PHOTOS: The History of Abraham Lincoln on Film
The 16th president has been a Hollywood star and box office attraction since the earliest days of Hollywood
- By Jesse Rhodes
- Smithsonian magazine, November 2012
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(Everett Collection)
Abraham Lincoln, 1930
In the first major historical film of the sound era, director D.W. Griffith cast Walter Huston, father of director John Huston and grandfather of actress Anjelica Huston, as Lincoln. The worshipful (and somewhat wooden) portrait chronicles events from every period of the president's life. "Abraham Lincoln," Griffith said, "is not to be thought of as a statue. Lincoln was a complex, many-sided personality."
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Comments (1)
Cool pictures--although you start in the talkies, Lincoln's visage has been on film since the birth of the nation's movies. In fact, don't forget Jospeh Henabery's portrayal of Honest Abe in Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" (1915). Lincoln certainly was one for the ages!
Posted by peter lee on March 12,2013 | 03:11 PM