This is Volume one of a four disc dvd series from the “History Channel.” Many scenes from Lincoln’s life were reenacted at the actual historical settings where the events occurred. We get a view of the Lincoln rooms at the White House, his Illinois home, the Fords Theatre where he was assassinated, as well as the boarding house where Lincoln lived out his final hours laid diagonally across a bed that was too small to fit his 6 foot 4 inch frame.
The overarching theme however, is a focus on what the interviewed historians refer to as his “depression.” Numerous Lincoln scholars attempt to relate episodes from his life to his psychological functionality as a person. Throughout his life, he suffered many losses including the death of his mother at age 9, the death of his first love, the deaths of his own sons as well as the deep unending loss he felt throughout the Civil War. Months after his son Willie died, Lincoln removed the lid of the tomb to gaze at Willie’s face. One author noted that Lincoln was “made for martyrdom.” He carried a very heavy heart and extreme anxiety during the Civil War and he himself noted that he was being consumed like a lit torch. Lincoln wrote occasional poetry which displayed a morbid side. In one he wrote of suicide and of kissing the dagger that kills him as his “last friend.”
One author suggested that Lincoln distracted himself from his depression by “functioning brilliantly” rather than being paralyzed by it. One of his coping mechanisms was the use of humor, particularly directed at himself. Referring to his humor he once said “if I didn’t laugh, I would cry.” A wonderful Lincoln quote that was not included in this dvd needs mentioning. After being called “two-faced,” he responded with “If I had another face, do you think I’d wear this one?”
The theme of this program is wrapped up nicely in a couple of quotes from the dvd: “from his suffering he drew compassion; from his weakness he drew strength.” Also, “his own demons helped to shape a vision for how the world could and should be.” Lincoln was an exceedingly unique and captivating individual. I highly recommend this dvd to anyone wishing to delve into two types of history: 1. History with its dates, its numbers, and its events, and 2. psychological history.
Sampling of authors interviewed in the creation of this program:
- The Lincoln Image by Harold Holzer
- Lincoln’s Melancholy: How depression challenged a president and fueled his greatness by Joshua Shenk
- Honor’s Voice: The transformation of Abraham Lincoln by Douglas Wilson
- The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln by Michael Burlingame
- The Noonday Demon: An atlas of depression by Andrew Soloman
- Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckley by Jennifer Fleischner
- April 1865: The month that saved America by Jay Winik
- Lincoln’s Sanctuary : Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers’ Home by Matthew Pinkser
- Lincoln: A Foreigner’s Quest by Jan Morris
- Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races by Ted Widmer
