otherwise excellent book lincoln american memory historian merrill peterson calls young mrlincoln boring dreadful film amazingly wrongheaded analysis simply proves great historians rarely fine film critics working doctoral dissertation abraham lincoln frederick douglass part preparation writing dissertation made careful analysis film tag gallaghers brilliant interpretation seminal book ford young mr lincoln comes culminating year first phase fords cinematic authorship in greatest hollywood years ford directed three superb still fully appreciated films drums along mohawk stagecoachand young mrlincoln might seem odd say stagecoach fully appreciated purblind critics must perceive one greatest westerns perhaps even one hundred greatest films time however fully appreciated three films work together kind trilogya triptych fact ford creating sort mythic history america screen drums along mohawk revolutionary war young mrlincoln precivil war americafinally stagecoach post civil war america three films common extended meditation american adam errand wilderness psychic social costs american manifest destiny america strives build new human city wildernesslincoln symbolizes americas journey seeks reconcile civilizational inmpulse law freedom wildernessyoung mrlincoln history  full historical howlersas ford trotti well aware myth lincoln symbol justice mercy lincoln man wilderness striving found civilization within himself become remarkable lawgiver young america young mr lincoln historylike james agees long forgotten teleplay lincoln like sandburgs biography epic poema beautiful epic poem