Gore Vidal's Lincoln
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Movie Reviews of Gore Vidal's Lincoln
Movie Review: A Shining Lincoln Shows Tarnish, Too
Summary: 4 Stars
[Edited a bit, from June 29, 2004, my 1st review under name Rev. Antonio Hernandez]:
Though made drearily for television, this film has a number of elements that is ahead of its time. Sam Waterston's savvy, almost hippie-like Lincoln is not at all the "great ape" that many of Lincoln's detractors claimed. He is like the true Abraham Lincoln.
With the high-pitched Kentucky squeak in his voice (like Lincoln), Waterston is simply riveting - as Lincoln himself must have been. His terrible screech of pain during the height of the Civil War is something I had always imagined he did several times. Waterston hypnotizes with this Emmy-worthy portrayal.
The facts in the film are blurry at times, the direction is plodding, the lighting is too dark - and Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Todd Lincoln must be the casting blunder of the 20th century. Yet all involved give terrific performances. Too bad there wasn't more LINCOLN to this "Lincoln". I'd have liked to see his youth in Illinois and his rise to Congress.
During the campaign for Congress, Lincoln sat in - for fun - on an old Christian 'tent revival'. The preacher, screeching his most fiery sermon, asked Lincoln directly, "Sir, are you bound for Heaven?!"
Lincoln answered, "If it's all the same to you, sir, I am bound for Congress." Vintage Lincoln, and Waterston-by-way-of-Vidal conveys that like no one else ever could.
All in all, it is the must-see for any interested viewer.
Movie Review: A more true picture of Lincoln than some would like to see..
Summary: 4 Stars
But, more historically correct. Lincoln was a politician. He never set out to free the slaves. He actually offered leading free Blacks the opportunity to take the slaves to a new American colony in South America because he never thought ex-slaves would have a chance. There was corruption in his Administration. First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln probably sold the text of the "State of the Union" address to the New York Times. She also kept 'ghost' employees on the White House payroll to pay for her extravagances in remodeling.
Still, Lincoln was a good man and a good leader, grieved at the state of America. Sam Waterson depicts a man heavily laden with the burdens of a country, constituency, and family that could be enough to break a lesser person's resolve.
Mary Tyler Moore's performance as Mary Todd Lincoln was also good. No one will ever know whether it was mental illness, addiction to morphine, or some other cause that drove her to 'headaches' and spendthrift behavior. Tyler Moore's presentation was of Todd-Lincoln was troubled---and human.
My big complaint about this DVD was the film quality. This looked like a low budget film that was not digitially remastered for DVD. Pity, because this is an excellent depiction of the times and one of our American heroes.
Movie Review: America's Lincoln
Summary: 4 Stars
Author Vidal's work of "factual fiction", Lincoln, is a monumental novel focusing upon the five years of the most dramatic of presidencies. Distilling nearly 700 pages of biographical detail into a three hour miniseries must have been daunting, but writer Ernest Kinoy was up to the task. It's hard to judge direction in a piece that's divided for commercial breaks, but under the hand of Lamont Johnson, the story remains cohesive. Casting Sam Waterston in the title role was a stroke of genius. Squint a bit, and you could be convinced he was Lincoln, lthough a surprisingly unwrinkled and unworn one. Waterston's Lincoln is fully human, down to high pitched, twangy quality of Lincoln's voice; he has turned in the most credible movie portrayal to date. Most of the supporting cast was also outstanding, with the singular exception of Mary Tyler Moore. Thin to the point of gauntness, and rigid in her self control, MTM was the visual antithesis of the real Mary Lincoln, who was short, heavy set, and given to unforgettable displays of temper and hysteria. While Moore's performance hints at the manic depression that destroyed Mrs. Lincoln's personality, and ultimately her life, she was badly miscast.
Recommended for anyone interested in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.
Movie Review: Great Behind The Scenes Look at Lincoln
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the definitive movie on Lincoln. I challenge anyone to point out a film that provides a more rounded picture on the 16th President than this particular one. Sam Waterston is excellent - he seems to capture all of the mannerisms and emotions of Lincoln as even the most vivid of historical texts describe. To anyone who might be thinking this is a Civil War film, keep on moving. This is the story of how Lincoln conducted the war while grieving for his lost son and a wife who was not in her right mind.
This would have earned five stars except for, as others have noted, the relatively poor quality of film for a DVD. It looks like this movie was transferred from VCR to DVD by a novice. Still, for a low price of $6.99, it should be any collection of Lincoln or Civil War buffs.
Movie Review: Deserves better film quality
Summary: 4 Stars
I loved the movie. If you are a fan of the Vidal book, you'll be a fan of the movie as it follows the book closely. Sam Waterson is great as Lincoln. One minor problem for me is his portrayal of Lincoln's hair- it was too stylish. Lincoln's hair was messy. Mary Tyler Moore is spot on for Mrs. Lincoln. As others have noted, the transfer to DVD is not in good quality, but the film is still very watchable simply for the movie.