Excellent but underrated film

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Henry Fonda does a remarkable job at portraying the likable Abraham Lincoln. Though I found the beginning slow I continued watching because of the characters. While it is a slower film it is a great plot that was executed perfectly by the director, John Ford. Many of the scenes were beautifully shot. The courtroom scenes, and the ending were both great aspects. While it is not generally a style of movie I enjoy watching I think it was worthwhile.

At one point the movie was so dark I sort of was drained trying to see every little detail. The movie sound was great for each scene, but the motion picture was so dull. I love how the story line is a autobiography yet included fictional parts since it's Hollywood. A few scenes would've been great for a colorful film example the walk Abe and Ann went on near the river that would've created a unique scenery. One scene that was very powerful yet realistic was the scene when Abe goes walking on the snow and as the audience you see like ice glaciers in the back giving a little verisimilitude to the film while he was visiting Ann asking her what should he do go to law school the other thing he asked was should he stay in town while using a stick. The film wasn't as crisp as the other black white films we watched in class. I still enjoyed the movie giving the score of 7.

This is a film that I don't have strong feelings one way or the other. Nothing stood out to make me think it was a terrific film, and it wasn't such a terrible movie where I dreaded every minute of it. There was some good camera work throughout, such as the tracking shot of Lincoln along the river, or some pan shots. I liked the high-key lighting, as this wasn't a film that needed any added suspense, so it was better to see everything and to not leave anything to the imagination. The plot itself was interesting enough, but I was not a fan of the use of sound. There always seemed to be non-diegetic music playing, which is common. I just think that the choice of music wasn't ideal, and that this was the type of film that could use more music during scenes with less dialogue, and less music when scenes were filled with dialogue. I liked that the characters were dressed very appropriately, and while the acting wasn't anything special, Henry Fonda did a good job in looking the part. The editing was fluid, and there was a large amount of dissolve cuts which were standard.

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), John Ford is the fictionalized tale of Abraham Lincoln as he pursues a career in Law in Springfield. As an older black and white movie I found it to hold up quite well due to its well put together mise-en-scene, while the shots in the movie are nothing to write home about artistically they are composed well enough to keep the viewer engaged in the visuals. The writing is also quite good, achieving a nice balance between serious and light hearted. The pacing of the movie is quite nice with the first half setting up the characters and location and the second half focusing on Lincoln handling the court case the movie eventually focuses on. The acting is quite good, with Henry Fonda playing a easy to like Lincoln and the actors in the supporting cast are no slouches either. Overall I found Young Mr. Lincoln quite and enjoyable watch and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in courtroom settings or historical fiction.