 Abraham Lincoln is considered by many
the greatest American president. For having the intestinal
fortitude in fighting the Civil War alone, he is among the
most respected and admired of presidents, the face of America
during the most tumultuous time in its history and a man who
has come to represent the ideals of freedom. That he rose
from poverty, or so the story goes, only enhances his legacy.
And that his presidency ended not in defeat or retirement,
but in the brutal bloodshed of assassination, ensures his
legacy as a leader for the ages.
But in many ways, the most compelling part of Abraham Lincoln’s
life is not the story of the leader of a nation at war with
itself, but as the story of a man at war with himself.
And that’s the story the History Channel’s Lincoln aims to tell.
Abraham
Lincoln was not the stoic, statuesque leader the school children
of America are handed. The solemn icon; a statue and a speech.
Rather, he was an often tortured, troubled man scarred by
the losses of his past and beaten down by the tragedy he saw
in his life. He was, in short, human. And in many
ways, that makes Lincoln’s story all the more compelling.
Lincoln’s own mind was as torn as a battlefield at Gettysburg.
While we see a leader firm in his ideals and focused on the
tasks before him, in his own mind there was doubt, uncertainty,
and constant turmoil.
How did he do it? How did Abraham Lincoln go from being an
awkward congressman to a man history would rally around?
Lincoln posits a president who was suicidal.
Who was burdened with self-loathing and who frequently envisioned
his own death. A president who suffered a terrible childhood
and who may have been a closet homosexual. Some may dismiss
all this as more revisionist history that simply attempts
to cut American icons down to size, making them “human”
in the modern, “don’t we all have so many mental problems?” way. An attempt to tarnish a figure
who, no matter the truth of his existence, has come to become
an enduring, inspirational symbol. Such accusations may be
right. After all, do we really need a tragically
flawed Abraham Lincoln?
But historical truth is in and of itself a worthwhile end,
and need not chip away at the importance of what men like
Abraham Lincoln have come to symbolize. Was Lincoln a closeted
homosexual? Credible historians have poked the theory full
of holes by simply pointing out that Lincoln lived like a
man of his time and situation would have lived. Was Lincoln
a self-loathing, borderline suicidal man? He well may have
been; Stoic, some would say, is simply putting a strong face
on melancholy.
 No
matter who the real Lincoln was, this presentation of Lincoln is if anything compelling watching for those interested in
American history. The picture of Honest Abe painted here is
darker than the one you’re used to, but the presentation
is strong enough that you’re willing to go along for
the ride. Sure, you’ve seen the format before –
“talking head” experts weigh in with their comments,
well-produced reenactments bring key events to life, and archival
photos and passages read from historical documents stitch
it all together – but that’s not a knock. The
formula works. Some of the reenactment material here borders
on the melodramatic, maybe even crosses well over into melodrama
territory, but at least it’s well-produced melodrama. Of all aspects of this solid doc, that high level
of “isn’t this dramatic?” is the one thing
I could have done without.
It’s important to stress that Lincoln is not a soft piece on America’s 16th president.
Most of the focus is squarely on darker aspects of his character.
The viewer simply must be prepared for this, lest they walk
away with a very sour taste in their mouth. If you want a
documentary about the triumphs and successes of Abraham Lincoln,
American Icon, this is not the documentary for you. Instead,
we peer into the darkest corner of Lincoln’s soul, exploring
the man he might have been if measured by today’s standards.
It’s rife with speculation, sometimes a bit light on
the facts, and at times you wonder what motivated someone
to make this … but none of that makes this any less
interesting to watch, even if you don’t buy a word of
the guesswork done within.
 Some
might argue that exploring the more personal (and certainly
darker) side of Abraham Lincoln humanizes him, makes him more
tangible to us. This may well be true, but is this a desirable
goal? He has become something of a minor deity representing
ideals we wish every man could uphold. What purpose does humanizing
such a man have?
Lincoln offers no answers to such questions.
What it does is suggested that the Honest Abe we learned about
as schoolchildren was probably not the flawless, driven man
he appeared to be. Your mileage may vary on whether knowing
this is desirable – if you don’t want this side
of Lincoln, pass this one over – but I found this to
be a very interesting two hours.
Presentation
The History Channel is quickly building
for itself a legacy of production values that go beyond the
usual confines of made-for-TV material. Sure, PBS has Ken
Burns and his sprawling, epic documentaries, but over the
last few years The History Channel has been nothing to sneeze
at. Feature-quality reenactments, 16:9 presentations (as we
have here), and overall stellar production values have come
to define the best of the History Channel’s features.
Such is the case with Lincoln. No, it’s
not The Matrix, but for what it is this looks good.
Extras
In addition to Interactive Menus and Scene Selectiom (can we please, please, please stop listing this stuff on the package as “DVD Features,”
please?), Lincoln offers up a short making
of documentary, History In The Making: Lincoln. It
is, to be  frank,
largely fluff. Not terrible, just not terribly insightful,
either. We see that they put some work into the reenactments,
hear about how great the main feature is, yada yada yada.
You’ll watch it once and never again.
The Bottom Line
When all is said and done, what we have here is one of the
better A&E Home Video History Channel releases. Considering
the generally strong quality of A&E’s better History
Channel DVD releases, that’s strong praise. The subject
matter may rub some the wrong way, but if you understand what
you’re getting going in – a darker, unfiltered
portrait of an American legend – you will find the material
here of interest. History buffs will certainly want to check
this out.
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