The Assassination on the Screen - Comparisons

[BettyO]

Friday night, I discovered that NatGeo's Killing Lincoln was on again. I decided to watch it again, just for fun. I discover new things everytime I see it.

Last night I decided on a lark to watch 1997's TNT Day Lincoln was Shot for a comparison. I hadn't seen that one for several years. Since I had worked on both productions as both "background extra" on DLWS and behind the scenes on both as well, I decided to do a comparison.

All in all, Killing Lincoln was the absolute best production. Sets were better, costumes were better and of course, research as well as care and consideration to "get it right" was more highly tuned. The script was far better and more truthful.

In comparing the portrayal of Booth; I thought that Killing Lincoln once again was the cream of the crop. Johnson's JWB was believable and while somewhat posturing (as would be the case with a Victorian actor), he was portrayed as more natural as a person. Lowe's JWB on the other hand was not only posturing, but cartoonish as a strutting, egotistically boasting cad. He's the consummate villain and entirely unlikeable; a Victorian jerk.

The audience can actually feel sympathy somewhat for Johnson's JWB. He's natural, believable and not one who boasts or struts but appears to be only concerned with what "his country" (the Confederacy) thinks. Johnson's JWB also more closely resembles in looks the actual Booth, I think.

Both Henderson's Lincoln in DLWS and Campbell's portrayal in Killing are good. He is quiet, soft spoken and likable yet forceful when he has to be. Both ladies who portrayed Mary Lincoln were good, although DLWS's Mary is somewhat too tall and thin.

The conspirators are also well portrayed in both, with Killing the better of the two once again. Davey Herold and Powell have larger roles in DLWS, with the most lines and on screen portrayals. Mary Surratt has a more prominent role in DLWS as well.

All in all, with the advances in research and study (as well as producers and directors who care to "get it right"), over time, one can see the advantages with which productions go as far as actual history and entertainment are concerned. Even though Killing Lincoln was a docu-drama, and The Day Lincoln was Shot was billed as entertainment only, Killing was and remains, in my eyes, the better of the two.