D.W. Griffith Presents Abraham Lincoln (1930)

Directed by D.W. Griffith, this Lincoln effort was one of the great talking films of the post-silent film era. These brief vignettes about Lincoln's early life includes his birth, early jobs, his affair with Ann Rutledge, his courtship of Mary Todd and the Lincoln/Douglas debates. His presidency and the Civil War are covered in more detail, and the film concludes with the assasination. Walter Huston stars as the beloved President. Product Description

An Oldie but A Goodie

Having enjoyed director/filmmaker D.W. Griffith's work from early stages of filmmaking through the 1920's silent era, I was curious to see Griffith's first `talkie', and it lived up to my expectations. A good script and a talented cast combined with Griffith's experience made "Abraham Lincoln" a highly respected film of the early sound era of the 1930s - and no doubt helped Walter Houston's career considerably, as his portrayal of Lincoln in this film is very impressive. In fact, I personally thought Houston's is the best portrayal of Lincoln I have seen so far, and I found the other characters, settings and even dialogues to be quite realistic and well done also. But this is a 1930 film and shouldn't be compared to modern films and today's standards (just as Griffith's work overall can't rightly be compared to more contemporary directors and filmmakers) so some familiarity with 1930s films would go a long way to help appreciate "Abraham Lincoln". By today's standards this film might seem dull and slow-moving; furthermore, the sound on this particular DVD is rather crackly, as many early sound films are, but after a few minutes, as I got into the story, I forgot about the noise and thoroughly enjoyed the film. Rather than a melodrama of sorts, this rendition of Lincoln's life is almost like a documentary in that it shows the highlights and well-known aspects of Lincoln's life and career in a very factual manner. Nevertheless, I recognized some of Griffith's trademarks in some scenes which emphasize Lincoln's qualities and some other dramatic punctuation and highlights, especially in the final scenes. For some viewers this film might seem choppy or poorly-edited due to the jump from one scene to another, such as events in Lincoln's early life to a period some years later - but these `jumps' were common in the transition period from silent to sound films, and furthermore, this film attempts to show a man's whole life in just 90 minutes. For a 1930 effort, I think Griffith did a fine job, and I'd recommend this DVD to those already familiar with early talkies, especially those with a special interest in Lincoln and history. Although this is a budget label, the picture quality is very good, and apart from the background static and crackle common to old films, I had no trouble understanding what was being said. For the low cost of this DVD it is definitely a good buy!
March 15, 2006

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