Head-to-Head: Lincolns on Film

Note: I haven't seen John Carradine's portrayal of Lincoln yet (I really should), nor Gregory Peck's in whole, but the latter does a spellbinding Gettysburg Address:

There's also good ol' character actor Hal Holbrook who apparently is an absolutely spellbinding Lincoln, based on these few clips I've seen I'm sure he is, I just need to find full copies of either Sandburg's Lincoln or North and South, especially the latter.

Walter Huston played Abraham Lincoln in  Abraham Lincoln (1930)

D.W. Griffiths' Abraham Lincoln, his first talkie film, is an okay but all too brief glossing of the 16th President of the United States' life. Griffiths' visual style is severely limited by lack of focus of the various points of Lincoln's life, and though the biographical story itself is naturally interesting enough to be watchable, it lacks a certain cinematic flair in the storytelling, and most of the performances.

Walter Huston was a great actor, but I must say I always preferred him in is more daring character actor roles in the likes of The Devil and Daniel Webster or The Treasure of Sierra Madre. Here, he plays the goody two-shoes, all-round excellent Abe Lincoln. This means that rather than getting the wild, unhinged side of Huston's talents, we're getting the more straightforward lead side of him. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I must admit Huston's not all that well-cast as Lincoln from the outset. The opening sections of the film portray Huston as a Young Mr Lincoln. Huston has a certain charm in these scenes that's unfortunately masked by some truly comically bad makeup. He's not helped by the fact that many of his co-stars from a young Ann Rutledge he serenades to the townsfolk, are all played in a rather generic and bland manner. Better is the scene in which an older Lincoln who grieves at a dying Ann's beside is the turning point of Huston's performance, as he's quite heartbreaking in this scene in showing a very human side to the man that's unfortunately a bit sidelined later on.

The reason for this is that Lincoln becomes pretty much a constant after this scene, whether he's charming Mary Todd, to the 1860 Lincoln-Douglas debate, to his handling of the Civil War, and his death scene, all become a mere series of vignettes. Huston does not really take on a particular 'style' with Lincoln, the mannerisms and the voice he uses as Lincoln don't vary much from his more conventional, somewhat imposing leading man style, but it works well, and when the beard comes on later he does have a resemblance to the real man which works with the rest of his performance. The wide scope of the film and limited running time means that Griffiths has to bounce from snippet to snippet in Lincoln's life, which is particularly hurtful for specific crucial bits in Lincoln's life, like his debates with Democratic Party candidate Stephen Douglas. The way they are cut up is done very oddly by Griffiths as it's not so much a scintillating debate as it is shot after shot of both John Huston and E. Alyn Warren making brief monologues, without any sort of real dynamic or fire found in interactions between the two.

His scenes with Mary Todd are fine, and Huston plays them charmingly enough, but like the Lincoln-Douglas scenes the film never really lets him flourish because of the vignette nature of the film. Better are the scenes in the White House where he contemplates and debates various issues in the North-South conflict - which are actually the scenes which make the main meat of Steven Speilberg's Lincoln (2012). Huston has some excellent reactionary moments, like the scene where he hears about the states which have voted to depose him as President, and one can't help but think if the film had taken a smaller scope and focus on one of these events (Lincoln's campaign for his first presidency and the debates could've made for an interesting presidential debate drama), he could've given a great performance overall. As it stands, Huston gives a good performance as Lincoln, but the very nature of the film limits him to a rather excruciating extent.

3/5

Henry Fonda played a young Abraham Lincoln in Young Mr Lincoln (1939)

Young Mr. Lincoln is a rather interesting film about Lincoln not as President, but as a young lawyer defending two suspected murderers. The film is very much of its time in that Lincoln is pretty as flawless a figure as they come, and it never really digs too deep into who he is exactly, in fact what I like about it is that it would probably just be as good a film even if the lawyer was just some average American, a la Mr Smith.

Henry Fonda doesn't do anything really radical in terms of his voice to portray Lincoln, which is perfectly fine, since Fonda's normal speaking voice is a pretty good fit for the nature of Abe Lincoln as a character. Fonda was a great actor whose strengths lay in exuding righteous compassion and charm with such ease, and he utilizes this talent to perfection to bring out the conviction and gravitas of the young Abe. Fonda has some pretty well-done makeup to make him resemble Lincoln even further, and Fonda adds to this with the somewhat gangly but quite assured physical movements of Lincoln in whatever he does, which all in all makes him quite a convincing Lincoln, at least a very believable version of Lincoln based on what we know about him from historical records.

This Lincoln remains pretty much a constant throughout the film, with the occasional insight into his personal life aside, like his handling of the tragic death of young love Ann Rutledge and just his all-round awesomeness as an honest chap in his personal affairs, are all done in a very effective Fonda-like fashion. The true power of Fonda's performance, however, comes in the scenes where he takes a step further into Lincoln the orator and defender of the rights of man. he basically does the routine of a Mr Smith Goes to Washingto, or Atticus Finch defending Tom Robinson, through his portrayal of Lincoln, and it works very effectively. Fonda's portrayal of Lincoln's courtroom scenes are not as dramatic as those performances, but instead more relaxed and humorous, but still with a great deal of persuasive conviction to his every word that so unassumingly pleads for justice and goodwill instead of violence and hate. The film's high points lie in these scenes of Fonda displaying that magnetic screen presence of his through the righteous figure of Lincoln, and thankfully John Ford utilizes his star well in this regard, allowing Fonda to turn in a strong performance as the man who would be president.

4.5/5

Raymond Massey played Abraham Lincoln in Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)

Abe Lincoln in Illinois is not much of a film, kind of like DW Griffiths' film it's more of just a vignette after vignette of an All-American hero, it's watchable enough, but in terms of films from 1940 which deliver rousing messages in wartime through inspirational figures it's certainly a far cry from The Great Dictator. It's not bad, but could use a lot more style to make it more memorable a film overall, instead of the step-by-step biopic it ends up being.

Massey, one of the most consistent character actors of the time, is very believable as Lincoln from a physical standpoint. He has the towering height, striking features that aren't far off from photographs of Lincoln, he's not that convincing as the young Lincoln early on, but as the character grows older his resemblance grows more and more. The voice he uses at Lincoln is fine, I wouldn't say it's as effective as say Fonda's normal voice in bringing out the unassuming power of each of his speeches, for instance, but it does have a unique, high-pitched quality that does convey Lincoln's rather unique character quite well, and makes him stand out from the crowd.

The film's stance on Lincoln, as with all these other 1930's, 1940's biographies, is particularly simplistic, he's just an all-round excellent fellow, and Massey's performance works in this very simplistic way in just showing the passion of Lincoln to be always in favour of justice. The film's direction does not undercut him in the scenes where he debates with Stephen Douglas, and his marriage to Mary Todd, the film doesn't delve too deep into the darker side of Lincoln but he is properly rousing in the speeches he makes, while having a certain edge in both scenes by showing that Lincoln, while a swell bloke, also has a colder, more methodical side to him. The film however, stops rather abruptly and shows nothing of his undertakings as President during the Civil War. This is often where a biography of Lincoln's life finds dramatic meat, and unlike Fonda Massey doesn't really have a climactic scene to end upon. His Lincoln is a consistent performance that is convincing enough, but I can't help but feel if the film had let him stretch a bit more with the material he'd have given a great as opposed to just good performance, especially since this is a performance which grows in strength as the film moves on.

3.5/5

Robert V. Barron played Abraham Lincoln in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is an extremely entertaining, a buddy film, sorta-stoner comedy, sorta-time travel, really it escapes definition because it's such a uniquely wonderful experience. It follows the exploits of the titular two dimwitted but amiable 'dudes' and aspiring metalhead rockers (of 'Wyld Stallyns'), Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves), who travel through time to collect historical figures (quite literally) for their history class presentation, which if they fail will somehow result in the whole universe imploding. The film is a stupid delight of the best kind, since it's not stupidly made, the script is actually quite intelligent and very witty and the performances are all excellent, rather it celebrates stupidity instead of mocking it, which is a nice change from all those Adam Sandler movies.

Unlike the other portrayals of Lincoln I've been and will be discussing here, Barron's role as Lincoln is a supporting role, as one of the historical figures Bill and Ted meet on their time travel escapade, who they bring with them to the present, although I would say out of the various figures they bring (which includes the eclectic likes of Socrates, Genghis Khan and Joan of Arc), Honest Abe gets the most dialogue and focus. Barron's mannerisms as Lincoln are of quite the standard sort, he does a sort of booming but approachable voice, and his mannerisms and physical performance depict Lincoln as a somewhat bumbling odd man who has a polite fascination with everything around him. All of this is convincing enough and it works well because Barron's performance is entirely in the service of comedy. I particularly love the scene where Lincoln is at the police station, arrested for 'disorderly' behaviour, and how his amiable manner and polite but firm assertion that his name is Abraham Lincoln, draws a chuckle from me every time because of how oblivious his Lincoln is to the incredulity of the policeman. Then to cap it all off, in addition to his general pratfalling, and amusing antics, he has a final speech to cap it all off at Bill and Ted's history class presentation, manages to be quite heartwarming and inspirational in that, well it's an Abe Lincoln speech, but also hilarious with his resoundingly delivered 'Party on dudes!', the catchphrase of Bill and Ted. A simple comedic performance, but most certainly a hilarious one.

3.5/5

Benjamin Walker played Abraham Lincoln in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2010)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a stupid film, but in a different way to Bill & Ted. The concept of Abraham Lincoln being a vampire hunter certainly had potential if the film had taken a less serious, more tongue-in-cheek approach to the concept and quite frankly, embraced the ridculousness of it in a black comedy fashion, and revel in its stupidity. Unfortunately it's directed with a very dour tone, dark but without being very effective in its ominous tone, which makes it not even half as fun as it could've possibly been with a more mischievous edge. On the plus side, however, Some of the action scenes are well done, and there are a few little clever touches/references. It's not a very good film but there are decently entertaining bits in it.

I haven't really seen all that much of Benjamin Walker in general, the only real thing of note about him I know is that he had to pull out of X-Men: First Class and was replaced by Nicholas Hoult, which probably gave Hoult more exposure to the public eye and allowed him to be casted as Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road and give one of the best supporting performances of the decade. I digress. Well there's not all that much to talk about Walker's portrayal of Lincoln here really. He looks the part, I guess, and the baritone voice he uses, while not very Lincoln-esque I'd say, works well enough in establishing the firm sense of justice instilled in Lincoln from his very youth. And that's just about all I have to say about him. He delivers in the action scenes well, but beyond that there's very little to his performance. I won't call this a bad performance at all, I'd be interested to see how Walker handles a more serious version of Lincoln, but frankly this film does not give him much of an opportunity to develop his Lincoln beyond chopping off vampire heads and making the odd speech here and there.

2.5/5

Daniel Day-Lewis played Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln (2012)

Lincoln, as I've discussed many times on here before, is an extremely compelling film that's a biopic of not Lincoln's whole life, but specifically focused on his efforts to have the 13th Amendment passed. Steven Speilberg's assured direction and a focused, in-depth but still very accesible and humorous screenplay by playwright Tony Kushner help make it a very engaging and informative cinematic experience, that can be watched even if one knows little to nothing about the Conderate/Union conflict, or the political machinations behind it.

Now the film has many admirable factors to it, but they would all fall flat if the most important factor in it, which is naturally the lead actor's portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, was not up to scratch. Well apparently Liam Neeson was going to play Lincoln initially, and he does have quite the striking resemblance to Lincoln particularly when fully bearded. Neeson, however, felt he would be too old to play the role by the time filming came round, and also told Speilberg that he didn't feel right for the part. I have to say I always admire an actor who's willing to step down on his own accord for such humble reasons, especially an excellent actor like Neeson.

Anyway, Day-Lewis, the original first choice who'd originally turned the role down, signed on, and the rest is history. Day-Lewis' soft, yet commanding accent and voice is impeccable. His performance as Lincoln is technically very mannered in terms of his character creation of the voice and physicality of Lincoln, but it never feels like it. He rarely raises his voice, always adopting this very mellifluous, pleasent-sounding accent and quiet intonation, alongside rather introverted yet extroverted bodily movements and face of both contemplation and warmth. This Lincoln is many things at one time, and rather than seeming an odd combination of quietude and command, Day-Lewis blends both these attributes through just the character creation of Lincoln to make him an unforgettable character even just through the way he is presented onscreen, visually and vocally.

As aforementioned, this Lincoln is an imposing figure in some ways, but there's always an undercurrent of warmth even when he's making some rather momentuous decisions. Day-Lewis effortlessly brings such compassionate warmth to his interactions with other people, just the unique manner in which he approaches everyone with such a gentle yet incisive manner, incisive in that it's not some wavering friendliness or insincere love, but that he truly breathes and emanates kindness with the utmost sincereity and conviction with every move he makes and word he speaks.

The likability Day-Lewis takes on as Lincoln is so distinct when compared to his last two great characters, Daniel Plainview and Bill the Butcher, who were both domineering figures like Lincoln and also exuded a certain charisma, but of a much coarser, intimidating and rather terrifying sort. Day-Lewis could not be more understated and quiet in his style of performance here, and it's so wonderful to see him exude that same power of presence through such a mellow and affable outlet, whether he's telling stories or charming people to subtly get his way. This contrasts beautifully with some of the more private scenes of Lincoln's tenure where Day-Lewis portrays feelings of melancholy and sadness of his deceased sons, him dealing with his wife Mary Todd's (a great Sally FIeld) illness, and his frustration at the casualties of the civil war and his eldest son's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) desire to join the Union army. In these scenes we get a more haunted shell of Lincoln, but also an touch of fatherly love and guidance to his remaining sons, who even in his darkest hours can emnate such warmth and kindness.

Yet his Lincoln never feels overly sanctimonious, as when he needs to be more persuasive, especially in scenes where he has to convince members of his cabinet that the 13th amendment is the right course of action, trying to convince Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones) to moderate his statements, etc. Day-Lewis takes on a rather unique approach. He's quite calculating in a way, like his political operatives he uses to sway votes, all for the greater good of course but he remains quiet in his efficiently confrontational manner. Not a wasted word is ever spent by Day-Lewis' Lincoln in bringing people over to his side. This makes the one scene where he speaks out loudly in anger against slavery and the politics that prevent it from getting banned, is a truly spectacular moment. Then the scenes where he gets into confrontations with his wife, Day-Lewis' portrayal never loses his nerve, showing a man at wit's end with regards to his relationship with his wife, but also a desire to not lose his patience, and to try his best to show whatever little love there is between them. Day-Lewis gives a brilliant performance that, if not for his all-time great work in My Left Foot, would probably be my favourite performance of his, as he manages to portray both the near-mystical aura of the incredible man Lincoln was, and the earthly human he at the same time had to be - a stylized biographical depiction of a great American figure, with one of the greatest actors of all-time at his finest.

5/5


Ranking:
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln (5/5)
2. Henry Fonda, Young Mr Lincoln (4.5/5)
3. Robert V. Barron, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (3.5/5)
4. Raymond Massey, Abe Lincoln in Illinois (3.5/5)
5. John Huston, Abraham Lincoln (3/5)
6. Benjamin Walker, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer (2.5/5)