Abe Lincoln in Illinois
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Abe Lincoln in Illinois |
| Original title | Abe Lincoln in Illinois |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1940 |
| length | 110 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | John Cromwell |
| script |
Robert E. Sherwood , Grover Jones (adaptation) |
| production | Max Gordon |
| music | Roy Webb |
| camera | James Wong Howe |
| cut | George Hively |
| occupation | |
| |
Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a 1940 American biography by John Cromwell about Abraham Lincoln's years before the election of the US president . The screenplay is based on the play Abraham Lincoln in Illinois (original title: Abe Lincoln in Illinois ) by Robert E. Sherwood , which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1939 . In 1946 a version shortened by 27 minutes was released in German cinemas.
action
In 1831 the young Abraham Lincoln left home. His first business activity was delivering pigs to New Orleans . On the way there he met Ann Rutledge in New Salem , Illinois. After the deal is done, Lincoln returns to New Salem. He accepts a job in the Denton Offut business, falls in love with Ann, and wins local community approval. Ninian Edwards, the leader of the Whig party , is trying to get him to be a member of Congress . Lincoln accepts and wins the election. But the election victory means nothing to him when Ann dies unexpectedly. The grief gives him a sense of doom, but he puts his political ambitions back. At the end of the legislative period he will return to civilian life.
Lincoln meets the courageous and determined Mary Todd, who tries to persuade him to return to politics. Lincoln, an outspoken opponent of slavery , fears the breakup of the Union if he upholds his political position on slavery. After another visit to New Salem, Lincoln is ready to face the political challenge. Lincoln and Mary get married.
After a few years, tensions between northern and southern states reached a dangerous point. Lincoln meets his old opponent Stephen Douglas, with whom he has passionate debates. Lincoln is certain that his own presidency will lead to the secession of the southern states. Despite his reservations, he accepts the election as President of the United States and leaves Illinois for Washington.
background
Raymond Massey, Howard Da Silva and Herbert Rudley appeared in the same roles in the original play. For Herbert Rudley the film was his feature film debut, for Ruth Gordon the second role in a feature film. Da Silva was the third time a film actor, although his first two roles were not mentioned in the credits. Raymond Massey played the role of Abraham Lincoln two more times: in 1956 in an episode of the Ford Star Jubilee television series and in 1962 in That Was the Wild West . Charles Middleton , known as the star of Ming in the Flash Gordon series, plays a small supporting role as Tom Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's brother.
Director John Cromwell had the same fondness as Alfred Hitchcock to make small cameos in his films. Here he appears as John Brown. The film was made in the US state of Oregon .
Reviews
The lexicon of international films described the film as “a sincere but clumsy biography with wooden dialogues”. For the film critic Leonard Maltin, it was a "first-class Americana " and "stylish story of Lincoln's life and career", which was "beautifully played by Massey". Ruth Gordon supported him as Mary Todd in an outstanding way. Maltin awarded the film four out of four stars.
Awards
- Nomination for Best Actor for Raymond Massey
- Nomination for Best Black & White Camera for James Wong Howe
literature
- Robert E. Sherwood : Abraham Lincoln in Illinois. Drama in three acts (original title: Abe Lincoln in Illinois ). German by Fred Andreas . [Stage manuscript.] US Army, Bayern undated (approx. 1946–1948), 130 pp.
Web links
- Abe Lincoln in Illinois in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Abe Lincoln in Illinois at Turner Classic Movies (English)
- Film review by Frank S. Nugent in the New York Times , February 23, 1940 (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Abe Lincoln in Illinois. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 2, 2020 .
- ^ "First-rate Americana; sincere story of Lincoln's life and career is beautifully acted by Massey, with top support from Gordon as Mary Todd. " Leonard Maltin : Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide . Plume, New York 2015, ISBN 978-0-14-751682-4 , p. 2.