Saturday, October 26, 2013

Movie review - "Young Mr Lincoln" (1939) ***1/2

This is a famous classic, I get that, but a lot of it got on my nerves - maybe I was in a bad mood, but there was a little too much of Henry Fonda in a fake nose, and slice of small town life, and gossiping character actors, and women in bonnets.

It's clearly made with skill and love and there are some terrific moments - like introducing Ann Rutlege then cutting to Abe visiting her grave - and I enjoyed the legal story which takes up the bulk of the action. Donald Meek has more fire than I'm used to seeing him playing the prosecutor.

Still I can't help feeling this was over-rated: too much common sense, people being cute and saying "I reckon", sunsets and Lincoln being a man of destiny. I was like, alright already. The issue of black people is mostly skirted apart from some mention that slaves are making it hard to be a farmer in Kentucky.


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