Abraham Lincoln (1930)
Unless you’re a devoted Lincoln fan and consider it a ritual to watch every biopic made about him, please do yourself a favor and skip D.W. Griffith’s Abraham Lincoln. It was made in 1930, so it’s a very early talkie. There’s no music, the staging is slow because everyone was used to acting in silent pictures, and the dialogue isn’t anything to write home about. Plus, as much as I love Walter Huston, and as much as he did alter his normally raspy voice to seem presidential, he doesn’t look like Abraham Lincoln. He looks like Walter Huston with a whole bunch of makeup on.
This very boring biopic starts on February 12th and ends on April 14th. If you don’t know the significance of those dates, then this president probably has no meaning for you, and you definitely shouldn’t start with this movie to get acquainted with him. Kay Hammond costars as a very annoying Mary Lincoln, and the only good parts of the film are the sweet love scenes between Abe and his first love, played by Una Merkel. It sure paints President Lincoln as being an unhappy, regretful man. Seriously, folks, this movie is so not worth watching. I got to actually saying out loud, “Stare down!” every time the actors just stared at each other forgetting their lines, or waiting for the film to cut to a title card like they used to do the previous year in silent films.
More Walter Huston movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1974's Abraham Lincoln here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1988's Lincoln here!
This very boring biopic starts on February 12th and ends on April 14th. If you don’t know the significance of those dates, then this president probably has no meaning for you, and you definitely shouldn’t start with this movie to get acquainted with him. Kay Hammond costars as a very annoying Mary Lincoln, and the only good parts of the film are the sweet love scenes between Abe and his first love, played by Una Merkel. It sure paints President Lincoln as being an unhappy, regretful man. Seriously, folks, this movie is so not worth watching. I got to actually saying out loud, “Stare down!” every time the actors just stared at each other forgetting their lines, or waiting for the film to cut to a title card like they used to do the previous year in silent films.
More Walter Huston movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1974's Abraham Lincoln here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1988's Lincoln here!