Lincoln

This is a nice piece of work, but far from being ideal. It was clear the filmmakers had little funds so that they used the re-enactors to show the battle scenes, and the color scheme in those differs a lot. But that is OK. The film itself is a bit too long and bit too unrealistic. Gore Vidal was a writer and he did bring a lot of fiction onto real events. But despite all this, Watterson and Tyler did their main parts well and that counts as a big plus. In general, not bad, but still, much weaker than many other Civil War films of the era. The movie pays a decent tribute to the life and sufferings of a real great man, but it often tends to drag along or slow down painfully quite too often. Recommended but with some caution

I'm very glad to see this one out on video at last, as the one I had from TV is worn out. I found Sam Waterston's performance to be wonderfully well-rounded. From the calculated Lincoln wit & military management,to his personal powerlessness in the face of on going family tragedy. One of the best depictions of Abraham Lincoln I have seen, & I would be quite happy to see him take another turn at it anytime he gets the chance!

Mary Tyler Moore was marvellous as Mary Todd Lincoln, conveying the extremes of mental illness without going over the top & nullifying her warmth, intelligence, & independence, as other portrayals have!

Imagine my surprise upon renting this again, to find Thomas Gibson (Darhma & Greg) was Sprague. That's part of the fun of watching something not seen for a while, in my opinion; Seeing favorite performances again, & realizing who you'd watched before they were famous!

This was a well done movie, particularly for television. Sam Waterson's performance as Lincoln was well done. This will be evident to people who have taken the time to study Lincoln, the man, not what he is credited for. Lincoln is known for having a high pitched, "countrified" voice, which Waterson did very effectively. Lincoln was known for normally being a bit haggard looking, which was also portrayed well. His mannerisms and use of colloquialisms in conversation were accurately handled. The supporting cast did a fine job, particularly Richard Mulligan as Seward. Mary Tyler Moore was very effective portraying Mary Lincoln as they wanted it done in the movie. She certainly conveyed Mary Lincoln's mental shortcomings well. My only complaint is that the battle scenes used the same stock footage over and over, being that one can tell it was all filmed at one location. This is a good movie in general, and if you are a student of Lincoln, the man...surprisingly so.

Mary Tyler Moore gives the best portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln I have ever seen on screen.

Sam Waterson gives a very different portrayal of President Lincoln than we are used to. Generally, when we think of Lincoln we think of a man with a deep voice due to the fact that he was a very tall man and was well built. However Lincoln in fact did not have a deep voice according to some reports that I have read, in fact he had a high pitched voice and he had that Kentucky accent. (Kentucky? The Hell you say, Lincoln was from Illinois, yes this is true, however Lincoln was born in Kentucky, he was raised mostly in Illinois though)

This film gives us a good look at Lincoln the man, at the True Abraham Lincoln. Yes this film only spends a small amount of time on the assassination and spends none on the conspirators at all.

If you want to see a very good portrayal of the Lincoln assassination that is very in depth, try watching "The Day Lincoln was Shot" which was a television movie made for TNT. In fact the "Day Lincoln was shot" is a nice accompanying piece to this movie.

If you ever get the opportunity to watch either one of these films take it you won't regret it.

I thought this movie was excellent. The acting was well-done, in my opinion. Mary Tyler Moore did a superb job in her role as Mary Todd Lincoln.

I don't know how much Gore Vidal's book, upon which this movie is based, reflects the truth about Abraham Lincoln. However, this movie shows a very different Abraham Lincoln than the American myth of "Honest Abe." Lincoln is portrayed as an ambitious politic, not above coaxing the facts put forth to the public in order to win votes for the new Republican Party, and who eventually becomes rather subdued and serious about life after a series of events unfold.

Anyone studying or interested in this period of American History or in Lincoln should give this movie a watching, if only for the perspectives given.