If you compare John Cromwell's "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" with John Ford's "Young Mister Lincoln" -- and how can you NOT -- you immediately notice both similarities and differences. Ford's movie appeared a year earlier but Sherwood's play had been around for a while and can probably be considered earlier.

Some isomorphisms are so conspicuous that it's likely that the craftsmen for Ford's movie lifted them from the play. Example: It just can't be coincidental that both movie have celebrants doing a polka to the same tune, which, we learn in "Young Mister Lincoln," is "Lovely Susan Brown." Even individual lines of dialog were shamelessly ripped off. If, in "Abe Lincoln in Illnois," Howard Da Silva boasts, "I'm the big buck of this lick," in "Young Mister Lincoln" the line is given to Jack Pennick.

Those similarities are superficial and in fact the differences turn them into two almost entirely different movies about the same subject. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" is more of a biographical sketch that gives us far more of Lincoln's political rise, as well as his romances with Ann Rutledge and, later, Mary Todd. Ford's movie mostly sketches the character of Lincoln and then turns into a courtroom drama leavened with comic incidents.

Comparing the two leads, it can be said that Raymond Massey is a more convincing Lincoln than Henry Fonda. Massey simply looks more like the gangling Lincoln, even without Fonda's false nose. Also, for whatever reason, in this instance Massey gives a better performance. Some viewers might wince at Massey's quivering oratory during his debate with Stephen Douglas, but that was the custom at the time. (The film prunes this "house divided against itself" speech.)

But -- I'll try to keep this short -- aside from Cromwell's movie covering Lincoln's maturation from a slow youth to his departure with his new whiskers for Washington, while Ford's movie covers a much shorter time span and includes virtually no politics -- Ford's movie is helped immensely by Alfred Newman's multivaried musical score. The Anne Rutledge theme is simple, nostalgic, innocent, and elegant. There's nothing like it in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois."

On top of that, Sherwood's narrative (he did the screenplay too) has more serious drama in it, including the conflict between the compliant and peaceable Lincoln and his fiery and ambitious wife, who was later to spend time in an insane asylum. We get far more than an occasional domestic squabble. Sherwood isn't afraid to hit us over the head with reality.

Ford, on the other hand, throws history out the window in favor of sentiment and even an attempt at art in some of the incidents and certainly in the photography and lighting. There are two instants of melancholy, both connected with Ann Rutledge's death, and one dramatic incident involving a possible lynching but, that aside, it's more comic than dramatic. Even the murder trial has several amusing moments. (Francis Ford, called for voir dire, puts aside his jug, stumbles to the bench, and pleads, "Guilty.") Massey may be the better performer but Ford is the more subtle director. During moments of gravitas, Cromwell's camera dollies in for a close up of Massey's face, obviously and unnecessarily drawing our attention to the fact that something important is going on, as Massey's voice hesitates before launching some impassioned pronouncement. Ford does it once, when a woman asks, "Who are you?" and Fonda replies, "I'm your lawyer, Ma'am." I'm not counting the end of Ford's movie when Fonda wanders off to the top of a distant hill under an El Greco sky full of menace. Cromwell spells it all out in a final farewell address to the people of Springfield, while Ford keeps it symbolic. (Kids: It's symbolic of the immanent Civil War, fought over slavery and state's rights, between the North and the South. A lot of people got hurt and the South was wrecked. The thunderstorm is a "symbol" because it "stands for" all that impending tumult.)

In the end, it's just about impossible to argue that one movie is generally better than the other because they're so different in their intent and execution. Let's call them "unordered variables."

I suppose, historically, the movie is kind to Mary Lincoln and her shopping sprees and family background. A TV movie starring Sam Waterston fills in some of the blanks.

Abe Lincoln is one of the most misunderstood figures in American history--perhaps THE most misunderstood. So much of what we assume are facts are actually myths and misrepresentations--some of which were promoted by writers and some by films of the 30s and 40s. While ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS is far from perfect, it is light-years ahead of the other contemporary works in giving a balanced account of Lincoln's life. While heroic in many ways, Lincoln is more of a man in this film and the facts are generally true--and that's a lot more than can be said of such sentimental hogwash as D.W. Griffith's 1930 fiasco ABRAHAM LINCOLN--which is basically one myth after another strung together!! I can say all this because I am well educated about the man and am an American history teacher--so my opinion should mean something.

One of the common myths that has abounded was the Ann Rutledge romance. While it's uncertain exactly how much they were in love (was it just a passing romance or something deeper), it's obvious that they were NOT as they were portrayed in ABRAHAM LINCOLN with all of its syrupy sweetness. Read up on the controversy yourself--opinions vary and there's no concrete evidence to prove either extreme. Here in ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS, they seem to take the position that the love between them was just beginning to blossom when she died and that that was about it.

Another myth is that Lincoln was 100% against slavery and that he personally freed the slaves (that was actually done by Congress and the 13th amendment). The real life Lincoln, though opposed to slavery, was more concerned with unity and preserving the nation. Fortunately, ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS gets this right--they show Lincoln as being torn by these two divergent interests. Most books and films portray him as "the Great Emancipator"--though Lincoln would have allowed slavery to keep the country from war and he did see class distinctions between the races.

The other big myth is that Lincoln was sort of a "dumb hillbilly" and that he stumbled into greatness. While in this film he is a simple man, of sorts, he also is amazingly clever and has a great way with dealing with people. And, occasionally, he was a bit devious. While the film doesn't have a chance to show his political savvy and willingness to "forget" the Constitution during the war in order to keep the country together, he is relatively shrewd in this film.

As for Mary Todd, in the film as in real life, she was a conniver and a very unstable woman. While her mental instability was only briefly shown in this film (as in reality--her mental condition greatly deteriorated after her husband was President as well as his death) but at least it was mentioned. Plus, her intense drive was a major focus of the film--as it was in Lincoln's own real life. She was a hard-driving and rather nasty woman if you read more about her (and rather mentally unstable in her later years).

As a long-winded teacher, I could go on, but probably should wrap it up now. The film is reasonably accurate and tends to show Lincoln, warts and all--something films up until then neglected. Additionally, Raymond Massey's performance was superb and the film was both entertaining and inspiring. Interestingly enough, Massey was a Canadian and did a much better job than the Americans who have tackled this role.

If you've ever wanted to hear what Abe Lincoln sounded like, this is the film you'll want to see. Lincoln is portrayed by the late Canadian actor Raymond Massey - who, amongst many other roles, is also remembered from HG Welles' Things to Come, the screenplay of which was written by HG Welles himself. Early in Massey's career, Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, heard him perform and was struck by the similarity between Massey's speaking voice and that of his father. Since there are no recordings of Lincoln from that era shortly before Edison invented the Gramophone, we have to rely on descriptions of his voice. Some from that time state Lincoln's voice was high-pitched, and that Massey did not do the voice properly - however, I tend to give more credence to a living witness, Lincoln's own eldest son who, though he died 14 years prior to this film, still had the opportunity to see Massey on stage and hear his voice. Massey got it right, and this is one wonderful film - too bad I haven't found it on DVD - the next time it airs on TMC I'll have to record a DVD of it for myself.