Three Contrasting Styles
Reviewer Bob Robson
May 30, 2006
The "Gettysburg Address" is a masterpiece of American oratory. To my ear, Jeff Daniels' reading is somewhat fast and shrill, while Sam Waterston's is hesitant and flat. In contrast, Johnny Cash speaks (rather than reads) Lincoln's words as Lincoln himself might have done -- with quiet depth and dignity that builds to a noble, inspiring climax. Johnny Cash was not only a great country singer but a moving interpreter of the written word. -- R.R.