The Lincoln Letter in 'The Hateful Eight'

In the words of Dr King Schultz, 'I couldn't resist'. Following on from my last post on various portrayals of Lincoln onscreen, I thought, why not look at what's probably my favourite use of the great president's legacy on film. Though Lincoln doesn't actually appear in Quentin Tarantino's taut Western whodunit masterpiece, he plays a very key role in its proceedings...though not necessarily in a way you'd expect. I love The Hateful Eight as I've mentioned many a time on this blog, but there are some elements of it that I place on an even higher pedestal than the others. The Lincoln Letter, the writing behind this storytelling motif, and how its performed by the actors, is probably my favourite part of this great film.

The Lincoln Letter first comes into play on the carriage ride to Minnie's Haberdashery, when John Ruth (Kurt Russell) tentatively asks whether Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) whether he can take a look at it.

Now we don't know that much about either of these characters yet except that they're both bounty hunters, and this little scene is actually an excellent masterstroke by Tarantino to develop his three characters in the carriage, including Jennifer Jason Leigh's Daisy Domergue. Warren's attitude to the letter seems to be oddly indifferent, as if he's not that fussed about getting a letter from Abe Lincoln anymore, seeing it as just another letter from an old friend, but also seems a bit uncomfortable with letting anyone else see it or touch it. John Ruth's reaction to the letter warms my heart every time I see it. As scenes before and after this will show, our ostensible 'hero' of the story is far from a perfect man, having a disturbing thirst for ruthless violence and an overly paranoid edge. This scene, however, with the combination of Tarantino's writing and Russell's performance, beautifully humanizes his character. We instantly see that for all his faults, John Ruth's heart is a good one, fully dedicated to his country and president, who finds joy and pride in being able to just touch and read the words of a man he truly respects, and desires, and whose principles of justice for all is what compels him to do his job of sending the vile Daisy Domergue to hang - who by the way, shows a callous contempt for the letter, spitting on it with utter contempt for both Warren and the President.

The letter doesn't come back into play again till we get to the Haberdashery. Firstly, it sets up two utterly hilarious line deliveries by Walton Goggins and Tim Roth:

Then another great scene which not only develops the aforementioned trio of Daisy, John, and Major Warren, but also Goggins' Chris Mannix to boot, when Mannix demonstrates that perhaps he's not just some hillbilly idiot after all as he so incisively tears apart Warren's lies about the Lincoln Letter. I love this scene because Tarantino's writing pulls the lie apart while sending characterizations of the four players here in so many directions at once. I absolutely love how Goggins plays this scene because on one hand, he's clearly just trying to wind Warren up like the obnoxious jerk he's been acting up as to him up till this point, but on the other hand, there's a genuine streak of earnest intelligence, almost as if he wants to prove himself to the others in the cabin, he gives to his breaking down of Warren's lie and deceit.

Despite being an unabashed racist, the writing behind Mannix here shows that maybe there's more to this hateful hillbilly than there seems. As for the other two, Daisy, who finds such glee in how much the revelation of this lie torments John Ruth, torments him with her hilarious yet deeply disconcerting laughter, showing that far from just being a racist murderer, Daisy is someone who just loves watching the world burn. Jackson is equally good in showing how little the revelation that he's a dirty liar seems to faze him as he almost seems to laugh along with Daisy and Mannix, which makes it all the more jarring when John Ruth reveals how much this betrayal has hurt him. In the brief moments after the revelation, Russell and Jackson's confrontation over the latter's lies are absolutely heartbreaking as we see the kinship built up between the two earlier fall apart so suddenly.

Well all of this leads indirectly to bloodshed, more bloodshed, and Tarantino's masterful buildup of tension and humour carries the film to its very end. Now it's worth noting that in the original screenplay of The Hateful Eight that after the previous scene on the Lincoln letter, it's never mentioned again, and that the ending of the film was a massive shootout in which everyone dies, rather than the slow, successive series of bloodsheds which the film employs to build up to its conclusion. Well, by the time Tarantino has unleashed all his bag of tricks on the audience, only two fellows are left standing, or to be more exact, lying down on a bed, waiting for death: the ex-Union soldier and black bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren, and the Confederate captain Chris Mannix. Now I like a cynical Tarantino ending as much as anyone, but what I love about The Hateful Eight is that it subverts the expectation I had of it by ending on an extremely powerful, moving note. Through all they've been through together, Mannix and Warren have found a heartwarming mutual respect for each other's moral code and dignity in the face of death, and we end the film with Mannix taking the Lincoln Letter from Warren, and reading its contents for us to hear. I'll enclose it in full here; it's so beautifully written by Tarantino/Warren, and makes the final, quiet few moments of the film the greatest scene of a great film, in which the hateful put aside their hate in a few quiet moments of friendship and camaraderie.

'Dear Marquis, I hope this letter finds you in good health and state. I'm doing fine, although I wish there were more hours in the day. It's just so much to do. Time is changing slowly but surely and it's men like you will make a difference. Your military success is a credit,not only to you but your race as well. I'm very proud every time I heard news of you. We still have a long way to go, but hand in hand. I know we'll get there. I just want to let you know you're in my thoughts. Hopefully our paths will cross in the future. Until then I remain you friend. Ole Mary Todd is calling, so I guess it must be time for bed. Respectfully, Abraham Lincoln'

(so happy to have found this clip on Youtube, credit to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2buqm3vRg-DD-pVnfEOfA