NEW YORK — A 1915 movie about the life of Abraham Lincoln, previously thought lost forever, was found on Long Island.
“The Heart of Lincoln,” released by Universal, is a silent film about American life during the Civil War. It was directed by and stars Francis Ford — the brother of legendary director John Ford — as the 16th president.
The film was discovered by intern Dan Martin at Lauro’s Historic Films Archive in Greenport, N.Y., while he was going through boxes of material donated to the archive.
The 65-minute movie had previously been listed by the Library of Congress as one of 7,000 silent films thought to be lost forever. Many silent films were lost because they were printed on highly volatile nitrate film stock, according to Newsday.
Film archivist Eliot Kissileff told NBC New York that he was able to digitize the 16-millimeter print.
“I guess it was just lucky the cans were sealed and had not decayed,” Kissilef told the station.
“For someone going to school for film preservation, this is about the most rewarding outcome you can have sifting through those old film cans,” Martin added.
Joe Lauro, who owns the archive, said he hopes to add a score to the preserved film.
“With silent films, probably 70% of them are gone,” Lauro told NBC New York. “It’s a piece of the puzzle that’s now been found. The puzzle of lost American cinema.”
First Published: February 10, 2025, 10:30 a.m.
