I discovered yesterday that there is what sounds like an interesting movie about Lincoln that will debut at the Sundance Film Festival next week.
It is called The Better Angels. The movie site says...
The story of Abraham Lincoln's childhood in the harsh wilderness of Indiana and the hardships that shaped him, the tragedy that marked him forever and the two women who guided him to immortality.
What is interesting is that Terence Malick is involved as a producer. The director is A.J. Edwards, a Malick protégé. So, I am expecting something of quality.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2316868/full...cl_sm#cast

Thanks for posting this, Kieran.

Kieran and I both tried to find who is playing the young Lincoln - are we missing something?

Kieran just sent this link to a 37 second trailer for the new Lincoln movie. Thanks, Kieran!

(01-11-2014, 06:48 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Kieran just sent this link to a 37 second trailer for the new Lincoln movie. Thanks, Kieran!

Roger,

I love that it is in B&W--reminiscent of Omnibus's masterful multi-part Lincoln from the 1950s.

Joe

I agree, Joe, the black and white film will make it more unique - I just worry about whether any of the younger generation (teenagers who need to see the film) will appreciate that. I already enjoyed just the view of the cabin and the view of the carriage, shot in a wilderness - again a wilderness that few of the young can associate with (a good old American forest instead of teeming jungles).

Joe and Laurie, I sure agree. I know nothing about movie schedules. When a movie debuts at the Sundance Film Festival how long after that does it normally take before it appears in theaters?

Thanks to Kieran for sending another link.

"Indiana, 1817. The entire nation, only 40 years old and a few years removed from a second war of independence, is still raw. Men and women must battle against nature and disease to survive in log cabins. This is young Abraham Lincoln’s world. Spanning three years of the future president’s childhood, The Better Angels explores his family, the hardships that shaped him, the tragedy that marked him forever, and the two women who guided him to immortality.

Written and directed by A.J. Edwards, The Better Angels delves into visual and narrative poetry to express the Lincolns’ world. The stark wilderness they inhabit comes alive in stunning black-and-white cinematography, and the story follows the lyrical course of the characters, who struggle physically and emotionally. They are forced to take on new additions to the family, learning what acceptance and empathy really mean. With an elegant touch, Edwards shows the austerity of the era and reveals what shaped one of history’s most distinctive leaders."

Thanks to Kieran for sending another link. This is an interview with the director and several actors from the new Lincoln movie.

Here is an interesting lengthy review of “The Better Angels”.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/...iew-674057

I read the review, and I have no idea whether the critic liked the movie or not.
He did point out the films artistic merits though. So he may have liked it from that standpoint. The one short film clip I have seen didn't look that interesting to me.

Speaking of Lincoln's Indiana years I finally got around to ordering There I grew Up by William E. Bartelt. I first heard of it when Joe Di Cola mentioned it here. The book just arrived yesterday and looks very interesting. It has some photos I have never seen before.

(01-11-2014, 03:03 PM)RJNorton Wrote: Joe and Laurie, I sure agree. I know nothing about movie schedules. When a movie debuts at the Sundance Film Festival how long after that does it normally take before it appears in theaters?

Roger: I just watched the trailer- wow that looks good! I have the same questions:
What happens next? Will it come to theaters? If so, when?

They show a movie at Sundance hoping to get a buyer and distributor. Then that buyer has to get it ready for distribution, plan advertising etc. It takes a few months.
But... I worry about this one. I can’t see it having a wide audience. It might play in multiplexes in a smaller theatre. It has been described as like a Terrence Mallik film. Mallick makes absolutely beautiful films but they go over the head of most people. I doubt that it has the action of Batman!

(01-10-2014, 09:37 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Thanks for posting this, Kieran.

Kieran and I both tried to find who is playing the young Lincoln - are we missing something?

Braydon Denney plays Lincoln. He is a 7th grader in rural Kentucky.

Thanks, Mike. Kieran just sent this review of the movie.