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LINCOLN on The History Channel |
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Written by Electric Artists
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LINCOLN
On THE HISTORY CHANNEL®
Monday, January 16, 2006 at 8-11pm ET/PT
From the Academy Award-Winning Producer of “When We Were Kings”
NEW YORK, NOV. 2, 2005 —Every American knows Abraham Lincoln as the
emancipator of slaves, the man who held America together in its darkest days, and one of
the country’s most mythic figures. But few know the Lincoln who battled suicidal urges
and at times called himself “The loneliest man in the world.” Academy Award-winning
producer Vikram Jayanti goes inside a life scarred by loss, a mind ravaged by tragedy, a
man whose grand achievements were fueled by his own personal turmoil, in The History
Channel special presentation LINCOLN, airing Monday, January 16th 2006 at 8-
11pm ET/PT.
Born in the back woods of Kentucky in 1809, Abraham Lincoln witnessed the deaths of
his infant brother, his mother, and his grandparents before the age of ten. He was raised
by an abusive father who didn’t support Abraham’s desire for an education and a better
life. One biographer calls it “almost farcical” how many awful things happened to
Lincoln at a young age. While forging a legacy of success as a lawyer and politician later
in life, Lincoln was haunted by the trauma of childhood, prone to depression brought
about by self-doubt and personal crises. LINCOLN delves into personal diaries and
family histories, and consults with the foremost Lincoln biographers in the world to draw
a complete personal portrait of the sixteenth President, asserting that the amazing strength
that enabled his greatest accomplishments was a result of decades spent battling and
overcoming his own personal demons.
LINCOLN taps into biographers and authors Gore Vidal, Jan Morris, Harold Holzer, Jay
Winik, Josh Shenk, Douglas Wilson, and others for anecdotes and insights. Andrew
Solomon, author of the book The Noonday Demon, offers raw and authoritative
commentary on the workings of the depressed mind. The result is a special that gives
more attention to the personal travails of Abraham Lincoln than any before it, and in the
process offers an even greater appreciation of what a special achievement his life truly
was.
Highlights of LINCOLN include:
• Dramatic re-creations of some of the seminal events in Lincoln’s personal life,
shot through Lincoln’s eyes and showing cinematically-driven portrayals of his
psychological anguish. These events include dreaming of his own assassination
just days before it happened; the memory of a childhood friend gone mad; visiting
and opening the tomb of his dead son; episodes in dealing with a wife who many
presume to have been manic depressive; and carrying the guilt of more than
600,000 casualties and national political pressure during the Civil War.
• A thorough retelling of Lincoln’s personal and professional life, full of funny,
endearing, and heartbreaking tales along the way told by many of the authors who
know Lincoln best.
• Examinations of the key personal relationships in Lincoln’s life and what insights
they offer into his mindset, including his close friendship with Joshua Speed, who
some believe may have been his lover; his early romance with Anne Rutledge,
whose death sent him into a suicidal tailspin; and the quandary between his love
for Matilda Edwards and his impending marriage to Mary Todd, another situation
that drove him to despair.
• Snippets and dissection of Lincoln’s greatest public speeches, including the
launch of his national political campaign in New York, the Gettysburg Address,
and his second inaugural speech.
• A somber portrayal of Lincoln’s assassination at Ford Theater, narrated by Gore
Vidal, and a touching conclusion that places Lincoln’s public achievements in the
context of the modern world, with opinions from experts on the effect his
presidency still has on America today.
Executive Producer for The History Channel is Carl H. Lindahl. LINCOLN is produced
for The History Channel by VIXPIX Films Limited. Director/Producer is Vikram
Jayanti.
Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel®, "Where
the Past Comes Alive®," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an
inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to
the great lives and events of the past. The History Channel has earned six News and
Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History®" campaign
dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site
is located at www.History.com |
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