Product Description

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 Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #83678 in DVD
• Published on: 2003
• Released on: 2002-05-15
• Rating: Unrated
• Formats: Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Customer Reviews

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!

BARGAIN BIN BUY!!!
This dvd produced by Miracle Productions offers a pretty good version of this "old chestnut" concerning the life , career & death of Abraham Lincoln. The image is quite clear & the audio acceptable. This is a GREAT buy if you can pick one up at a local SAV-A-LOT or someplace similar (like I did) for a buck. The asking price of $17.98 is a bit steep for this NO-FRILLS release.
Griffith did OK by this film but his style & method of film making was already being considered "old fashioned" even for the early sound era. And Griffith himself was easily a much more assured director in the silent era...just compare the assassination of Lincoln in this soundie to the superior version of the same incident in THE BIRTH OF A NATION. The tension, the dramatic...all gone. It really goes to show how the far the MASTER had fallen, or in all fairness, had been left behind.
Now mind you, I'm not putting down this film or Griffith. I truly believe that this is an important film & needs to be seen...by YOU. And the version here presented by Miracle is quite acceptable, but you needn't pay the price when it can be had from Amazon dealers for a couple bucks. Please buy this classic & enjoy this slice of Americana, it's well worth the investment and a "keeper" to your dvd library.