Young Mr. Lincoln

DVD Releases: Young Mr. Lincoln (Criterion Collection)The year 1939 was a landmark for director John Ford. That’s when he completed Stagecoach, Drums Along the Mohawk (his first in Technicolor) and Young Mr. Lincoln, which began his remarkable collaboration with actor Henry Fonda. Mixing mythology and prophecy in a complex way, Young Mr. Lincoln represents a haunting, poetic, masterful achievement. The movie recounts Abraham Lincoln’s fledgling career as a lawyer and finds him defending a client in a murder trial, but throughout we witness his folksy charm, wit, strength and vulnerability. With every conflict, he becomes the great mediator, pointing to his legendary destiny. Shot with warmth and softness by Bert Glennon and an uncredited Arthur C. Miller (How Green Was My Valley)—the torchlit and misty river shots certainly linger, along with the murder at dusk—Young Mr. Lincoln also boasts art direction by Richard Day and Mark-Lee Kirk, costume design by Royer and a melancholy score by Alfred Newman.Criterion’s disc is exceptional, thanks to the fine-grain positive provided by Fox. Extras include a beautiful essay by Sergei Eisenstein, who wishes he had directed the movie; an interview with a 70-year-old Fonda; a segment on Ford as part of a BBC Omnibus series; an audio interview with the director; and a radio dramatization on a downloadable MP3 file. – Bill Desowitz

Written by Bill Desowitz