LINCOLN delves into personal diaries and family histories, and consults with the foremost Lincoln biographers in the world to draw a complete personal portrait of the sixteenth President, asserting that the amazing strength that enabled his greatest accomplishments was a result of decades spent battling and overcoming his own personal demons.
LINCOLN taps into biographers and authors Gore Vidal, Jan Morris, Harold Holzer, Jay Winik, Josh Shenk, Douglas Wilson, and others for anecdotes and insights. Andrew Solomon, author of the book The Noonday Demon, offers raw and authoritative commentary on the workings of the depressed mind. The result is a special that gives more attention to the personal travails of Abraham Lincoln than any before it, and in the process offers an even greater appreciation of what a special achievement his life truly was.
Highlights of LINCOLN include:
Dramatic re-creations of some of the seminal events in Lincoln’s personal life, shot through Lincoln’s eyes and showing cinematically-driven portrayals of his psychological anguish. These events include dreaming of his own assassination just days before it happened; the memory of a childhood friend gone mad; visiting and opening the tomb of his dead son; episodes in dealing with a wife who many presume to have been manic depressive; and carrying the guilt of more than 600,000 casualties and national political pressure during the Civil War.
A thorough retelling of Lincoln’s personal and professional life, full of funny, endearing, and heartbreaking tales along the way told by many of the authors who know Lincoln best.
Examinations of the key personal relationships in Lincoln’s life and what insights they offer into his mindset, including his close friendship with Joshua Speed, who some believe may have been his lover; his early romance with Anne Rutledge, whose death sent him into a suicidal tailspin; and the quandary between his love for Matilda Edwards and his impending marriage to Mary Todd, another situation that drove him to despair.
Snippets and dissection of Lincoln’s greatest public speeches, including the launch of his national political campaign in New York, the Gettysburg Address, and his second inaugural speech.
A somber portrayal of Lincoln’s assassination at Ford Theater, narrated by Gore Vidal, and a touching conclusion that places Lincoln’s public achievements in the context of the modern world, with opinions from experts on the effect his presidency still has on America today.
Lincoln @ The History Channel
Airs Monday, January 16th 2006 at 8-11pm ET/PT.
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