Abraham Lincoln: Kino Classics

Cole Smithey

Kino Classics Releases D.W. Griffith's historical drama
Abraham Lincoln, starring Walter Huston, on Blu-ray

Abraham Lincoln Blu-ray cover art

35mm Restoration by the Museum of Modern Art

New York, NY – November 6, 2012 - Kino Classics is proud to announce the Blu-ray release of D.W. Griffith's acclaimed historical drama Abraham Lincoln, starring Walter Huston in a performance that Mordaunt Hall in his 1930 review in The New York Timescalled "genuinely fine and inspiring".

Abraham Lincoln comes to Blu-ray on November 13th, with a SRP of $34.95 and mastered in HD from a 35mm restoration by the Museum of Modern Art. It includes a special introduction for the 1930 re-release of Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, featuring a conversation between the director and actor Walter Huston, filmed during the production ofAbraham Lincoln.

Released at the dawn of the sound era, Abraham Lincoln was D.W. Griffith's first talkie, and for this important project, he returned to the historical era of his greatest success, The Birth of a Nation. Walter Huston (The Devil and Daniel Webster) stars as the nation's 16th president, following his personal triumphs and tragedies.

Griffith's film depicts this American icon with a sensitivity and grace matched only by John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln. In addition to depicting the life of a remarkable American president, Abraham Lincoln provides viewers with the chance to see one of the master filmmakers of the silent era working within the new medium of sound film.

Often circulated in inferior versions mastered from 16mm prints, the Kino Classics edition is the most complete version available — with approximately three minutes of footage missing from other DVD releases. The audio elements of these rediscovered scenes have been lost, and the missing dialogue and sound effects are provided via subtitles.