Sparks Commentary: A review of “Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided”

" 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."

- Abraham Lincoln's "House Divided" speech (1858)

I have seen a lot of PBS's presidential biographies, and many of them are compelling indeed. But my personal favorite would have to be this one about Abraham Lincoln. Technically, it is not a biography of Abraham alone, as it is also about his wife Mary. (Witness the title: "Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided.") But telling the story of either is also to tell the story of the other; and weaving them together as they are woven here, one gets a great view of both of them, especially during Lincoln's presidency.

Abraham Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln

This is both a biography of Abraham Lincoln, and a biography of Mary Lincoln as well

The dual nature of this biography might be part of why it is six hours long. But I think it's also because Abraham Lincoln is more central to the American experience than any other man. He held the Union together, and freed four million Americans from bondage. These things alone would make him an interesting man to every American. But there is also the compelling nature of his personality, which is so little-known to the public today. Who would have thought that this unschooled man from the backwoods could become the greatest president that the country has ever seen?

Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois

The literature about Mr. Lincoln is voluminous

Of course, this is not the only biography of Lincoln, nor even the only television one. Public interest in the man has never died down since his time, so the literature about him is voluminous; and other media have depicted him often. What is it that makes PBS's movie different?

This film is more comprehensive than those focusing on just one part of his life

I think it is a number of things. One, this is a comprehensive TV series about his life, which you're not likely to find anywhere else. There have been many movies depicting parts of his life - the Steven Spielberg movie, for example, depicts the part of his presidency with the antislavery amendment; and John Ford's "Young Mr. Lincoln" gives a good portrayal of his young manhood. There's nothing wrong with focusing on just one part of his life, of course. But if you're after something more comprehensive, dealing with both his early life and his presidency, your media options outside of books are probably somewhat limited. In the world of television, this is about as comprehensive a biography as you're likely to find of Lincoln.

Henry Fonda as "Young Mr. Lincoln" (who really was clean-shaven in his youth), in the John Ford movie of that name from 1939

The documentary format also has its advantages, with the use of the actual photographs

For another thing, this is a documentary; which gives it some advantages that a Hollywood movie does not have. In saying this, I mean no disrespect to the Hollywood movies mentioned; as I have much appreciation for the power of good re-enactments. But a documentary can depict its topic through visual sources of its subject, which for Abraham Lincoln involves a significant number of photographs. These photographs are not only of him and his wife, but of his children, his associates, and the tumultuous events of his presidency. This is less true for the first two episodes, which deal with the portion of his life before the invention of photography. But the four episodes about the Civil War have many photographs to choose from - photographs which have a surprising power to dramatize their topic. Incidentally, Lincoln was the first of many presidents from the modern Republican Party - not to be confused with the various prior parties that have similar names. In 1864, Lincoln's Republicans were temporarily part of a coalition called the "National Union Party." This would later be dissolved in 1868, after Lincoln's death.

Photograph of the real Lincoln, 1865

This is very similar to Ken Burns' "The Civil War" (also by PBS)

For another thing, this is among the better-made documentaries out there; as it was made by David Grubin, a classic Ken-Burns-style filmmaker. If you liked Ken Burns' series about the Civil War, you will especially like the episodes about Lincoln's presidency; as this movie has the same narrator and main scriptwriter. Of course, it also has the same network and general style as "The Civil War," not to mention highly overlapping subject matter. Thus, these particular episodes feel somewhat like extended episodes of "The Civil War," which will be of particular interest to fans of this great series.

Lincoln suffered from clinical depression for much of his life

Lincoln suffered from clinical depression for much of his life, and the documentary covers this in great detail. For example, Lincoln once said that "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I can not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me." (Source: Letter to John Stuart, 23 January 1841) During one of Lincoln's darkest episodes, his friends thus took the razors out of his room, because they were afraid that he was going to slit his wrists and commit suicide.

Photograph of Lincoln in his late 30s, when he was a member of the House of Representatives (1846)

Lincoln would have benefited much from modern antidepressant medication

Lincoln would have benefited much from modern antidepressant medication, I think. But unfortunately, such things were not available in the nineteenth century. His wife had some fairly severe disorders of her own (perhaps even worse than his), and the documentary covers this as well. As these episodes show, mental and emotional disorders are not unique to modern times; although effective treatments for them are. Mr. Grubin's coverage of this may also help the depressed to know that they are not alone, since even great men like Lincoln have suffered from depression.

Replica of Lincoln's birthplace near Hodgenville, Kentucky

This is a very artistic film, and I would even go so far as to call it "literary"

To me, this is a very artistic film, although not excessively so. I would even go so far as to call this film "literary." In part, this is because of the many sad moments in it. Both Abraham and Mary Lincoln lost their biological mothers early in their respective childhoods. As a couple, Abraham and Mary Lincoln had four children (all of them boys), but only one of them ever made it past age eighteen. Most of Mary Lincoln's family were on the Confederate side during the Civil War, causing some Northerners to suspect her of disloyalty to the Union. And, of course, there is the greater national tragedy of how the war tore the country apart. I can still remember the hauntingly sad musical score used in some of these scenes. The emotion of these things comes to life in this film, in a way that you would not expect for a documentary.

The farm site where Lincoln grew up in Spencer County, Indiana

This is my favorite biography from this filmmaker (and that's saying something)

Truly, the filmmaker David Grubin is a master of documentary biography, as he has also done biographies of four other presidents as well (Theodore Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, and LBJ); not to mention a superb biography of Napoleon. I have watched all of these, and I am a tremendous fan of all of them. His other presidential biographies have video footage of their subjects, while this one (naturally) does not, since the technology wasn't invented until long after Lincoln's time. Nonetheless, this is still my favorite biography of Grubin's, because of my tremendous fascination with Lincoln's life, and their rather moving telling of it.

The last photograph of Abraham Lincoln

Conclusion: This is one of PBS's finest biographies for television

The ones that come closest to approaching this are PBS's movie about Ulysses S. Grant, and its installments about various Founding Fathers. But in my book, this biography is still the best - in the world of biography, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better documentary than this one. If you want a good overview of Lincoln's life, this is an excellent place to start.

Lincoln giving his First Inaugural Address, 1861

"I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

- Closing lines of Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, 4 March 1861

DVD at Amazon

Related Hollywood movies:

"Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939 movie)

Gore Vidal's "Lincoln" (1988 movie)

Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" (2012 movie)

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Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" movie

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass secretly learned how to read

Abraham Lincoln's legal education

The Emancipation Proclamation

The Gettysburg Address explained

Ken Burns' "The Civil War" (PBS)

Jefferson Davis movie

Great Britain in the American Civil War

Ulysses S. Grant movie

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

Part of a series about

The Presidents

1. George Washington
2. John Adams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. James Madison
6. John Quincy Adams
7. Andrew Jackson

16. Abraham Lincoln

18. Ulysses S. Grant
19. Rutherford B. Hayes
20. James A. Garfield

21. Chester A. Arthur

22. Grover Cleveland

23. Benjamin Harrison