Watch Abraham Lincoln For Free

Too much of everything

The Worst Film Ever

Crappy film

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Abraham Lincoln is a 1930 film based on the life of the sixteenth president of the United States of America. The story follows Lincoln from his birth, through adulthood, and into the hardships of his presidency. The film is a dramatized version of Lincoln's biography, and essentially goes through every important event in Lincoln's life.One of the best parts of the film is the uncanny resemblance between the lead actor and Abraham Lincoln. This doppelganger effect helps the actor achieve a very convincing Lincoln. Some of the humor in the film still holds up and you'll get some laughs from the dialogue. It is also nice to see such a friendly political debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The point versus point format of the debate in the film appears more realistic and civil than what we have in reality.Unfortunately, there is much about the film that can be criticized. There are spots of bad acting throughout, such as the "I'm angry" folding of the arms and pouting bottom lip routine. There are awkward camera stares by the characters that are meant to accentuate their points, but instead are confusing and do anything but accentuate. Lincoln said three times that he wanted to preserve the Union, and then looks directly at the camera and practically yells it. Is he talking to me or is there a character directly behind the camera he is speaking to? There are corny, melodramatic moments, especially between Lincoln and his first wife. The movie moves from one event to the next at a break-neck speed, never allowing the story or characters to develop. His ascension to presidency is clumsily foreshadowed in his early years repeatedly. Far too often. Not to mention the fact that Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd, is completely insufferable.The cynicism of the Mary Todd character is not based on any historical inaccuracies, it is the fact that we are shown her vapid and selfish personality and it is never addressed or resolved. We know that she was pursuing Lincoln before she met him due to his potential wealth and power. But why does Lincoln like her? For that matter, why does Lincoln have the political feelings that he is so adamant about? The film never addresses the conflicts and thoughts of the characters. Of course, we can learn what has happened in history ourselves, but the movie itself does nothing in this regard, and honestly should have been the basis of the story. The audience knows the historical chronological events, but when the "why" of the matter is dropped, the film loses all feeling and meaning. Instead of developing the character of Lincoln, we are given a checklist of important events, which are then dramatized.I do not recommend this film to anyone. If you want to explore the personality and life of Abraham Lincoln, you're not going to get it here. If you want a civil war movie, you're not going to get that either. If your intent is to delve into the slavery debate at the time, that doesn't exist in this film. Perhaps you're simply interested in Lincoln's personal life and his familial relationships. You won't get that either. I hate to say it, but this is definitely one of the worst Abraham Lincoln films.

The First Thing one Notices as this First Talkie by a Pioneer Silent Film Director Unspools is the Opening Credits that Ends with..."Personally Directed by D.W. Griffith".As Opposed to What? Directed by Someone who Never Showed Up. Oh the Ego. Anyway, the Next Thing that Demands Attention is the Lost Sound of the First Few Scenes. Those are Shown with newly Added Subtitles akin to "Closed Captions for the Hard of Hearing". This is Significant because these are Scenes that Show Slave Ships returning from Africa and have Lines of Extremely Racist and Cruel Dialog and Shots of African Slaves being Treated Worse than Animals.These Powerful Presentations are Not Diminished that Much by Lack of Sound. There are Subtitles that Convey the Inhumanity with Lines about the Deaths of the Captured as Ledger Balancing.Than this Awkward Movie attempts to Portray Lincoln's Life, it seems, from Literally Birth to Death. So We are given Scenes inside the Famous Log Cabin of a Newborn Lincoln Wrapped in Swaddling Clothes. The Idea of Lincoln as Savior is Never Abandon as the Film rapidly makes its way through Lincoln's early Romance and Tragic Death of Ann Rutledge (Una Merkel) and Abe's Devastating Grief. In the Film He Immediately Courts Mary Todd (later to add some comedy relief) and Thwarts Stephen Douglas. The Lincoln/Douglas Debates are Reduced to Ludicrous Uttering of a Word or Two from Each Participant.The Historical Accuracy of what follows is best Left to Historians (real life Historians, not Film Historians). As a Movie it is Obvious Griffith was either Totally Inept or Unable to Understand the New Sound Technology. The Dialog Scenes Slog even for 1930's Standards and at times the Movie Feels like it is in Slow Motion. Ironically, it becomes a Biography of "Sound Bites".As Entertainment it is Painfully Dated, although there are some Visual Treats. William Cameron Menzies Production Design is Excellent. Walter Huston is Iconic and Manages the Part with Ease and Verisimilitude.Overall, Interesting Enough to Warrant Attention and is Worth a Watch for its Place in Film History and as an Artifact of History on Film

Yes, you must have a strong constitution to sit through this film. I like history and I like film history, so I was looking forward to finally seeing D.W. Griffith's sound production of the biography of Abraham Lincoln. Well, sorry, but even I have my limits. This is a silent film with sound. In other words, it may have dialog, but it's so primitive and slow that it almost seems as if you're watching a silent film (yes, parts of the sound track are missing, but that didn't bother me...the slow pace was tortuous. It is clear that for 1930, this was quite a production. Some scenes are so impressive (such as the slave ship at the beginning of the film), while other scenes are so cheap as to be laughable (such as the so-fake looking model of Lincoln Memorial at the end of the film...why not just go film the real thing?). Do yourself a favor, skip through the film with fast forward and stop every so often to get a little of the flavor of the film. And of course, watch the assassination scene near the close. Then go get "Young Mr. Lincoln" with Henry Fonda and "Abe Lincoln In Illinois" with Raymond Massey. While these films were about a decade later, it's impressive how much film had matured in just a few years.

Famous silent film director D. W. Griffiths gave us this plodding straightforward historical biopic of the sixteenth president of the United States. As one of Griffiths' few attempts at 'talkies', Abraham Lincoln is by no means outstanding. Like other films of the period, some of the actors (especially Ian Keith as J.W. Booth and Walter Huston as Lincoln) overact their gestures and facial expressions. While others overcompensate for the new medium and seem to play their roles too subtly (Una Merkel's Ann Rutledge).The film tells the story of Lincoln's rise from humble roots to become one of the most accomplished American orators of all time, while retaining the plain-spoken character that endeared him to the nation. The film uses an appreciative tone, and does not fairly represent Lincoln's considerable political acumen and the very calculated campaign strategies which put him in office. Instead, Griffiths chose to present Lincoln as the good, but somewhat melancholic president we know him to have been.The story is told in a series of vignettes depicted in scenes of about equal length - probably a limitation of the film technology available at the time. This mode of presentation does nothing to reduce the boredom factor. Most of the lines are pronounced very clearly with lengthy unnatural pauses between each line. Clearly, Griffiths was a little uncomfortable in the new sound medium and did not wish to experiment a great deal with it. The film picks up a bit as the civil war becomes its main focus. And some of the battle scenes are classic Griffiths' near-silent cinematography. However, even this is somewhat muted by the scenes of the president brooding over the dispatches he receives from his generals describing defeat after defeat.Recommended for early film buffs and young Lincoln afficionados only