was

The Day Lincoln Was Shot [VHS]
$14.98
"The Day Lincoln was Shot" is a 1998 TV film. You wouldn't expect much in light of this, but you'd be wrong.

All I expect in a historical film like this is reasonable historical accuracy and the ability to take me back in time to envision what it was really like (to some reasonable degree, that is). "The Day Lincoln was Shot" delivers in spades.

Rob Morrow is outstanding as actor/murderer John Wilkes Booth. I've read loads of history but Booth never came alive to me until I saw this movie the other day. Booth was a passionate, charismatic, creative type, which obviously explains his occupation. This and his love for the Confederacy proved to be an explosive combination. The film shows Booth practicing his murder in front of a mirror, trying to get the Latin for "Death to tyrants" just right. You just know this nut really did this to psyche himself up for the murder.

FYI: After assassinating Lincoln, Booth caught the spur of his boot on the flag drape as he jumped down from Lincoln's box at Ford's Theater and consequently broke the leg he awkwardly landed on.

Lance Henriksen is fine as Lincon and Donna Murphy is great as his wife Mary. Some say Donna is too good-looking to play Mrs. Lincoln, but Mary Todd wasn't all that bad-looking if you check out pictures of her; and she certainly wasn't fat. Besides Donna's beauty is played way down here. Anyway, the film well display's Mary Todd's catty, jealous, tempermental nature. Despite this reality, ol' Abe and Mary LOVED each other and the picture properly shows it.

Ever wonder what family time was like in the White House back then? What were the Lincoln's like at dinner time? Did Abe play with his youngest son? Etc. This picture shows you these things. Interestingly, Will Wheaton, the notorious Wusley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation, plays Lincoln's oldest living son Robert Todd. He does a fine job too. I didn't even recognise him (thank God).

I especially enjoyed the scene wherein Abe & Mary go for a ride in the country on a carriage surrounded by numerous security guards on horseback. My wife & I often go on rides in the country and it was just interesting to observe Abe & Mary doing the same thing. Why wouldn't they? This is a great scene.

The locations are completely convincing and the film is lensed with such expertise that the viewer is successfully ushered back to the time of the story. The cinematography has that dark, realistic look of modern films like, say, "Last of the Mohicans" as opposed to the overly-lighted, artificial look of older films. The score is great as well.

One powerful scene shows Lincoln talking with his militarists and advisors after the surrender of Lee's army. The latter insist upon the immediate imprisonment and execution of Jefferson Davis, Lee and other significant leaders of the rebellion. Lincoln hears them out but ultimately responds (I'm paraphrasing): "No. Haven't we seen enough bloodshed, enough death? I am adamant about this!" This is line with Lincoln's second inaugural address wherein he stated:

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan -- to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

This shows Lincoln's character and partially explains why he is one of my personal heroes. He wanted the hostilities and death to end in America; he wanted forgiveness, reconciliation, goodwill and healing to prevail.

Booth felt that, by killing Lincoln, he'd be helping the cause of the South. He wrongly expected his mad scheme to throw the Union into chaos and embolden the Southerners to continue fighting, regardless of the fact that they had already surrendered. Ironically his murderous scheme was the worst possible thing he could have done for his Southern comrades. Lincoln would have ensured mercy and leniency during Reconstruction, at least to some reasonable extent, but Booth's actions needlessly brought on many hard years to come for the South, much harder than they would have been otherwise anyway.

Unfortunately "The Day Lincoln was Shot" is currently only available on VHS. The good thing is that it's presently offered at Amazon for a very cheap price. If you're into well-made historical films I'd scarf it up.

For comparisons, "The Day Lincoln was Shot" blows away boring, bloated historical films like the overrated "Gettysburg." It's on a par with "Pharoah's Army" albeit not quite as good as "Glory."

For a good well-rounded cinematic look at the Civil War period I recommend these films: "Glory," "Pharoah's Army," "The Horse Soldiers," "The Blue and the Gray," "Cold Mountain" and, of course, "The Day Lincoln was Shot." "Andersonville" is worth seeing too as long as you keep in mind that it's a prison picture (dealing with the most infamous prison camp of the Civil War). I haven't seen "Ride with the Devil" yet, which involves Missouri Southern bushwackers (guerrilla fighters) and the bloody feud amongst neighbors in that bloody border state, but I'm looking forward to it.

Was (Fantasy Masterworks)
$16.50
I read this book when it first came out and have read it several times since. Each time it knocks me out. Anything but a conventional novel -- and anything but conventional fantasy -- it is a superbly rendered group portrait of several people whose lives are involved with the book and movie of the Wizard of Oz. Or, perhaps more precise, several people whose lives are animated by the hope of escape and beauty represented by the land of Oz. Prominent among them is Dorothy Gael (no misprint), whose sad childhood is glimpsed by her substitute teacher, a man named Baum; Frances Gumm, who would become famous as the tormented Judy Garland; and Jonathan, a C-list actor who is dying of AIDS and unable to put down his obsession with Oz. The book is all about the consolations of fantasy -- and the dangers in that consolation. Putting the theme that baldly, though, makes "Was" sound preachy and didactic, when it is anything but. It's the sort of book that at times is so emotionally powerful that you want to put it down, but still can't get it out of your mind. Knitting together the book's separate strands at the end, Jonathan makes a pilgrimage to Manhattan, Kansas, where the Oz story began, and every time I've read the book I felt like I'm right there with him.

If Today Was Your Last Day
$0.99
"My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride"

"Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you'll never live it twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life"

Wow, Nickeltrash. Think you've forced enough cliches in there? Hell, this song even made it into MSN's list of "Worst song lyrics ever" (although personally I think Photograph has worse but not by much).

So It Was Cancer
$0.99
Frank and Astrid were about to divorce when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Written in time-tripping, back-and-forth, harrowing chapters.Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.