The few minor details which were glamourized and neglected, however. President lyndon johnson called him a symbol of american courage and. The film sergeant york is filled with heroics, but there are a few things about the eponymous, humble hero you probably didnt know. Thats what you get when you have an american icon and his persnickety peers watching over your shoulder.
One night, he has a conversion experience while in. With the understanding, sergeant york is not a factually accurate movie, it still needs to be seen. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Sergeant york 1941 color version torn between religious pacifism and patriotism, alvin york of tennessee went on to become world war is most acclaimed hero. In 1941, the story of alvin york was made into a movie starring gary cooper, who won an academy award for the role. Alvin went to hollywood to act as technical advisor, and according to andrew, it is just about as close. The story of reallife pacifist turned sniper and wwi hero alvin york sparked a few emotions and many political debates. I think it is a well told and very accurate story of a wild, hard drinking young hillbilly convert to christianity trying to make sense of his life after being drafted into the first world war. Although york committed this deed during the first world war, he is also relevant to the second world war, thanks to the film sergeant york, directed by howard hawks and released in july 1941a few months before pearl harbor. Cooper later said, sergeant york and i had quite a few things in common, even.
York had been approached by producer jesse lasky several times, beginning in 1919, to allow a movie to be made of his life, but had refused, believing that this uniform aint for sale. Lasky convinced york that, with war threatening in europe, it was his patriotic duty to allow the film to proceed. Nevertheless, sergeant york has its detractors, as ive hinted above. See the full list of sergeant york cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. Sergeant york is a 1941 american biographical film about the life of alvin c. Rent sergeant york 1941 starring gary cooper and walter brennan on dvd and bluray. As the simple backwoods farm boy who captured 2 german soldiers during the battle of argonne, gary cooper handpicked by york also won acclaim and his fir. He received the medal of honor for leading an attack on a german machine gun nest, taking at least one machine gun, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers and capturing 2.
York s medal of honor action occurred during the united states. The movie was made in 1941, directed by howard hawks and starred gary cooper, walter brennan, joan leslie and margaret wycherly. It was directed by howard hawks air force, the original dawn patrol and starred the biggest hollywood star of that time gary cooper. York is drafted into the army, where he realizes that there is indeed justification for. Several times in the extras on this disc, its mentioned that film critics do not rank it among howard hawks great films. Sergeant york remains a true american hero of the highest caliber whose distinguished service to our nation was not only his time in uniform but the legacy of his.
Yorks son said people ask about the movie almost every day. Its still the guy with guts and a gun who wins the war alvin york a hillbilly sharpshooter transforms himself from ruffian to religious pacifist. If you use these tools, youll be quizzed on material like sgt. Film analyst mark grimsley examines how the 1941 film sergeant york use one reallife heros wartime experience to break through americas isolationist. Known as the greatest american hero of world war i, york avoided profiting from his war record before 1939. But this came with oriental language on the back, and i feared that if i opened it. In outline, the film is no more than a straightaway narrative about a fightin an hellraisin mountain farmer named alvin york who scrabbles a poor living from a. Thats what you get when you have an american icon and his persnickety. Alvin york left a strong and lasting legacy for the citizens of tennessee and the nation. And sergeant york did not seek the lime light as he had condemned war and even questioned americas involvement in world war one. It seemed to show on television constantly, as if somebody thought its message still applied in 1969.
In watching sergeant york i was reminded that the ugly reaction of the isolationists in the early 1940s forced the studio to pull it after only a week or two in theatres because it was jingoistic and warmongering. Of god and country is a makingof piece that cant help but declare that the movie has a timeless philosophy, as opposed to a specific propaganda function when it was made. Sergeant alvin york as the link above indicates, many remember alvin york as the laconic reluctant hero from the 1941 movie, s ergeant york, starring gary cooper. Yorks reputation grew even more after the 1941 academy awardwinning movie, sergeant york, starring gary cooper.
It is not only the first feature film to treat the role of black soldiers in the american civil war. A marksman is drafted in world war i and ends up becoming one of. It was directed by howard hawks and was the highestgrossing film of the year the film was based on the diary of sergeant alvin york, as edited by tom skeyhill, and adapted by harry chandlee, abem finkel, john huston, howard e. Y ou might have to search several video rental stores to find sergeant york, but this 1941 blackandwhite classic still provides wholesome family entertainment with a positive, and even christian, message alvin york was the greatest american hero of world war i. This movie, however, is about much more than the incredible feat that made him a household name. He is then called to serve his country and despite deep religious and moral objections to fighting becomes one of the most celebrated. So lets take a few minutes to learn more about the real sergeant york as we compare history with the classic 1941 movie. Not sure how accurate all the details are, but even if only half were true it is still a phenomenal story.
Director howard hawks star gary cooper, walter brennan, george tobias 4 minutes year of release 1941. Researchers say they believe they have found the site where sgt. The story behind the movie historical accuracy saving. Sergeant york, a sincere biography of the world war hero, makes. Sergeant york starring gary cooperwarner brother pictures not only did the 1941 classic secure york a spot in the history books, it preserved his story and legacy for generations to come. York demanded the actress playing the role be someone who did not drink or smoke. The inspirational film, directed by howard hawks and cowritten by john huston, was nominated. Some people think this film was a propaganda piece. The film turned out to be a highly accurate representation of history, mainly. Alvin york was born on december, 1887 in pall mall, tennessee. Based on a true wwi story, this film follows a religious tennessee boy, who is initially opposed to war. Sergeant york was the highest grossing movie of 1941 and was nominated for eleven oscars, winning twoincluding best actor for cooper.
The movie also accurately portrays the horrors of war. York finds a local girl he is interested in courting, gracie williams leslie. The few critically acclaimed great war movies, such as all quiet on the western front 1930 and sergeant york 1941, were joined in 2018 by. Sergeant york is by no means an antiwar moviequite the oppositebut it wasnt designed to make war look glamorous, either. Sergeant york proves one of the seasons great, blared the washington post. Yorks war participation, his time after war, and yorks earning of the congressional medal of honor. This product can expose you to some kind of chemicals, which is known to the state of california to cause cancer for more information, go to. The sergeant york patriotic foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of sergeant alvin c. In 1941, a movie, sergeant york, starring gary cooper, was made about yorks life.
Born december, 1887 in a tworoom dogtrot log cabin in pall mall, tennessee, and raised in a rural backwater in the northern section of fentress county, york was a. It was the first major american biopic that told the story of a living person. They want to know how true it is, he said, adding that it is about 9095 percent accurate due to his fathers involvement in its production. With gary cooper, walter brennan, joan leslie, george tobias. Sergeant york is a 1941 film based on a true story, directed by howard hawks and starring gary cooper it tells the mostly true story of alvin c. York, one of the mostdecorated american soldiers of world war i. Sergeant york sergeant york is an adventure war film telling the true story of the life of alvin york, the mostdecorated american soldier of world war i.
Alvin is a hard drinker and a hellraiser, but he converts to christianity, abandons his wild ways, and becomes a pacifist. Sergeant york is one of the great american classic war movies. York s efforts to raise money to buy the land is not the most accurate part of the movie, but it does show the backbreaking nature of farming back then, including ploughing a field with a horse, taking rocks and tree stumps from fields, and splitting logs to make rails. Rent sergeant york 1941 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Plus the producers had to be aware of a backlash from the isolationists if they laid it on too thick. Playing the title character in sergeant york won gary cooper his first oscar and critical acclaim. The film turned out to be a highly accurate representation of history, mainly because of the studios fear of lawsuits.
Based on the life of a hero of world war i, the movie sergeant york was released on september 27th, 1941just before the united states was drawn into world war ii. His story was immortalized in the movie sergeant york 1941. York singlehandedly captured more than 100 german soldiers during world war i in one of the u. Sergeant york was the wrong movie for a potential draftee to see in the middle of the vietnam war. While most americans memory of him is inextricably linked to the warner sergeant york movie brothers motion picture sergeant york 1941, and gary cooper who portrayed him, york left much more. Yorks efforts to raise money to buy the land is not the most accurate part of the movie, but it does show the backbreaking nature of farming back then, including ploughing a field with a horse, taking rocks and tree stumps from fields, and splitting logs to make rails. During the vietnam war, the campus left, missing yorks own apparent ambivalence about his actions at the end of the movie, viewed the.
Sergeant york 1941 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. York, the man, and sergeant york, the legend from the movie starring. In 1941, his heroism became the basis for a movie, sergeant york, starring gary cooper. In the century since this reluctant soldier braved machine gun fire to pick off 20 or more foes, persuading 128 other german. Gary cooper, walter brennan, joan leslie, george tobias, stanley ridges. York, a farmer from the appalachian mountains of tennessee. The desire to avoid law suits and controversy led to great efforts by the studio to. It has been over 50 years since sergeant york was made and it is still a joy to watch.