D. W. Griffith's "Abraham Lincoln"

Abraham Lincoln (1930)
Director: D. W. Griffith
Released: 1930
License: Public Domain
Length: 01:24:39


* Cast :

* William L. Thorne — Tom Lincoln (as W.L. Thorne)
* Lucille La Verne — Mid-Wife
* Helen Freeman — Nancy Hanks Lincoln
* Otto Hoffman — Offut
* Walter Huston — Abraham Lincoln
* Edgar Dearing — Jack Armstrong (as Edgar Deering)
* Una Merkel — Ann Rutledge
* Russell Simpson — Uncle Jimmy
* Charles Crockett — Sheriff
* Kay Hammond — Mary Todd Lincoln
* Helen Ware — Mrs. Edwards
* E. Alyn Warren — Stephen A. Douglas
* Jason Robards, Sr. — Billy Herndon (as Jason Robards)
* Gordon Thorpe — Tad Lincoln



Abraham Lincoln is a biographical film about former American president Abraham Lincoln, released in 1930. It was directed by D. W. Griffith and starred Walter Huston and Una Merkel.


It is sometimes known by the title D. W. Griffith's 'Abraham Lincoln'. This was the first of only two sound films made by Griffith; it was not a hit at the time, but in more recent years it has come to be regarded as one of the definitive films on the president.


Despite this, it contains a large amount of historical inaccuracies, such as having Lincoln deliver his Second Inaugural Address at Ford's Theatre shortly before being assassinated, significantly altering the Lincoln-Douglas debates by turning them into an argument on secession, and featuring the romance between Lincoln and Ann Rutledge, which some historians assert never took place


The film starts at Lincoln's birth, through the struggles of his youth and love for Ann Rutledge (Una Merkel), marriage to the eccentric Mary Todd (Kay Hammond), whose mental fragility is subtly demonstrated in how she tries to get out a spot in some fabric, his persistence in keeping the Union together through the war at all costs, and his assassination.


A wonderful "biography" film, and a good example of early filmmaking.