Henry Fonda becomes young Abe Lincoln in this fictionalized version of his early life, directed by John Ford. The story follows Lincoln as he moves from rural Kentucky to Springfield, Illinois, where he starts a law practice. Lincoln stops a lynch mob from killing two men accused of murder and winds up defending them in court in one of his biggest cases. Along the way he loses a girlfriend, courts his future wife and moves into politics.

Trivia: Fonda first turned down the role of Lincoln because he didn’t think he could play such a great man, but he changed his mind after viewing himself in a screen test.

See our August 2018 cover story: “The 25 Greatest Legal Movies.”