"Following a general history of Lincoln film and television portrayals, each work has an individual entry detailing cast, production and release information and discussing the work's historical accuracy and artistic merits. The book is illustrated with photographs of Lincoln actors, dating from the earliest days"--Provided by publisher.

President Abraham Lincoln is the most frequently portrayed American historical figure in the history of the film and television arts, appearing onscreen as a character in more than 250 productions since the birth of the motion picture medium. This work covers each film and television portrayal of Lincoln, providing essential cast, production and release information, and discussion of each work's historical accuracy and artistic merits. This updated edition provides commentary on all new screen works produced in recent years, including Steven Spielberg's award-winning 2012 film Lincoln starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role.

President Lincoln is so deeply ingrained in our national consciousness that his image can be found practically everywhere (not least on those ubiquitous American pennies). He is the most frequently portrayed American historical figure in the history of the film and television arts, having been featured in well over 150 productions since the birth of the motion picture medium. He has delivered the Gettysburg Address, and on one occasion solemnly urged the title teenagers of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) to party on, dudes. Lincoln has been portrayed by such diverse actors as Raymond Massey, Walter Huston, Gregory Peck, Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook, and Henry Fonda. The author provides a brief overview of the history of Lincoln film and television portrayals, including documentaries. Then, each Lincoln-related work has an individual entry detailing essential cast, production and release information, as well as a discussion of each work's historical accuracy and artistic merits. The book is fully illustrated with photographs of Lincoln portrayers, dating from the earliest days.

President Abraham Lincoln is the most frequently portrayed American historical figure in the history of the film and television arts, appearing onscreen as a character in more than 250 productions since the birth of the motion picture medium. This work covers each film and television portrayal of Lincoln, providing essential cast, production and release information, and discussion of each work's historical accuracy and artistic merits. This updated edition provides commentary on all new screen works produced in recent years, including Steven Spielberg's award-winning 2012 film Lincoln starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role.

Remembered as the Savior of the Union, Abraham Lincoln is one of America's most revered presidents. There have been tens of thousands of books published about him since his death, but he has proved to be a surprisingly daunting subject for filmmakers. Despite a wealth of biographical material, relatively few full-length motion pictures have taken the man and his life as a primary subject. In this detailed study, Brian J. Snee provides a sweeping overview of the cinematic representations of the sixteenth president from the silent era up to Steven Spielberg's Lincoln (2012) -- a film which, he argues, marks a seismic shift in the way Hollywood presents the Great Emancipator on-screen. Snee focuses on six of the most popular and influential movies and TV miniseries of the twentieth century to address the life of Abraham Lincoln -- The Birth of a Nation (1915), Abraham Lincoln (1930), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), Sandburg's Lincoln (1974--1976), and Gore Vidal's Lincoln (1988). Snee examines how each work has contributed to public memory of the president, addressing issues of production, textual construction, and audience reception, as well as their contemporary historical contexts and underlying cultural theory. The absence of video and other recording technology during Lincoln's lifetime forever shrouds his mannerisms, thought processes, and interactions with his peers and advisers. That man, Snee argues, is lost to history. This fascinating book offers a revealing and groundbreaking assessment of how Hollywood has imagined and reimagined America's greatest president on-screen, contributing to the popular image and myth of the legendary man.