Abe Lincoln in Illinois [Blu-ray]

Director: John Cromwell John Cromwell

Overview

Raymond Massey plays Abe Lincoln in this moving adaptation of Robert Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Expanded a bit for cinematic purposes, the film traces Lincoln's progress from his days of scrambling for a living as a woodsman, to his courtship of the tragic Ann Rutledge (Mary Howard) and then the mercurial Mary Todd (Ruth Gordon), to the formative years of his law practice, to his debates with Stephen Douglas (Gene Lockhart), and finally to his election as President of the soon-to-be-divided United States in 1860. Latter-day critics have complained about Massey's stolidity in his signature role, but even the most stone-hearted viewer will be moved by such scenes as Lincoln riding through the ruins of what once was the village of Salem; Abe's heated election-eve quarrel with his spiteful wife Mary; and his climactic speech from the observation car of the train that will carry him to Washington...and immortality. Abe Lincoln at Illinois turned out to be a succes d'estime for its producer Max Gordon and its studio (RKO), taking a bath to the tune of $750,000. Its failure moved one Hollywood wise-guy to collar Gordon at a party and say, "I can't understand it, Max. Lincoln was so kind to everybody but you."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/13/2022
UPC:	0883929787005
Original Release:	1940
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:50:00
Sales rank:	27,530

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Raymond Massey	Abraham Lincoln
Gene Lockhart	Stephen Douglas
Ruth Gordon	Mary Todd
Mary Howard	Ann Rutledge
Dorothy Tree	Elizabeth Edwards
Harvey Stephens	Ninian Edwards
Minor Watson	Joshua Speed
Alan Baxter	Billy Herndon
Howard da Silva	Jack Armstrong
Maurice Murphy	John McNeil
Clem Bevans	Ben Mattling
Herbert Rudley	Seth Gale
Roger Imhof	Mr. Crimmin
Edmund Elton	Mr. Rutledge
George Rosener	Dr. Chandler
Trevor Bardette	John Hanks
Elisabeth Risdon	Sarah Lincoln,Sarah Lincoln
Napoleon Simpson	Gobey
Aldrich Bowker	Judge Bowling Green
Louis Jean Heydt	Mentor Graham
Harlan Briggs	Denton Offut
Andy Clyde	Stage Driver
Leona Roberts	Mrs. Rutledge,Mrs. Bowling Green
Fay Helm	Mrs. Seth Gale
Syd Saylor	John Johnston
Charles Middleton	Tom Lincoln,Tom Lincoln
Alec Craig	Trem Cogdall
Peggy Garner	Little Girl
John Cromwell	John Brown
Kate Reid	Actor
Roy Webb	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert E. Sherwood

Grover Jones

John Cromwell	Director
Robert E. Sherwood	Screenwriter
Max Gordon	Producer
Grover Jones	Screenwriter
Vernon Walker	Special Effects
Maxine Gordan	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a very worthy film, with an exceptional performance by Raymond Massey in the title role. It's a very fine film and well worth watching -- and yet, it somehow falls just a trifle short of being the great film that it should be. It's hard to say exactly why this is so. Certainly there are some problems with the screenplay, notably in the manner in which many of the supporting characters are given short shrift. Everyone aside from Lincoln is fairly one-dimensional, although the incredible Ruth Gordon as Mary Todd Lincoln and the very good Gene Lockhart as Stephen Douglas don't let that get in their way. But this by itself shouldn't really matter so much under the circumstances. The bigger problem seems to be more intangible; the bits and pieces of the story are all there, and they're put together in a logical and involving manner, but the whole somehow comes up lacking a bit. Of course, highlights like the Lincoln-Douglas debate sequence make up for this lack, and Massey's nuanced portrayal -- capturing both the exuberance and the melancholy, the simplicity and the complexity of the man -- is worth the price of admission by itself. James Wong Howe's expert cinematography also is a bonus, and John Cromwell's direction is very smooth, if occasionally a bit short on inspiration. Despite its little flaws, it's an engaging, often very moving and exciting tribute to a great American hero.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler