young mr. lincoln mark the first film of the director or star collaboration of john ford and henry fonda . i recall year ago fonda tell that a a young actor he be understandably nervous about play abraham lincoln and scar he wouldn not live up to the challenge . john ford before the shooting start put him at ease by say he wasn not go to be play the great emancipator and but just a jack leg prairie lawyer . that be settle fonda head a cast that john ford direct into a classic film . this be not a biographical film of lincoln . that have come before in the sound era with walter huston and a year after young mr. lincoln and raymond massey do the pulitzer prize win play by robert sherwood abe lincoln in illinois . massey still remain the definitive lincoln . but a ford say and fonda wasn not play the great emancipator just a small town lawyer in illinois . the film encompass about 10 year of lincoln early life . we see him clerk in a general store and get some law book from an immigrant pioneer family whose path he would cross again later in the story . and his romance with ann rutledge with her early death leave lincoln a most melancholy be . fast forward about 10 year and lincoln be now a practicing attorney begin to get some notice . he serve a couple of term in the legislature and but he back in private practice not really sure if politics be for him . this be where the bulk of the action take place . the two son of that family he would get the law book from way back when be accuse of murder . he offer to defend them . and not an ordinary murder but one of a deputy sheriff . the trial itself be fiction and but the gambit use in the defense of richard cromwell and eddie quillan who play the two son be base on a real case lincoln defend . i will say no more . other than the performance and the great strength of young mr. lincoln be the way john ford capture the mood and atmosphere and setting of a small illinois prairie town in a fourth of july celebration . it almost like youre watch a newsreel . and it be the mood of the country itself and young and vibrant and grow . fan of john ford film will recognize two musical theme here that be repeat in later film . during the romantic interlude at the begin with fonda and pauline moore who play ann rutledge the music in the background be the same theme use in the man who shoot liberty valance for vera mile . and at a dance and the tune lovely susan brown that fonda and marjorie weaver who play mary todd be the same one fonda dance with cathy down to and in my darling clementine at the dance for the raising of a church in tombstone . lincoln will forever be a favorite subject of biographer and dramatist because of two reason and i believe . the first be he the live embodiment of our own american mythology about people rise from the very bottom to the pinnacle of power through their own effort . in fact young mr. lincoln very graphically show the background lincoln come from . and secondly the fact that he be our president during the great crisis in american history and that he make a singularly good and moral decision to free slave during the civil war and albeit for some necessary political reason . his assassination assure his place in history . besides fonda and others i have mention special praise should also go to fred kohler and jr. and ward bond and the two town lout and kohler be the murder victim and bond the chief accuser . also donald meek a the prosecute attorney and alice brady in what turn out to be her last film a the pioneer mother of cromwell and quillan . and a very nice performance by spencer charter who specialize in rustic character a the judge . for a film that capture the drama and romance of the time it set in and you can not do good than young mr. lincoln .