Abe Lincoln in Illinois

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) is a sadly overlooked gem. Overshadowed by the previous year's Young Mr. Lincoln, John Cromwell and Robert E. Sherwood's take on our 16th President is a much more conventional biopic than John Ford's poetically beautiful, metaphorical work, yet very much worth watching. If nothing else, it's got a brilliant performance by Raymond Massey to commend it.

Abraham Lincoln (Raymond Massey) is a self-educated young man from Kentucky, unsure of what he wants to do. Shortly after arriving in Illinois, he finds a niche as a well-liked leader, though he's depressed by the loss of sweetheart Ann Rutledge (Mary Howard). The film follows his career: militia Captain in the Black Hawk War, legislator and Congressman, suitor and husband to Mary Todd (Ruth Gordon), Senate rival of Stephen Douglas (Gene Lockhart) and finally Presidential candidate as the nation teeters on the brink of Civil War.

Abe Lincoln in Illinois follows the biopic formula to the letter, yet still remains compelling. While Young Mr. Lincoln showed Lincoln's life and achievements in metaphor, Cromwell and his writers portray Abe's rise directly. Key events are ticked off, and famous figures portrayed - particularly Gene Lockhart's (Hangmen Also Die!) superbly pompous Stephen Douglas - resulting in an episodic plot that's very well-handled, with strong set-pieces and Sherwood and Grover Jones's excellent script maintaining a narrative drive. The movie is completely reverent of Lincoln, but no moreso than most Hollywood films.

Raymond Massey (49th Parallel) is brilliant. His casting is inspired on looks alone - he's Lincoln's spitting image - but Massey's performance is more than skin-deep. His Lincoln is more self-confident than Henry Fonda's sensitive portrayal, but Massey keeps him an awkward, down-to-earth and figure, believable as a man rather than just an icon. He delivers his big speeches - the "House Divided" speech, his farewell to a Springfield crowd - with passionate gusto, and handles the quieter moments well too. Massey's Lincoln is truly one of cinema's inspired performances.

Abe Lincoln in Illinois is perhaps not high art as Ford's film is. But as a straightforward biographical film, it's a solid piece of work, and one cannot praise Raymond Massey highly enough. One almost regrets that there wasn't a sequel: Abe Lincoln in Washington with this cast and crew would have been superb.