A Study of the Film: Young Mr. Lincoln Director John Ford’s 1939 film Young Mr. Lincoln is an excellent illustration of a pop culture view regarding Abraham Lincoln since his death in 1865. The film stages a younger Lincoln as a character of great depth and thought, and one with a near enigmatic appeal in esteem. Ford’s depiction of Lincoln in the film gives credit to many factual antidotes and events of Lincoln’s life, and some fictionalized situations to greater paint the portrayal of his character as one surpassing the ordinary. Ford created in his work an imposing and transcendent image of young Lincoln the lawyer; and directed his version of Lincoln clearly towards his future as one of the greatest characters in both American history and pop culture. Young Mr. Lincoln was produced by Twentieth Century Fox in 1939 and starred actor Henry Fonda as young Lincoln. The film’s screenplay was written by Lamar Trotti, and was directed by John Ford. Young Mr. Lincoln is set in Abraham Lincoln’s pre-presidential years in Illinois nearing the beginning of his early political and law careers. The film shows Lincoln as he suffers the loss of his supposed first love Anne Rutledge, and portrays her passing as helping inspire him to begin a career in law. The film then follows Lincoln to Springfield and into his law office. …show more content…
Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser---in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough. Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this. Who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up strife, and put money in his pocket? A moral tone ought to be infused into the profession which should drive such men out of it. (Lincoln,
Dilorenzo, Thomas J.. The Real Lincoln: a new look at Abraham Lincoln, his agenda, and an unnecessary war. Roseville, Calif: Prima, 2002
In Richard Hofstadter’s book “American Political Tradition” he describes twelve biographical portraits of American statesmen, breaking them from longstanding reputations and putting them under scrutiny. Shockingly, among these statesmen is Abraham Lincoln. Hofstadter criticizes both his legacy and his political intentions. Lincoln, a president nationally regarded as a “self-made” man, nicknamed “Honest Abe,” and generally well liked, is not typically heavily criticized (Hofstadter 121). Hofstadter believed his reputation of being “self-made” was simply just a myth that he used to advance his political career and to seize opportunities of advancement (122). Although Hofstadter believes Lincoln’s reputation is not as notable as history says
James Oakes gave a brilliant and unique perspective to a relationship between two well known historical figures of their time. Abraham Lincoln is a well-admired president for the United States because as Americans culture teaches that he was an honest and well-respected man. He heard about a young African American man, who had high aspirations for his life and the blossoming United States. This man’s name was Frederick Douglass. James Oakes demonstrates how both Douglass and Lincoln worked towards the abolishment of slavery and effectively producing better outcomes within antislavery politics.
Frederick Douglass. “Frederick Douglass Cuts Through the Lincoln Myth to Consider the Man.” W.W. Nordon and Company. eLibrary. Web. 27 February 2014.
...he former. Also, Lincoln shows a remarkable change in character from his ambitious ante bellum days, to his later years concurrent with the civil war, which are drenched in solemnity and even a little bit of religious zeal. It is interesting to watch his growth as a politician, from what could be considered a firebrand, insensitive to the issues at hand, to the unforthcoming fresh president fearful of civil war, to the previously mentioned zealous patriarch. As one can see, his personal and political growth goes hand in hand; being very difficult to separate. Ultimately, by examining Lincoln’s major speeches, one can arrive at a variety of conclusions, being that one can trace the changes of Lincoln’s character and political personality over the years, and determine as to what extent was Lincoln a democratic autocrat; the answer to the latter conclusion being hardly.
David Herbert Donald's Lincoln is a biography of our sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln. At the age of twenty one, he was sure he did not want to be like his father Thomas Lincoln, an uneducated farmer, so he left his fathers house permanently. He had many jobs, learned many lessons, and made both friends and enemies, all which helped him to become one of the greatest presidents of the United States of America during the time the country had split, the Civil War. Thoroughly researched and excellently written, this biography comes alive and shows us what really happened during the early to mid-nineteenth century and it still puts us in the point of view of our former president, using the information and ideas available to him.
The movie shows the Hoover family a typical American dysfunctional family who are all at different stages of their lives. Each member of the family has their own odd quirk. The family includes Richard, the father, who gives motivational speeches on “The Steps to Being Successful” which is completely ironic because his motivational book is failing, the grandpa who is addicted to heroin, Dwayne, the son, who is slightly depressed and refuses to speak, Sheryl, the mother/wife, who is just trying to keep it all together for everyone and Frank, the uncle, had a failed suicide attempt. Abby, the daughter just landed a spot at the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest. The whole family decides to pack up their van and take a road trip
The film chronicles the histories of three fathers, and manages to relates and link their events and situations. First is Mitchell Stephens and his relationship with his drug-addict daughter. Second is Sam, and the secret affair he is having with his young daughter Nicole. He is somewhat of a narcissistic character because of his preoccupation with himself and pleasing himself, and his lack of empathy throughout the film for the others in the town. Third is Billy, who loves his two children so much that he follows behind the school bus every day waving at them. Billy is also having an affair with a married woman who owns the town’s only motel. On the exterior the town is an average place with good people just living their lives. But, beneath all the small town simplicity is a web of lies and secrets, some which must be dealt with in the face of this tragedy.
Lincoln is a riveting movie on the true events leading up to the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment and the end of the Civil War. Lincoln is directed by Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis starred in the movie as Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is based on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Lincoln was nominated for twelve Academy Awards. Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globe Awards. Despite all the good praise for Lincoln, there was still some criticisms about the Lincoln by movie critics. The movie critics claimed the movie was not completely accurate and was exaggerated. However, even historians agreed Lincoln was a thought provoking movie that would make people look for more information on the life of Abraham Lincoln.
John Ford was an American motion-picture director. Winner of four Academy Awards, and is known as one of America’s great film directors. He began his career in the film industry around 1913. According to Ellis, Ford’s style is evident in both the themes he is drawn toward and the visual treatment of those themes, in his direction of the camera and in what’s in front of it. Although he began his career in the silent film area and continued to work fruitfully for decades after the thirties, Ford reached creative maturity in the thirties. Ford, unlike other directors continued to do some of his finest work after the nineteen thirties. Nevertheless, he shaped his art into personal and full expression during those precedent-setting years. (Pg.200)
It is about love, and it is about dreams. The main theme of the movie is the boxing career of Maggie Fitzgerald (played by Hilary Swank) - a 30-year old waitress who lives alone and barely gets by. However, she is strongly determined to become a professional boxer and this is why she seeks the help of Frankie Dunn (played by Clint Eastwood), a boxing trainer and an owner of a gym. Initially, Frankie is unwilling to train her because she is female and too old to have any chance of achieving significant accomplishments in professional boxing. However, Frankie’s friend and associate Eddie Dupris (played by Morgan Freeman), really believes in Maggie and lets her train in a corner of the gym.
In "Abraham Lincoln" by Wilbur Fisk Gordy, the author presents a comprehensive portrayal of Lincoln's life and legacy, focusing on his remarkable journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of America's greatest presidents, while also examining his leadership during the Civil War and emphasizing the enduring significance of his character and achievements in shaping the course of American history.
Gore Vidal’s “Lincoln” was an excellent narrative of the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Through Vidal’s portrayal of the personality of Lincoln and the people surrounding him it was easy to get an idea of the leadership role that Lincoln played during presidency. After reading many accounts of Lincoln during my research for my paper, I found that Vidals account was extremely accurate. Most interesting was the commanding yet passive relationship that Lincoln had with the members of his cabinet and his generals. Vidal also gave a portrayal of the capitol during the 1860’s that is seldom mentioned in any of the Literature that I have read. These accounts really help to get a feel for the environment in which Lincoln made his decisions. Lincoln’s family life was also revealed in some detail in the novel which helps us to see the personal dilemmas and tragedies that Lincoln had to overcome while he was president. Overall Vidal’s portrait of Lincoln was interesting and accurate to my knowledge. It gives an extraordinary view of the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln.
This film is about Frank’s journey of discovering who his son is and the complications of their relationship. Frank’s relationship with Josh strengthens throughout the film until it crumbles at the end. Frank’s ex-wife Cheryl serves as the mirror to show Frank how far he’s strayed from family life. Frank’s old friend Dale serves as his ambassador to the small town and Ruth Baxter, Frank’s boss, is Frank’s guide through the legal matters.
Freedom Riders The film Freedom Riders was released in the year of 2010, but it originally shows what happened in the six month period from May until November of 1961. It’s a documentary that shows the actions of an important group of civil rights activists who played a great role in the nonviolent civil rights movement. It was mainly in the period of Jim Crow Laws when they had racial segregation in all of the public facilities in the southern states. They were about 400 black and white Americans in which their goal was to challenge and change racial segregation.