Mister Lincoln

There are very few men who can eloquently portray Lincoln and Kris Kristofferson and Gregory Peck aren't any of them. i didn't even know Dotrice was English when I saw him in this one-man show on the PBS but I was always a bit of a Lincoln afficionado.He plays the Sixteenth President solemnly and emotionally and with a certain amount of wry wit that today's Presidents rarely even exhibit. Much of this portrayal dwells on Lincoln's reflections on the Civil war and a stirring reading of the Gettysburg address but none of the shocking revelations of the horrible assassination. I have to wonder what Dotrice could have done if but this had been a movie.

Roy Dotrice portrayed the 16th President as a real human being, I saw this when it ran on PBS and have never forgotten it. The performance of this amazing one man show took place on the stage of the historic Ford Theater where Lincoln's assassination took place, and to add to the show, Dotrice looked warily at the box seats where John Wilkes Booth shot the President, conveniently left empty with its flag motif lay undisturbed. Only Gregory Peck and Hal Holbrook gave so much dimension to the Great Emancipator in this author's estimation.

I have always had a fascination with the portrayals of people in history - especially with Presidents. I only wish I could add this one to my collection. It was fabulous.

Dotrice was new to me at the time and I have since looked forward to any of his performances. I believe he portrayed Salieri in the film Amadeus.