Okay, let's get one thing out of the way at the beginning- this not one of the fifty worst films ever made. The two guys who said that were total losers. Another thing the movie definitely is not is anything approaching historically accurate. D.W. Griffith was known for his, uh, biased interpretation of history before in such films as The Birth of a Nation. That film would lead to believe that this would be a film about the 16th President from a Southern perspective, but you'd be wrong. This is a saintly biopic in the tradition of Ghandi, but a lot shorter and less boring. Luckily, we also never get to see Lincoln in a loincloth.
I don't know that much about the Antibellum and Civil War eras of American history, but what I do know is enough to tell me that this film was written to work as melodramatic fantasy instead of a real statement about historical events. In other words, this is the way 1930's audiences wanted to see that period- as a war about secession instead of slavery, everybody is honorable (Lee and Grant are both portrayed on the same ethical level), and we get slaves cheering for the South to win. On the positive side, Lincoln (Walter Huston) is portrayed as the near saint American myth would have us believe. Make no mistake, Lincoln was a great guy (probably supporting racial equality a lot more than he let on), but he wasn't Jesus.
Because this old-fashioned Griffith melodrama, we get a lot of contrived scenes, but because of the talent of the director, a lot of them work. The ten minuets or so, concerning Lincoln's birth and as a good ol' boy (in Illinois?) don't work and are grating. But as Lincoln begin a fling with his first love, Ann Rutledge (Una Merkle), the Griffith magic takes over, and we get drawn in. It's genuinely sad when Ann dies, and (to the film anyway) it's too bad that Abe gets hitched with Mary Todd (Kay Hammond), who is portrayed as a real bitch. We feel Lincoln's anguish at the hard war descions, are (like the real Lincoln, for once) marvel at his ability to be an essentially kind person in the most dire possible circumstances.
I have long stated that D.W. Griffith is the only director who found a way to make the essentially un cinematic Civil War look exciting. Many of the battle scenes are truly breathtaking. Griffith is one of those rare directors like Spielberg or Peter Jackson who are so proficient in the language of film that, regardless of content, it is always a pleasure to merely watch the film unfolding on the formal level.
This being a D.W. Griffith film about the Civil War there are some ethical problems- although not explicit like Birth of a Nation, this film is implicitly racist. The black characters are all portrayed (obviously) by white actors in black face, and history has thankfully recorded that the conflict was not a just about a political disagreement, but an ethical one, as well. There are some other problems, as well- the acting is at times dated, some scenes are hard to believe, others are over the top, and some are both. But if you follow Griffith on his fantasy of American history, this a rewarding film. Modern audiences can only do that to a limited extend. I am a liberal and was bothered some of the content of this film, but I am also white. I think African American viewers might find this whole movie to be complete garbage, and not be able to look past its ethical problems like I was.
Abraham Lincoln (1930)