Lincoln

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.

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!

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.

This is NOT "unbelievable garbage", as some other critics, here, would say.

I am tired of those who would compare books to the movies made from them. For God's sake, a movie is INTERPRATIVE!!! When you read "The Nutcracker Suite", do you criticize the very beautiful ballet because EVERY WORD of the original book is not adhered to?

The PERFORMANCE given by Mr. Waterston is enough to launch this vehicle into greatness. He is simply wonderful.

You can HAVE Mary Tyler Moore. But Waterston is astonishing. And he always IS.

If people insist on criticizing films because they don't "match" the book from which they are taken, I suggest that they do NOT call themselves "film lovers".

This theory has been argued for decades, but still, people do not understand.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to put every thought, every line from a book, into a film. Please get used to this.

Thanks so much. -Studiojudio

I must disagree strongly with the correspondant who describes this film as garbage. I believe the production team, the writer and the efforts of Waterston and Tyler Moore have brilliantly captured Vidals characterisation of Honest Abe, both as politician and as a family man. Vidals GENIUS is the bi-play between Lincoln and Seward and Lincoln and Chase but in a three hour film it would be quite impossible to portray these intense rivalries and do any justice at all to the quality of the book. Many characters from the book are missing and there is no play at all of the assassination plotters that threads through the book. Nevertheless the Lincoln that has been lifted from the page makes for a most enjoyable film and well worth a viewing