Watch Abe Lincoln in Illinois For Free

That was an excellent one.

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Admirable film.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This film portrays Abe Lincoln's political rise as a man of the people, from his wrestling brawl with town bully Howard da Silva to his failure as a general store owner and his humble beginning in politics as a town postmaster. The film portrays the women in Lincoln's life and the influence they had on him. Perhaps the most influential woman is the one not shown, his mother, but he shares a moving scene with his step mother as he's leaving home, and then with Ann Rutledge, and finally with Mary Todd played in an unusually interesting way by Ruth Gordon. It's perhaps the influence of these women and their uncertain fates that more than balanced Lincoln's well developed humor with a dark and secret melancholy. That aspect is captured through some of the scenes of Massey's Lincoln shot by legendary cinematographer James Wong Howe. Between him, Massey, and Ruth Gordon, this film seems to carry some serious cinematically induced psychological influences.

Besides Raymond Massey, a whole flock of actors have been known for playing America's sixteenth president, Henry Fonda, Walter Huston, Sam Waterston, Hal Holbrook, Dennis Weaver, Gregory Peck, John Carradine. Character actor Frank McGlyn practically made a career of playing The Great Emancipator whenever Honest Abe was a character in a film. But the standard has been set by Raymond Massey who did Lincoln in Robert Sherwood's play for 472 performances on Broadway during the 1938-1939 season and he repeats the title role in Abe Lincoln in Illinois for this film version. I've no doubt that Sherwood used as source material for his play a lot of information based on Carl Sandburg's biography, Lincoln the Prarie Years. At that time Sandburg was considered the unofficial custodian of the Lincoln legend and mythology. Of course he based a lot of his work on the biography of Lincoln written by his law partner William Herndon played here by Alan Baxter. Herndon's well known antipathy for Mary Todd Lincoln as the shrewish wife of his good friend comes through her in Ruth Gordon's portrayal. It should be said that Mary Lincoln regarded Herndon as an opportunist drunk and he certainly did have a substance abuse problem.Gene Lockhart as Lincoln's rival Stephen A. Douglas is well done also, though Lockhart was a bit tall for the part. Had Douglas ever been elected president he would have been our shortest president, he was barely over five feet tall. The rivalry between these two was kind of like the Yankees and Red Sox with the Yankees always coming out on top until recent years. Lincoln is still our tallest president at 6'4" so the contrast on the speaking platform at the Lincoln-Douglas debates was really something to see.The only other actor to recreate his stage role besides Massey was Howard DaSilva who played Jack Armstrong. Not the All American hero, but the leader of the local gang of roughnecks who Lincoln beat in a wrestling match and who becomes his lifelong friend. All part of the Lincoln legend carefully preserved by Sandburg and Sherwood. It was one of DaSilva's earliest screen roles.Raymond Massey got an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 1940 and he was up against a strong field that included Henry Fonda for The Grapes of Wrath, Charles Chaplin for The Great Dictator, and Laurence Olivier in Rebecca. The winner however was a long-shot, James Stewart for The Philadelphia Story. There was a lot of sentiment that year that Stewart should have received the Oscar the year before for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. So the good Academy voters made up for it this year. It goes that way with Oscar every so often. Abe Lincoln in Illinois still holds up very well although today's historical Lincoln specialists might have different interpretations placed on some of the events you see.

I absolutely loved this movie! maybe it is because I am a history buff but I thought it was wonderful!. I am currently doing a project on Abraham Lincoln where my friends and I on working on a student directed film about Abraham Lincoln and you can not imagine how much this movie has helped me. This movie tells the tale of one of the greatest man in history and how he evolved along the way to become even greater. I can only hope that this movie will help someone see the wonders of his life as it helped me and as Honest Abe helped so many other people. I loved it when they showed his debate with Stephen Douglas. That was really the highlight of the movie because it showed him giving his real opinion and it caught my attention. His speech was amazing!! 10 thumbs up!!!! :D

In Robert Sherwood's "Abe Lincoln in Illinois"(1940), Raymond Massey was Abraham Lincoln, and it showed. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" is the best of the Lincoln movies. I don't believe it can be surpassed. Raymond Massey, a born and bred Canadian, portrayed Lincoln as a melancholic persona due to the losses he had suffered. In spite of these painful memories; such as the deaths of his mother Nancy and sweetheart, Ann Rutledge, Lincoln moved forward with his life. Lincoln started his law practice in Springfield, Illinois. He met the sister-in-law of friend Ninian Edwards, Mary Todd. (Lincoln jested that God spelled His Name with only one "D" but the Todd's needed two). Mary was interested in Abraham, her sister wasn't. She felt Mary needed to meet a more refined fellow, not a backwoods lawyer. But Mary saw a winner in Abraham.As a lawyer, Abe tended to show a great deal of interest in all people, in helping the poor and in politics. With his humor and ability to use stories to make points, Abe was very popular with the citizens of Springfield. Mary liked those positives in his personality.During these years, Lincoln worked hard and readied himself for a successful law and political career. With a 'hard' push from Mary, Abraham was going to make something of himself.He and Mary Todd were engaged. Then, due to a deep depression, Lincoln abruptly broke it off. According to some he missed Ann. Mary tended to be Ann's polar opposite. Around this time Lincoln and Douglas held their famous debates. Lincoln was anti-slavery. Douglas believed it was the state's right to decide on slave issues. Douglas won. He went to the U.S. Senate as the Honorable Stephen Douglas of the State of Illinois. Soon after, despite her family's opposition and Stephen Douglas's hard work to prevent it, Mary Todd went on to marry her Abraham. During their years in Springfield, Lincoln built a successful practice. He and Mary had 4 sons; Robert, William, Edward and Thomas (Tad). (Eddie died while they were still in Springfield.)While practicing law, Abe continued to keep his foot in politics. He was asked to run for president in the new Republican Party. Lincoln won the White House. Mary had won the greatest prize of her life. Little did she know what she was going to lose.Just a few little asides:Raymond Massey had done this as a play. Writer, Robert Sherwood and director, John Cromwell asked him to do the movie. The Massey-Ferguson Farm Machinary Company of Canada was founded by his Grandfather. In his later years, Massey became a U.S. citizen.Gene Lockhart, Bob Cratchett of "A Christmas Carol"(1938), played Stephen Douglas. Lockhart was the father of actress June Lockhart who played one of the Cratchett children. Wife Kathleen was Mrs. Cratchett. Ruth Gordon, known as the fun 80 year old Maude of the cult film "Harold & Maude" (1971), played Mary Todd. She was the feisty, fighting 80 plus year old in "Every Which Way But Loose"] (1978) and "Any Which Way You Can" (1980) (Senovia 'Ma' Boggs) (Clint Eastwood was the star but, IMO, Ruth was the favored comic relief.)