Sergeant York (1941) User Reviews

"Alvin, you've got the using kind of religion."

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 20 February 2006]

Alvin Cullom York (1887-1964), a modest American and Christian hero of World War I, is the subject of this biographical picture which goes beyond the mere telling of the tale how he won all the medals he did for bravery during the Meuse Argonne Offensive. It's the inner struggle of a man whose pacifist Christian beliefs came into conflict with his patriotism. It's the heart and soul of this film, beautifully crafted by director Howard Hawks.

The real Sergeant York eschewed all money making ventures that would have capitalized on his heroics in World War I and had resisted giving the rights to his story to Hollywood. He relented because in 1941 he became concerned with the danger fascism posed for the world and advocated preparedness. Part of what brought him out was the speechmaking of that other American hero Charles A. Lindbergh who was an appeasement advocate.

York even called the shots on who was to play him. So Jack Warner made a call to Adolph Zukor over at Paramount and probably paid one hefty sum for Gary Cooper's services. It was worth every penny of it as Cooper got his first Oscar for Best Actor.

Alvin York is a poor farmer supporting a widowed mother and a brother and sister. And he likes to cut loose every so often with a jug and a rifle. But he gets converted and gets involved in Walter Brennan's church which is a strict fundamentalist sort with pacifist tenets. When America gets into World War I, his very soul is tormented by the tenets of his church and the volunteer tradition of his state. Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State and that nickname is no lie. It bothers him more than other men because as Pastor Walter Brennan tells him he's "got the using kind of religion."

These people may be fundamentalists and somewhat backward, but they're not phonies. No high hog living preachers here, just simple people trying to get through life the best they can. Howard Hawks did a masterful job in casting this film with some actors very used to playing rustics. Ward Bond, Noah Beery, Jr. Howard DaSilva, Clem Bevans and most of all Walter Brennan as Pastor Rosier Pyle, tripling as preacher, postmaster, and owner of the general store. Brennan got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, but since he'd already won three of them, the Academy voters gave Donald Crisp a break that year for How Green Was My Valley.

The York family is played by Margaret Wycherly, June Lockhart and Dickie Moore as mother, brother, and sister. Wycherly is one you'll remember also. Hard to believe this is the same woman who is also James Cagney's Ma in White Heat. Come to think of it, maybe not, Ma York and Ma Jarrett are both tough survivors.

As for the action that won him decorations from all the Allied powers including the Congressional Medal of Honor, you'll just have to see the film for that. But while some liberties are taken with York's pre-war story, what happened in the Argonne is actually what happened.

We could use a whole lot more Sergeant Yorks, those with the using kind of religion.

"That ain't no rookie, that's Buffalo Bill!"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 11 November 2006]

When you hear it said that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, it's the story of "Sergeant York" that might have been the inspiration. I'd been on the lookout for this film for some time when it appeared today on Turner Classic Movies as part of a Veteran's Day tribute. I tried to picture the real life hero Alvin York on the battlefield amid enemy fire pulling off the ruse that led to the capture of one hundred thirty two enemy soldiers, and all because a superior officer ordered him to take charge. Perhaps he should have been ordered to win the war.

I would like to have seen the real Alvin York, he must have been quite the extraordinary person. Not in a celebrity fashion, but in a deep spiritual sense, to have integrated his pacifist background with a sense of loyalty and brotherhood with his fellow soldiers. I can think of no other man you would want more in your corner when the chips are down and it's a matter of life or death.

Gary Cooper's Best Actor Oscar was well deserved for his portrayal of Sergeant York. He's convincing throughout as he transforms York from a rabble rousing back woods country hick to a principled man of values and ideals. The scenes where he records his meager earnings in hopes of buying some fertile downland is nearly heartbreaking, made even more poignant when he later makes amends with the men who essentially betrayed him.

Cooper is backed up with a fine supporting cast, but I have to admit I wound up chuckling a time or two when Walter Brennan's pastor character appeared. For some reason, those bushy black eyebrows called to mind an image of Groucho Marx that I just couldn't shake. Margaret Wycherly brings a matriarch's knowing instincts to the part of Mother York, somehow knowing that her son would eventually get his own patch of land someday, even when her own husband's experience seemed to suggest otherwise.

It was somewhat surprising yet gratifying at the same time to learn that the real Alvin York shunned all attempts to cash in on his name and hero status in order to get back to his home and family responsibilities. When he finally relented to numerous requests to make a film of his war time achievements, he had only two conditions - that all of the proceeds go to religious charities, and that the actor to portray him would be Gary Cooper. I'd say he cut a square deal.

Values Like These Seldom Seen On Film Anymore

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 28 September 2006]

Perhaps when this comes out on DVD later in the year (2006), I'll enjoy this as I did when I first saw it on tape. Subsequent VHS viewings were nowhere as appealing at that first look, unfortunately. As most people know, this is the story of World War I hero Alvin York, who went from drunken good-for-nothing to solid Christian man and war hero.

Gary Cooper certainly was a great choice for the role. Few people in his era were better at playing modest, soft-spoken-but-manly heroes like "Coop." When "York" makes no apology for his 100 percent belief in the Bible, no one challenges him because he's earned the respect from all, believers and non- believers. Cooper's status as an actor helps make that all the more "believable." Sgt. York also gives one of the best examples of forgiveness I've ever seen on film.

Another nice feature of this movie is seeing Joan Leslie in the female lead. She was one of the most pretty and wholesome-looking ladies of her day. She's always a treat to see. Walter Brennan also is interesting, as usual, and in here plays a minister, which also was a surprise.

Much of this film was a surprise because I'm just not used to seeing on film things like true forgiveness, the hero citing Scripture, military officers shown in a compassionate light (letting York, with his pacifistic views, decide what he anted to do) etc. What a shame so few films in the last 50 years have had similar values.

Watch for the great performances by Margaret Wycherly and Joan Leslie

[dapplez · 10/10 · 31 August 2013]

There are movies that you can barely remember hours after watching them, and there are movies you can't forget even years later. Sergeant York is the later. The movie remains etched in my mind and heart.

It is a story clearly told, yet not oversimplified, with characters boldly drawn, yet not caricatured, at least not the main ones. It would be a great story even if it were not true, but it is true, at least in the main. York's conversion by a lightning bolt striking his rifle is fiction, though his heavy drinking, fighting and ultimate conversion are not. So the lightning is cinematic device to shorten the process, and a brilliant one.

Those who talk about it as a war story (and who complain the first part is boring) miss why this film is so great. It is also a love story and a story of family. Joan Leslie is heartbreakingly sweet and lovely as Gracie Williams. We can feel the chemistry, and see that she is a force for good in Alvin's life, who was 30 when he was drafted.

Leslie's portrayal of Gracie is so full of life and youth and charm. Compare that with Margaret Wycherly's portrayal of Mother York, who is old, tired, dessicated of emotion. Yet she is full of wisdom, of understanding Alvin's passion for Gracie. In her eyes, you can see her thinking back to when she was once Gracie, in her long ago youth. It is a silent, motionless look, plumbing the depths of memory -- a master actress's use of silence.

I think most viewers take Wycherly's performance for granted, perhaps assuming we are seeing the real Wycherly. Yet she was born in London in 1881 to a father who was a doctor -- far from the poverty of Pall Mall, Tennessee -- and had been mainly a British stage and film actress. Nevertheless, those who knew the real Mother York say Wycherly's portrayal was spot on. Now that is real acting.

It is curious that this is the role that earned Gary Cooper his first Oscar. We, the modern viewer, have seen that Aw Shucks persona many times. But apparently it fit the real Alvin York, who insisted on Cooper playing him on screen, and was present for the movie's premiere. You can read about Alvin York online, on Wikipedia and on Gutenberg.org, which has a 1920s biography online. In the quotes of the actual Alvin York, you can easily hear Gary Cooper's voice.

Henry Fonda was considered for the role, and matched York's looks more closely. But he was only a few years younger than Cooper, so it wouldn't have helped much with the Gracie-York match up. I think he could have done the role, but Cooper's fit was right and almost magical. Modesty was the hallmark of York, and Cooper had it down, far more than Fonda. Frankly, I don't notice the age thing when I watch it; it's a movie and you need to be prepared to suspend disbelief up to a point. Besides, people who work hard outside tend to look older, especially if they don't have much to eat.

The scene where the family sits down to dinner and Mother York proudly presents the bag of salt is so beautiful. She reminds me of a stray mother cat who will do anything to protect and feed her children, even to the point of starvation or death, herself. And when I buy salt, I sometimes think about this, and how lucky I am.

As to the portrayal of "hillbillies," we must remember that this was an extremely rural mountain area with no road coming in -- the real Alvin pushed the state to build one after the war -- and it was nearly a century ago. People were different. There was little schooling, too, and the real Alvin later raised funds to build a school. While we see Alvin drinking and fighting, we also see hard working, intelligent, gentle people with nice homes, so I don't see any stereotyping here.

As to the war, yes, the story is true. You can read about it yourself. And it provides a great lesson we should continue to remember today and in the future: The only justification for killing people in war (aside from self defense) is to end the killing and end war.

That is what was in York's mind, and he says so, to stop the killing. York was a pacifist at heart. Killing the enemy out of anger, hatred, retaliation or revenge was not in his mind, and should not be in the mind of any soldier. When this happens, it corrodes the soul of the soldier, so that he can no longer feel like a normal human being.

It was also probably what was on the minds of thousands of Americans who enlisted after seeing this movie, which was released months before America actually entered the war following Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. By then, the war had already been raging for two years, and America's entry was consistent with York's hope of helping to bring the fighting to an end.

York didn't lose his feeling for his fellow man. I found this item from the IMDb trivia section interesting:

"Alvin York himself was on the set for a few days during filming. When one of the crew members tactlessly asked him how many "Jerries" he had killed, York started sobbing so vehemently he threw up. The crew member was nearly fired, but the next day, York demanded that he keep his job."

While the attack he lead killed 28 German soldiers, he also captured 132, saving their lives.

Still a Great Classic ,Oscar winning Performance for Cooper...

[JRobert · 23 October 1998]

..SGT.YORK...yeah, it was released during WW2,to help the war effort, but it was a true story of the backwoods young man who really did not want to to go to war..and kill others in combat, which at first got him in some trouble.... But, did become a true hero and earned an Oscar for star Gary Cooper. The BEST part of the movie is before..York is drafted and first decides to hide in the hills ...Ward Bond, Walter Brennen are just two favorites that play important roles. The beautiful outdoor scenes in wonderful black and white, in the first of the film is unforgettable along with the fun and realistic setting of York's pursuit of his future wife and a piece of farm land,and the troubles he encounters before...going to war. Another 194O's classic with a lot of heart and soul, along with lots of entertainment value!.

Wow. Just...wow.

[barbb1953 · 10/10 · 23 July 2009]

I started watching this with expectations of seeing a hero right at the start, and a very human, tarnished man appeared. That shouldn't be surprising, since what is just so difficult to grasp is that this movie accurately portrays what happened that day in the Argonne. Wow. You have to ask: how did a real man do all that? This is what the movie as a whole tries to answer, and I think it succeeds pretty well in doing so.

On an external level, it was really fun to watch Gary Cooper, Ward Bond, and Noah Berry, Jr.,partying all over the place; and there was Walter Brennan bringing "old time religion" to the Tennessee hills. I didn't recognize Brennan at first, just his voice. The eyebrows were a bit much, I agree.

The story is an exceptionally deep one, about a man's religious conversion and then testing. I'd like to see another movie today, this time with the real story of his conversion, although the version in this film is powerfully and well done.

The major's comment after York returns from his 10-day furlough really gets at the heart of the matter. The captain is concerned that York's ongoing struggles with conscience will make him a battle risk, but the major understands that York has really proved that he is an ideal fighter -- one who will work away at a challenge until he beats it.

The battle sequences are done with as much authenticity as the sequences in Tennessee were. There really isn't much screen time for the set-up scene in the trenches, but Hawks wastes no chance to convey the hellish battlefield setting, the soul-numbed and battle-shocked human being that stares out at us from the British soldier's eyes, and the nervousness and yet willingness of the new American troops as they wait in the trench for the signal to go "over the top."

This meant a lot to me since I recently found out that the local VFW post is named after a local man who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in the same general area where York and other Americans were operating, a week or two earlier than York's action on October 8, and who was killed in action three weeks to the day after York's action and less than two weeks before the Armistice. His story moved me quite a bit; I don't know much about WWI and appreciate learning a little more about it.

In this movie, Hawks also shows York's new status as hero and how he deals with it (which is the same as he has handled all his other tests, by thinking it over until he sees the right way to proceed). That was a good thing to include.

There were a couple of weak spots -- the major's telling York on the battlefield that York's desire to save lives was the most remarkable thing of all. Actually, from all I've read, that is what motivates generally all soldiers, including those who eventually are given medals for their actions. I think the major would have known that, and of course, soon all America would re-learn it.

Also, the last part where she surprises York is totally unbelievable, since the field is right out there by the brook and he would have seen all that probably even before he crossed the bridge. Still, even though it's hokey and you pretty much know what is going to happen, it's enjoyable, and it's a good place to end the movie.

Involving war story

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 3 November 2002]

Heartfelt, involving saga of Tennessee's WWI hero Sgt. York. The first half of the story, almost a movie in itself, shows York in his native valley as he tries to get a nice plot of "bottom land", finds God, and learns that killing is wrong. In the second, York trains to become a soldier and decides that it's OK to die, or even kill, to preserve his freedom. Cooper carries the film's weight with conviction, painting the figure of a likeable, naive but intelligent, American hero. Hawks weaves the story's many threads together believably and with good humor.

Garry Cooper + great script = Classic film

[Toopid1 · 10/10 · 19 August 2002]

How does one define a classic film? It has been over 50 years since Sergeant York was made and It is still a joy to watch. Gary Cooper is, well, Gary Cooper. A Hollywood Icon and arguably one of the best actors ever. He gives a memorable, true to life portrayal of this simple back woods man thrust into a situation seemingly beyond his ability to comprehend. Alvin York was not an educated man, not a worldly man and not a great student of philosophy. Armed only with his dog-eared Bible and his own beliefs of right and wrong he must somehow balance his religious faith, his patriotic duty and his duty to his comrades. The script is well written. The performances are superb. This movie has action and humor and a warmth that touches one and all. Sergeant York stands the test of time. Whatever your definition, this is a classic.

Gary Cooper as (another) Pride of the "Yankees"...

[ElMaruecan82 · 7/10 · 11 November 2018]

Gary Cooper was the ultimate American hero, a gentle giant whose humble charm and subdued sex-appeal exuded no less than humility and decency. Sure there was Jimmy Stewart and Gregory Peck, but Coop was the 'folk', the everyday man every American could relate to while still admiring him. He wasn't the man you better had as a friend but the one you couldn't picture as anything but one.

And all throughout his career, he'd portray nice and decent fellows that would incarnate American values during times they were much need: the Great Depression and war. Today, Cooper is still the only actor who has three characters featured in the AFI Top 100 "Heroes and Villains", all heroes of course. There is Lou Gehrig from "The Pride of the Yankee" and "Sergeant York" and Will Kane from "High Noon", for which he won his two Oscars for Best Actor. And his role as "Sergeant York" in Howard Hawks' movie of the same name, released at the war fever's peak, is known for having prompted many viewers to enlist. I guess that's what you call "inspiration", one of the good sort.

I often mention Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" and how its commercial success also stirred a wave of hostile comments and even violent actions against Arabs. I wouldn't dare to make comparisons between the two real-life figures played by the two Coopers, however, it's interesting to see that the two films that praised American values and the pride of belonging to a 'great' country and even portrayed men who didn't exactly "enjoy" their heroism, elicited different reactions, which reveals a sort of double-edged sword nature in patriotism. And "Sergeant York" is nothing but a patriotic movie.

The first act notably is a continuous exaltation of the good book's teachings as well as the frontier spirit. It opens in some shackle town over the hills of Tennessee with Pastor Pie (Walter Brennan) struggling to make his voice heard while men outside ride horses and shoot at trees. One of these hell-raisers is Alvin York, apart from his marksman skills he's a good-for-nothing hillbilly in your typical overalls, the son of a widowed mother (Margaret Wycherly) struggling to ensure their impoverished family a living. Anyway, something is just lacking in his life and booze sure doesn't look like the right answer.

Comforted by the pastor's words, he tries to give his life a meaning and spend sixty days of hard-labor to earn enough money to buy his fiancée Gracie (Joan Leslie) a land. Basically, the whole first act shows (none too subtly) the coming to a realization of a man that being skilled with his hands isn't enough. On a stormy night, he's stuck by a bolt of lightning and has an epiphany, he joins the church and sings along with the folks. "Gimme that old time religion". Whatever Hawks' stance about religion is it does portray it with as much fervor as the brandishing of the American flag, a country built by pioneers, as if both were sides of the same American soul's coin.

I gather the film is showing this American soul as something deeply rooted in the natural environment and if it wasn't for the pioneers, the homesteaders who tamed the wilderness, America wouldn't have been the same, the Bible just kept them away from turning wild between themselves. That's a way of figuring it, and while I'm not American, I guess "Sergeant York" does justice to these values, maybe too much as sometimes, the grandstanding poses with the mystical cinematography and Max Steiner's religious themes were so insisting it flirted with propaganda. Brennan was good (despite these damn distracting eyebrows) but I wish the film didn't sanctify Wycherly who played every single scene with heavy-handed solemnity, and not the warmth of Jane Darnell's Ma Joad.

The film wonders too much in the realm of religious quests and such that by the time the war sequence starts, we have the feeling it's all these values that made York get rid of the German machine-gun nest and arrest more than a hundred of prisoners by himself rather than simple bravery. It sure owes a lot to the way his hunter instinct played and the tragedy of watching his comrades getting shot, but the film did such a good job as portraying as a simple man working by the book, that never is the simple fact that he was a man with guts and courage brought up without carrying religious or patriotic undertones. It's got to be about the flag, the book and the upbringing in good old Tennessee.

"American Sniper" had the same frustrating tendency to insist on one man's righteousness, starting with flaws that never fooled. At least "Sergeant York" had the merits to highlight the moral conflict within a man who didn't want to kill but could find the answer in the Bible, you know what they say about rendering to Caesar. And because the man questioned that before, because it was Cooper, and because there was something truly honest about him, I could accept its preachy moments. Besides, I have a hard time believing that destiny or God didn't move in mysterious ways indeed when they waited for one month before the end of the conflict to give York a chance to shine and become one of the most decorated and celebrated military heroes of American history.

I just don't want to believe that it all has to do with belonging to a certain country or a certain religion. This review is written one hundred years exactly after the end of that deadly conflict, on November 11th, 1918. None of my ancestors died in this conflict (not to my knowledge) but this review is respectfully dedicated to all its victims, civilians and soldiers, French, American, British, German... from the "Sergeant Yorks" to the cowards.

Unabashedly sentimental and patriotic...this brought a tear to my eye.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 6 February 2010]

As a film that Hollywood made in anticipation of our eventual involvement in WWII, this film was magical and sure did its job in rallying Americans to the cause. The film is a propaganda masterpiece and can't help but affect the viewer. While I am sure many today might laugh at its sentimentality and clichés or some might get angry at its unabashed Americanism, the fact is that this is a brilliantly made film. Heck, by the end of the film, I found myself all choked up--even though I knew that the real story of Sergeant York was a bit different (though he still was an amazing man).

Speaking of inaccuracies, believe it or not, compared to most biopics, this film actually is mostly correct. The inaccuracies were mostly done for dramatic effect and don't really change the nature of the man or his deeds. Sure, his conversion was a lot less spectacular and he was already married before he went off to war, but the spirit of the film was correct. Leave it to Warner Brothers to get wonderful supporting character actors and a wonderful musical score and great cinematography to work together to make a perfect film for the time. Not surprisingly, the film took home the "Best Actor" Oscar in 1942.

I'd say more but frankly, there are already a ton of reviews on this seminal film. I'd hate to be repetitive, though just had to point out how much I love and respect the film, having just seen it again for the second time.

By the way, get a load of Walter Brennan's eyebrows. I'd LOVE to know what the preacher REALLY looked like!

This Movie Has Not Withstood the Test of Time

[icarusinbrazil · 6/10 · 8 March 2007]

This movie is not a complete waste of time but I do not believe it can justify the high ratings it receives here. Sergeant York actually picked up some Academy Awards so it is interesting to note the movies it competed with at the time: Citizen Kane, Suspicion, The Little Foxes, The Maltese Falcon, Yankee Doodle Dandy, How Green Was My Valley--In short, some of the greatest movies ever made. The stilted acting and predictable script makes the movie appear older than it actually is. Made in an era before the discovery of irony, the heavy handed wartime propaganda film seems cartoonish today. The idea that Gary Cooper beat out Walter Huston (All that Money Can Buy) or Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) for best actor says more about Hollywood's patriotism at the time than it did their ability to recognize or reward a great performance. A similar observation could be made about it's Film Editing award.

I found Max Steiner's score to be particularly disappointing. For an interesting comparison look at Sea Hawk, a wartime film made by the British two years earlier as they prepared to enter WWII (with music by Korngold). For a great movie from the era, see any of the movies listed above. For an exercise in tedium see Sergeant York.

Absolutely Brilliant

[Falcon-51 · 9/10 · 29 May 2000]

"Sergeant York" is my favorite classic movie. Gary Cooper stars as Sergeant Alvin York one of the most revered hero's in World War I. The movie takes you through his life from the days when he was a lot less responsible. When he drank a lot and had a short fuse, but ends when he become a hero of the war. The black and white picture enhances the beautiful cinematography in the film. Keep in mind most of the film revolves around his life before the war and so you get to see a lot of the fantastic scenery.

Gary Cooper won himself a well deserved Oscar for the film, but there were some other fine performances in the film. Walter Brennan, the star of almost 200 other films, plays York's small town Pastor, Rosier Pile. Young Joan Leslie plays the part of Gracie Williams who later marries York. Then there is Ward Bond in one of his many films (Over 250 of them I believe). Now a little for the trivia books. Cooper was 41 when he made this film and Leslie was only 16, but this is fairly consistent with the true ages of York and Gracie when they were beginning their relationship. So the film tries to be very accurate and honest. You won't find that in a modern film.

If you have not seen "Sergeant York" then you have yet to see one of the most touching films of all time. It is as much an attention holder today as it was back in 1941 and makes an excellent Memorial Day film which is in fact the best time to try and catch it if you happen to have cable and some of those classic film channels.

Decent, But Forgettable

[ReelCheese · 6/10 · 20 August 2006]

A decent though largely forgettable truth-based war film. Gary Cooper (handpicked for the role) stars at Sgt. Alvin York, a pacifist who becomes an unlikely hero in the First World War. Using his country-learned sharpshooting skills, the sarge attacks and captures a German position.

The biggest drawback of "Sergeant York" is that it takes so long to gather steam. While the purpose of the first half is to introduce us to York and his transformation from a small-town troublemaker into a man of honor, it's often drawn out and filled with irrelevant details, sort of like an autobiography written by a man much more interested in his own life than the reader.

It's a different story once York finally makes it onto the battlefield. Suddenly the film is more vibrant and less convoluted as we are treated to the tale of a genuine (though reluctant) war hero. The finale is the highpoint, as York's peaceful beliefs come face-to-face with the reality of war. Cooper, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, is another highlight.

Might Possibly Make You Vomit

[evanston_dad · 4/10 · 29 November 2008]

Audiences loved this biopic about good 'ol boy Alvin York, fresh from the hills of Tennessee, who entered World War I despite his pacifist beliefs and then carried out an almost unbelievable act of bravery. It probably helped that the film came out just as America was entering WWII, and a message about someone devoting himself to God and country was just the rallying cry needed.

Seen all these years later, the film is virtually intolerable. It's got the "Forrest Gump" factor. Gary Cooper plays York as such a simpleton that his bravery seems to come more from a general state of oblivion rather than courage. York and the movie spend most of their time reconciling a belief in the Bible and its pacifist teachings with the necessity of killing during wartime, and the countless sanctimonious speeches and aw-shucks American downhome-ness made me want to gag after a while.

Cooper won one of his two Oscars for this, and Walter Brennan and Margaret Wycherly were nominated for playing the town preacher and York's salt-of-the-earth mom, respectively.

Grade: C

It all adds up to a great film

[Danlanham · 7 November 1999]

The authentic portrayal of mountain life, an honorable protagonist portrayed by a great actor in his finest role, hard decisions in the time of war mixed with a healthy dose of levity, not to mention an outstanding supporting cast are just a few of the reasons why this film has always been my favorite movie. I am aware that this was a WWII propaganda film but I'm just idealistic enough that I buy the whole package.

I love this movie!

[stac36305 · 10/10 · 22 January 2005]

I love this movie! It is a heartwarming story of a man coming to terms with entering a war right after he receives his new found pacifist ideas. It also shows how a mother's love is everlasting no matter how her child acts. We were required to watch this movie in a history class, and I admit I thought it was going to be dumb. I ended up being drawn into the story, so I recommended it to my family. I watch this movie any time I get a chance. My entire family ends up walking around using their backwood mountain accent for days after we watch the movie. If I could find it on DVD or video, I would definitely purchase this film.

Excellent performance by Cooper

[rvm-2 · 10/10 · 10 November 2001]

Gary Cooper turned in an incredible performance in this movie. Although I've been familiar with his name for as long as I can remember, I was a little unsure as to why he was so highly regarded as an actor. Now I know. Just watch his face throughout this movie - he's incredibly expressive in communicating York's confusion and emotions during the changes he goes through.

That said, it's somewhat unfortunate that the movie simplified York's life (eg. in reality, he was stuck with a hefty mortgage on that nice house). The lightning-bolt incident didn't happen, either. But these are minor complaints, as the movie stays true to the key events of York's amazing story.

Flag-waving inoculation for US entry into World War II

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 14 December 2006]

Smoothly directed by Howard Hawks along Hollywood lines, the film is the biography -- or maybe "biography" -- of Alvin York, a hillbilly who engineered the survival of his unit and the capture of a massive number of Germans, winning the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Historically it serves as an inoculation, giving the American audience of early 1941 just a touch of what it's like for the country to be at war, so that we can all get used to the idea.

The country was full of isolationists at the time, Lucky Lindbergh, an American hero, among them. Few people wanted to "pull England's chestnuts out of the fire" again in 1941. Besides, while war waged in Europe, where it had been going on for a couple of years, American business was doing rather well in producing weapons. They'd pulled that off for a full three years during World War I.

But many people, including President Roosevelt, saw war as ultimately inevitable and it looks like the Warner Brothers did too. This film reminded us that, although war may be hell, we win in the end, as usual.

But it's not a stupid movie by any means. The conflict between living peacefully and making war is presented starkly. Gary Cooper, as York, shows us a man who can be either dissolute and bitter or dedicated and honorable. (He's born again when lightning strikes his rifle and mule in Tennessee.) He's a conscientious objector who does everything possible to avoid the draft because killing is against his religion. The Army gives him an American history book and sends him back home to think things over. He jest studies hisself right up to the dead edge of yonder. Then a breeze ruffles the pages of his Bible and opens it to, "Render unto Caesar those things that are Caesar's, and unto God those things that are God's." Bingo. He goes to war, excels with the Springfield '03 "rifle gun", and avenges the deaths of his friends by daring and marksmanship -- played partly for laughs, although the shootings would be funny most to boys under the age of fourteen. His behavior under fire and the capture of that horde of Germans is historically accurate though, and it was an astounding feat.

Back home they offer Cooper all kinds of rewards for endorsing products that will cure jock itch, dandruff, hangnails, or whatever, but he refuses to sell his name because he is not proud of the killing he did in France. He prefers to settle down quietly as a farmer in the hills with his family. This is also accurate. The guy must have been a demon of virtues. Joan Leslie provides the requisite love interest but I ain't so sartain she war necessary to thet there a-plot. He winds up happily with his sweetheart in a cottage covered with flowers and surrounded by a white picket fence in the idyllic hills, the kind of place that only exists in fantasies.

It's a rather long movie, and some parts are a little sketchy, especially those dealing with his initial introduction to the Army. But it doesn't drag. Hawks evokes the poverty of the Upland South in the early years of the last century without seeming to strain while doing so. Cooper's disappointment when his Herculean efforts to acquire bottom land fail is almost palpable. Cooper's varying moods are helped along by Max Steiner's sprightly song, which dips into a minor key while we witness misery on the screen.

Given its theme, its obviously pedantic intent, it ought to be dated and boring but it's not. It's a pretty good job.

One of the Best American films Ever!

[richrhea5 · 10/10 · 26 March 2021]

A bit dated, cliched, old-fashioned, and I Love it! Propaganda, sure, but what's wrong with that when it's a thinly-veiled attack (pro-war) against the stinking Nazi's! Coop is terrific, and so is the entire cast. Hawks the director and co-writer didn't make the characters "hillbillies." They're real people, as are all the emotions and inner conflict of the main character, sergeant Alvin York. A real American film where right wins out, but not without conflict and uneasiness (follow the Bible and not murder or support your country in war). Top grosser of 1942, and deservedly so. One of my all-time favorites. P. S. Read York's diary from WWI, it's online. Hoho!

An Okay Homage to an American Hero

[althusian · 6/10 · 16 June 2021]

I fully expected to love this movie, by one of my favorite directors, with an Oscar-winning performance by Gary Cooper, and about one of the great American heroes of WWI. I didn't, though, finding it to be only a so-so film. Gary Cooper, at age 40 and already with deep lines on his face and bags under his eyes, is too old to play Alvin York when he was just in his 20s, and Cooper also doesn't come off well as a country bumpkin, as York is depicted early on. The other actors are fine, including Walter Brennan (getting his fourth Oscar nomination; he won three), Ward Bond as York's hell-raising friend, Margaret Wycherly (also an Oscar nod) as York's mother, a very young June Lockhart, in one of her very first roles, as his sister, and Joan Leslie, at age 16 actually the right age to play York's girlfriend (Joan Leslie went on to a fine career).

It takes more than half of the movie's running time before York is drafted, and still more time before he joins the war effort in France. The training scenes at Camp Gordon, GA are fine, as York surprises everyone with his backwoods marksmanship skills. Character actor George Tobias--who eventually gained fame as the husband of Gladys Kravitz, the nosy next-door neighbor on "Bewitched"--is fun as another trainee. (Tobias also gives a fine performance in another Howard Hawks film, 1943's "Air Force.")

The movie finally hits its stride with the battle scene showing the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the largest in U. S. military history. While director Howard Hawks is able to show us how the men on both sides of the conflict were often "cannon fodder," charging with their rifles toward nests of machine guns, he is unable to depict the massive scope of the battle. The ending of the film is rousing and patriotic but, truth be told, it just takes too long to get there. I suppose Cooper won the Oscar because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was really honoring his character, the great war hero Alvin York, when the United States was right on the verge of entering the Second World War.

Sergeant York: Coop's Greatest role

[gerry-russell-139 · 10/10 · 23 September 1999]

I love every aspect of this movie, especially Coop's performance. This is (in my opinion) his greatest performance because he was the perfect representative of America's veteran's coming home from a major war and stating clearly that he is not proud of what he did in his service to his country. In the film (as well as the real Sergeant York) he is offered several thousands of dollars (possibly millions) and he refuses it for those reasons stated above. This is my idea of a true hero and what better role model to have than Gary Cooper.

sorry, but this "movie" has not withstood...

[Poyntelle99 · 6/10 · 8 August 2006]

unlike Casablanca and King Kong and the Wizard of Oz, Sergeant York has simply not withstood the test of time. Cinematically, the film is average at best and carries no replay value whatsoever. The extreme level of patriotism injected into the storyline almost guarantees that lame clichés are coming around every corner. And who cares about the man's bleak existence in backwoods Tennessee?!?! Sure, I love a good biopic (Capote, Chariots of Fire, Michael Collins...) but there has to be SOME drama or suspense or black comedy somewhere in the plot. Instead, we get a stiff Gary Cooper and a bunch of sugarcoated G-rated bull crap. I'll give it a 6/10 because that last scene where York snipes a billion Germans is okay, but the rest of this project gets a 4. Not recommended viewing for people who like to stay awake while watching TV

Sometimes the story is the movie...

[glentom1 · 10/10 · 4 July 2006]

In my book this is one of the best movies of all time. It is the story of Sergeant York, the most decorated soldier of WWI.

Whether the movie presents factual the story or not, is up to historians. But 50 or 100 years from now this movie WILL be the factual history.

Great filming, great acting, great story, all add up to perfection. One of the reviews at this site said something like "an otherwise undistinguished cast." Well, wake up, it has a cast of Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Noah Beery, Jr. Howard DaSilva, Clem Bevans, Margaret Wycherly, June Lockhart, Dickie Moore, George Tobias, and Joan Leslie. Including probably the greatest character actor of all time, Walter Brennan.

One of the few movies I can watch over and over and over.

Uneven

[kenjha · 7/10 · 14 August 2007]

Biography of WWI hero won Cooper his first Oscar although the limited actor played essentially the same role in all his movies. The scene where York instantly finds religion is over-the-top. Hawks usually displayed better judgment. The early parts of the film are the best. After York discovers the good book, the film becomes less interesting and goes on a bit too long. Brennan, who won an Oscar the previous year for "The Westerner" with Cooper, is good as a pastor and Wycherly, with her bug eyes, is an interesting presence as York's mother. Leslie provides the love interest, as she did with Bogart in "High Sierra" the same year.

Life is like a turkey shoot...

[lemmy caution · 5/10 · 4 March 2000]

Baffling, bizarre war flick, from some time and place completely devoid of irony. There's a lot of laughs to be had from the hokey corn planted knee deep throughout, but it never goes over the top.

Besides the wonderful first half, which sets up every hillbilly cliche in the book, the breathtaking propagandizing rationalization of "killing in the name of" is awe-inspiring. In making his decision to go to war, York's Bible is Providentially blown open to the passage "give unto God the things of God and give unto Caesar the things of Caesar." And indeed, we soon enough see Sgt. York rendering unto Caesar with a vengeance, with a cold stare and maniac grin. "Just like shootin' turkeys," York muses (in a weirdly looped in line) as he mows down more German soldiers in a key Hollywood backlot battle of WWI. Jesus'd be proud, son.