Sergeant York (1941)

Memorable, crazy movie

Load of rubbish!!

Absolutely the worst movie.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This has been my favorite film since I was 12 years old in 1989. I'm not the type of person who has heroes but if I did Alvin York probably would be it. York the person, not the WWI hero he's been portrayed as. He wouldn't allow a film to be made about him because he didn't want to glorify violence especially of war and the death it entailed. He felt sorrow for the men he killed during the war his entire life.Obviously this film is propaganda; the fact York would only allow Gary Cooper to play him is probably one of the main reasons it wasn't made until 1940. Film execs tried for many years before then but York kept saying 'no'. The average difference of the two during WWI is huge. York was 28 and Cooper was 39 to 40 when making the film. Then you have Joan Leslie, really good in her part but she was 15 years old when this film was made. Kind of uncomfortable watching a 40 year old making out with a 15 year old but it is just acting, I guess. Joan Leslie was great in her role, I really can't imagine anyone else playing Grace.This film sort of portrayed York as an atheist who turned Christian. Never happened. He was always a Christian. The only change was that he became a pacifist Christian like his mother. As an atheist myself (for 28 years) I find that not only insulting atheists but also York himself. That's part of the propaganda that is this film. It was made for the looming war about to happen whether that year or the next. The film also made it seem as if York solely captured 132 Germans when in fact that's slightly untrue. He had help. Two of which didn't receive awards for their actions until decades later. One, not until the mid 1960s. There's a lot of fiction in this film which is why I never get my history from film; almost every film dealing with history always fictionalizes for some type of benefit. Which is sad, really. Unlike other propaganda films of the time this one has good production value, strong cast, great script, etc., if one who has seen the film knows about the actual York then one would know even his "biography/diary" was fictionalized but on York's end it had a good purpose rather thsn a deceitful one: he was trying to bring education to Tennessee people like him who had little to no education at all.Now while I like this film because of York, what he did, etc., he's not my favorite in this film. George Tobias as 'Pusher' is my favorite in this film. I've never seen a film Tobias was in that I didn't like and his character in this was great. A lot of things wrong with this film but a lot of things right with it which, ironically, makes it quite perfect. To know the true story of this film, as stated above: don't read his diary, unless you can find the original diary because otherwise his life outside this film is somewhat fictional, for good reasons, though. Even a lot of the speeches he gave in real life were written by other people, professional writers, for him to say. One can tell by how grammatically correct they are. York was borderline illiterate, he spoke and wrote how he thought; he was only in school for less than a year as a child. His childhood was the epitome of poverty. Children back then didn't go to school, they worked the fields. York was a violent alcoholic, that is true but he attended church regularly. He was never an atheist, as stated. It's a great film but mainly fiction.

Great WW1 drama.The story of the making of an American military legend. A quiet, unassuming man becomes a hero on the battlefields of World War 1.My first reaction was that the plot was a bit far-fetched, then I discovered that it was a true story! Pretty amazing stuff. Takes a while to get going though, and the dialogue can be irritatingly folksy, and these detract from what is otherwise a good movie. Once it gets going though, it is well worth the watch.Gary Cooper gives a superb performance in the lead role, well deserving his Best Actor Oscar. I actually can't imagine anyone else in the role, it is so perfect for him.

Do not believe the good reviews of this movie. There are many things that this movie does that are extremely terrible. The main problem is that HE IS ONLY IN THE WAR FOR A SMALL FRACTION OF THE MOVIE. The rest of this film is basically Little House on the Prairie, except at least that show doesn't make you wanna stab yourself in the eyes and ears with a rusty railroad spike. The sound design in this movie is terrible as well as some of the over the top and unrealistic acting. The mother of York sounds like she is about to drop dead any second. This movie seems like it would be an action filled America movie. But alas, it is bland and disgustingly made to rally people to go to war.

Howard Hawks is truly shaping up to be a director who can bring out timeless movie magic out of any genre. It's easy to see his influence everywhere in the most charming contemporary mainstream movies. While this is a war film, the war doesn't come into it until the last hour, devoting the first to character development. It's almost as if the character, who begins the film a hopeless brute, proves himself to the audience and then to the world with his heroic act. He's a very compassionate and modest character, and with a redemption story behind him, he's very easy to support, even if there's a hint of silliness with Gary Cooper playing a character around 15 years younger than himself. It's a film with a good heart, and although it can be melodramatic, it's very emotional and rarely sentimental. While it's known for being released at a point where American's were going to World War II, there's a debate about whether it's a pro or anti-war film, while it at once encourages Americans to fight, the character argues that it's wrong throughout. I think it's neither, and rather an anti-violence film and tries to prove that wars shouldn't be fought with violence. While it's patriotic nature can be up for debate and despite its heavy-handed religious side, Sergeant York is classic filmmaking and definitely bumps Howard Hawks into being one of my favourite directors of all-time.8/10