Killing Lincoln - Nat Geo (Reactions)

[LincolnMan]

(02-18-2013 11:55 AM)John E. Wrote:  When I think about Jesse's performance, three of my favorite scenes were:

1. Lighting his cigar from the torchlight.
2. Giving the "Yeah I said it, what of it?" look to the black man standing in front of the Executive Mansion.
3. Booth's death throes on the porch. Good stuff.

Johnson playing the part of Booth "over-the-top" was his interpretation and I think it was accurate and effective for the most part. I would have liked to see him come off as more obsessed and sinister in some scenes. Booth's friends and even some of the conspirators noticed a marked change in his behavior toward the end. Less smiling, less happy and more depressed and angry with the losses of the Confederacy. --> That is my personal vision of Booth and I'm no actor. I don't think you can assign wrong or right to Jesse's performance. You can tell he embraced the role and went for it. -- He didn't go through the motions and that was apparent. He believed in what he was doing and that's half the battle.

John: I also was struck by the scene of Booth lighting his cigar by the torchlight. It showed the arrogance and confidence that was so part of his nature. More than that for me-I thought it was a visual "link" to what was going to happen to him in the very near future-where he would find himself trapped in a burning farm. Even, while in the midst of the burning building- his arrogance was predominant as he acted in defiance of the demands of the Union authorities surrounding outside.