of a second son. The tragedy around this couple, both of a personal nature and of a national nature are devastating. The coverage of the Civil War years are particularly interesting and Lincoln's dealings with the war and it's attendant battles, casualities, changes in military leadership really bring home the devastation of this war on the country. As the war progresses Lincoln's quiet strength, intelligence, and determination resound. Lincoln's assassination is covered in harrowing detail and the subsequent downward slide of Mary into depression, sadness and more tragedy to come. It is refreshing to see a more sympathetic portrait of Mary Lincoln than is usually presented. Knowing what we know today about depression and other mental illnesses makes her behaviors during her life much easier to understand and sympathize with. She ended her life with only one of her four sons still living and she was estranged from him at the time of her death. All in all this is a fascinating portrait of a couple who loved each other very dearly and how that love was tested by events beyond their control.

This brought home how the strains of the Civil War affected the Lincolns, and all the pain they endured. They endured more than most of us ever really learned about. Lincoln was probably one of the greatest man in written history. You MUST see this show! Show it to your teens!!!