Abe Lincoln in Illinois

1940 "Now on the screen!"
7.3| 1h50m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 19 April 1940 Released
Producted By: RKO Radio Pictures
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a 1940 biographical film which tells the story of the life of Abraham Lincoln from his departure from Kentucky until his election as President of the United States.

Genre

Drama, History

Watch Online

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) is currently not available on any services.

Director

John Cromwell

Production Companies

RKO Radio Pictures

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime.
Watch Now
Abe Lincoln in Illinois Videos and Images
View All
  • Top Credited Cast
  • |
  • Crew

Abe Lincoln in Illinois Audience Reviews

Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
ThiefHott Too much of everything
Nonureva Really Surprised!
Protraph Lack of good storyline.
Martin Bradley A wonderful piece of authentic Americana that has tended to be overlooked in favour of John Ford's "Young Mr Lincoln" and while Cromwell was no Ford, this is almost as good. Raymond Massey received his only Oscar nomination as "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" and it's s superb performance and unlike Ford's movie this covers the whole spectrum of Lincoln's life from the earliest days right up to Washington and the presidency, his courtship of Ann Rutledge, (a charming Mary Howard), and marriage to Mary Todd, (a wonderful Ruth Gordon).Other standouts in a good cast include Gene Lockhart as Stephen Douglas and Howard Da Silva as the town bully who becomes Abe's best friend. The source material is a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Robert E Sherwood and it was Sherwood himself who brought it to the screen while Lincoln's 'House Divided' speech, magnificently spoken by Massey, could be culled from today's headlines and sadly is just as appropriate today as it was back then.
Tad Pole Evidently historians have pegged Abraham Lincoln as the best Lincoln of the 1800s and Daniel Day-Lewis as the top Abe of the 2000s. According to TCM host Robert Osborne, movie-goers of the 1900s voted with their pocketbooks to make Raymond Massey's turn as the country's most famous rail-splitter the premier Honest A of their time (over Henry Fonda), and the Oscar nominator people agreed. (My dad says there's someone named Hal Holbrook famous for doing Lincoln or Mark Twain a century ago--he couldn't remember which, being up in years over 40 and everything.) Anyway, I watched this last night and I thought this Massey dude was much more convincing as a president-elect age Lincoln that as an 18-year-old Lincoln reading in front of the fireplace. (Leonardo Dicaprio had the opposite problem in J. EDGAR, as everyone knew he still looked like the TITANIC kid at the end, just covered with a foot-and-a-half of make-up!) I guess the lesson here for Hollywood types would be that it's better to age a 50-year-old geezer from 18 to 60 than a 25-year-old kid! (By the way, my summary is comprised of Abe's last words in Illinois, according to this movie, at least.)
historyprofsoon I was very taken with this movie. I liked it because I believe that it captures not only some essential facts about President Lincoln, but about life as well. I am intrigued by the fact that destiny pulled Lincoln kicking and screaming into what he was created to do. He had no specific ambitions or plans. He never aspired to be president. The times that he lived in required it of him. The people who were his friends saw the calling in him that he could not see himself. If he had married Ann Rutledge he would not have become President. He would not have been in position to save the Union. It took the marriage to a women he did not love to push him into his destiny. Mary Todd's ambition was essential to his future. Her choice of Lincoln over Steven Douglas was providential. These facts tell me that personal happiness and fulfillment are not the most important considerations in choosing what to do with our lives. We must allow Providence to lead us into our destiny for the good of society as well as ourselves.
technicallyhere92 I absolutely loved this movie! maybe it is because I am a history buff but I thought it was wonderful!. I am currently doing a project on Abraham Lincoln where my friends and I on working on a student directed film about Abraham Lincoln and you can not imagine how much this movie has helped me. This movie tells the tale of one of the greatest man in history and how he evolved along the way to become even greater. I can only hope that this movie will help someone see the wonders of his life as it helped me and as Honest Abe helped so many other people. I loved it when they showed his debate with Stephen Douglas. That was really the highlight of the movie because it showed him giving his real opinion and it caught my attention. His speech was amazing!! 10 thumbs up!!!! :D