While it has long been an unformed idea floating around in my head, a recent viewing of the film adaptation of 1776 solidified my belief that original stage performers are often the best choice to usher a theatrical piece to the silver screen. The time spent with these characters for months – sometimes years – allows the actors to discover nuances within their characters that may be more difficult for an outsider to come in and nail with condensed preparation. As I continue my journey through the political past, I move past the founding of our country to the life of one of its most iconic leaders.

In 1938, playwright Robert E. Sherwood channeled the nation’s wartime uncertainty into a story of self-doubt and idealism which resonated in a profound manner. Abe Lincoln In Illinois won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1939 with Canadian-born star Raymond Massey (Arsenic and Old Lace) earning accolades for his powerful performance. It did not take long for a film adaptation to arrive the next year in 1940 under the direction of John Cromwell (Since You Went Away). The powers that be thankfully realized that Massey was the right person to continue in this role despite being more a character actor and less of a box office draw. While this benefitted the movie creatively, financial success ultimately evaded this one as it became one of the biggest financial losses in RKO history. Were audiences over Lincoln after John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln debuted just a year prior with star Henry Fonda in the lead? It’s hard to say if this was the direct impact, but those who did watch In Illinois were greeted to a stirring drama that stands tall on its own – one that still resonates to this very day.

The obvious path to cover the life of any politician is to dramatize their career achievements, to really excavate how their place in history reverberated throughout the decades. While this can yield some very favorable results, there is something to be said for understanding their values on a fundamental level and the events that facilitated their ascendance. This latter approach is the one taken by Abe Lincoln In Illinois, and it is one that breaks down the precious walls that have been built around Lincoln in mythical terms. This is a pre “whiskers” Abraham Lincoln, first seen as a young everyman being implored to gather wisdom from the Bible as he is heading out into the world for the first time. The “glamor” of politics is worlds away as he instead tries to transport pigs to New Orleans, only for fate to land him in the settlement of New Salem in Illinois. The strongest appeal of this location is the fetching Ann Rutledge (Mary Howard), a young woman who steals his heart despite every obstacle being in the way of their happiness.

It is this layer of humanity given to Abe which provides the audience a glimpse at who he might become. He is decent by nature, not letting his circumstances keep him down as he establishes a favorable existence in New Salem. He is the spark which brings light to all those around him; it is no wonder that others would want his values of justice and equality put towards bettering the country in politics. Like many of the best leaders, though, he does not strive to attain such power. He is good at making connections and speaking in a manner that earns him immense grassroot support, but it takes meeting the cunning Mary Todd (Ruth Gordon, the Harold & Maude actress in her first major film role) to usher him onto the world’s stage. She not only sees his potential greatness, but she knows how to manifest it into reality.

What really makes this film so effective is the performance from Massey. Abe is not naturally the most jocular fellow, but he has conservative amiability which makes those around him like and trust him. In the beginning, especially, Massey keeps things very internal as young Abe tries to stay on the right side of proper. As he becomes more a part of the world, you see the layers peel back while remaining very deliberate in how he conducts himself and when he chooses to speak up. It’s a performance of quiet intensity that bubbles over first when uncomfortable with Mary’s control, and more viscerally in the climactic Lincoln-Douglas debates. The movie highlights his intelligence throughout, but his public speech in the finale brings into focus the gravity of his emotionally-charged opinion while allowing the audience the catharsis of seeing him turn into the historic leader that we still hold up among our very best.

There is a very real possibility that many will find this approach to the material too dry in execution – something only suitable for supplemental classroom viewings. While perhaps fair in some respects, there is too much emotion running through this one to be anything less than transfixed. Every scene adds a new dynamic to the 16th president of the United States, a man riddled with anxiety and sadness who did not turn his back on the country when he realized his destiny. This is a film which shows the building blocks of his integrity; learning the minute facets of humanity is every bit as fascinating as anything that goes down in the actual White House. Abe Lincoln In Illinois shows us that it is not an impossible feat to bring good into the world; we just have to choose to be the best we can be when presented with the choice.

Video Quality

Abe Lincoln In Illinois makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master from a 4K scan of the best surviving nitrate film elements. First off, I want to say this presentation is largely miraculous, but I did notice a couple of anomalies that I wanted to seek clarification on directly from the Warner Archive. After learning more from them about the nitty gritty of this transfer, I now know exactly how difficult of a transfer this was for the team. The original negative from RKO no longer exists, so the primary source for this was 2nd generation Nitrate Fine Grain Positive which featured extensive damage that necessitated meticulous frame-by-frame restoration.

The primary issues that still remain after this restoration are a few instances of dropped frames. The first instance you might notice is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment a little over 18 minutes into the film where one frame drops. Instead of using a less-than-ideal 16mm source to replace the whole scene or doubling the frame, the team decided to leave it as is, which honestly feels like the right move considering how brief it is and how great the rest of the scene looks. Yet, there were two shots shortly after that had many more missing frames and much more damage, which required the use of the 16mm source. There is a sharp downtown in quality in these brief instances (about 15 seconds in total), but when the elements just are not available you have to be reasonable in your assessment. While we always trust Warner Archive to make the right decision in these cases, it is nice to get confirmation as to why these moments were necessary.

Outside of these very minor exceptions, get ready for a marvelous presentation. This new transfer shows off a grand amount of depth and enhanced detail within the different settings be it nature or closed meeting rooms. There is a fantastic amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, whether you are looking at the “common” clothes from the beginning of the story to the respectable suits. The sumptuous black-and-white photography shot by James Wong Howe sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact. Black levels are extremely deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is out of this world, and there is virtually no print damage to be found. Warner Archive continues to earn our admiration with each relief.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a lovely DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that handles this material really well. Dialogue and environmental noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements. This track shows very little discernible age related wear and tear outside of a faint amount of hissing that likely dates back to the source elements. The rousing nature of the Roy Webb score sounds as lovely and stable as one could hope. Even with the strength of the music, nothing ever drowns out the dialogue or other important information. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Warner Archive has delivered their typically excellent work here.

Special Features

4/22/1940 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast (Audio Only): An hour-long version of this tale featuring the vocal talents of Raymond Massey along with Fay Bainter, Otto Kruger and Calvin Thomas. As always, this is such a fun addition to the overall package that provides a throwback experience.

Final Thoughts

Abe Lincoln In Illinois is a political story that feels every bit as vital as the day it came out. The anxiety that gripped the country upon its debut is once again thriving en masse, and this tale of natural idealism helps quell that a bit. Raymond Massey delivers a performance bursting with humanity in an iconic portrayal of this man who is often seen in such two dimensional terms. Those who really connect with this one are in for a treat. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that presents a really great A/V presentation and a fun supplemental feature. If you are intrigued by a thoughtful take on one of the most famous US presidents, give this one a spin. Recommended

Abe Lincoln In Illinois can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers. The release will be available on September 13, 2022.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.