Abraham Lincoln (1930)

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

John W. Considine Jr. (story)
Stephen Vincent Benet (adaptation)

Release Date:

8 November 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The wonder film of the century, about the most romantic figure who ever lived!

Plot:

An episodic biography of the 16th President of the United States.

Plot Keywords:

Courtship | Debate | Civil War | President | Assassination

Cast

William L. Thorne	...	Tom Lincoln (as W.L. Thorne)
Lucille La Verne	...	Mid-Wife
Helen Freeman	...	Nancy Hanks Lincoln
Otto Hoffman	...	Offut
Walter Huston	...	Abraham Lincoln
Edgar Dearing	...	Jack Armstrong (as Edgar Deering)
Una Merkel	...	Ann Rutledge
Russell Simpson	...	Uncle Jimmy--Lincoln's Employer
Charles Crockett	...	Sheriff
Kay Hammond	...	Mary Todd Lincoln
Helen Ware	...	Mrs. Edwards
E. Alyn Warren	...	Stephen A. Douglas / Gen. Ulysses Grant
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Billy Herndon (as Jason Robards)
Gordon Thorpe	...	Tad Lincoln
Ian Keith	...	John Wilkes Booth

Also Known As:

D.W. Griffith's 'Abraham Lincoln' (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

USA:90 min (TCM print) | 96 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (MovieTone)

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

D.W. Griffith Productions

Trivia:

This was D.W. Griffith's first sound film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Shortly before leaving Mary Todd waiting at the altar (circa 1850), Lincoln opens a drawer and looks at a daguerreotype of his lost love, Ann Rutledge, who had died several years before in 1835. Dagguereotypes did not reach the United States until the mid-1840s.

Quotes:

[death scene]
Ann Rutledge: I know the truth, dear. It's goodbye.
Abraham Lincoln: No, no, Ann, dear. You're not going to leave me. I won't let you!
Ann Rutledge: We must be brave, dear...
[looking up to the heavens]
Ann Rutledge: Don't take me away. Don't take me away! It's so dark and lonesome!
Abraham Lincoln: Ann, you mustn't let go.
Ann Rutledge: If they'd sing, I wouldn't be so afraid.
[a chorus of "Sweet By and By" swells up in the background]
Ann Rutledge: We will meet there, dear.

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Century of Cinema (1994)

Soundtrack:

The Star Spangled Banner

D.W. Griffith's last hurrah: a tribute to Abraham Lincoln

This film was to be D.W. Griffith's big comeback production, and it did very well for "the old master." In fact, it was chosen as number two of the Ten Best Pictures of 1930 by The Film Daily, just below "All Quiet On The Western Front!" Sadly, due to the horrible condition of the available prints of this film, no really fair analysis can be made today. As with so many early talkies, Abraham Lincoln is now a sickly shadow of what it was in 1930. To begin with, it's original running time is listed at approximately 96 minutes. The version presented on Laserdisc runs 83 minutes.The film shows signs of wear and duping. The soundtrack is horribly distorted and, in several scenes, seems to be missing totally, replaced by terrible music from a stock library. Even so, if one can look past these things and take the acting style in the context of its time, one can see that Griffith had not lost his flair and would have probably continued directing had the fates (and probably Hollywood) not conspired against him. There are wonderful cinematic moments, reminiscent of some of his earlier triumphs. This is a film that cries out for restoration but, alas, there is most likely little or nothing left to restore. UPDATE: In 2008, KINO International released a DVD version of Abraham Lincoln that is far more complete than the old Laserdisc I reviewed from in 1998. While some soundtrack from the Prologue is still missing, KINO has made up for it by adding subtitles for the missing dialogue. Also, the picture quality is far superior to anything else available. It is evident that much effort went into making this forgotten film much more watchable and available!