US 134m Dir: Howard Hawks Key Cast: Gary Cooper
Alvin York was one the the USA's most decorated soldiers in World War I and so presumably when producers were looking to create a war film knowing that the USA's involvement in World War II was coming he was an obvious inspiration for a film. Unusually, the film is adapted from York's own diaries.
York (Gary Cooper) begins the film as a poor Tennessee farmer who spends much of this time drinking and fighting. When he's struck by lightning he converts to Christianity but soon finds himself drawn into the war despite trying to seek exemption as a conscientious objector. When he finds his friends and comrades being killed, York feels he has no choice but to fight and ends up becoming a hero.
I wasn't too keen on the pacing of the film. It takes an age to get to the war with the first half focusing on the much lower budget rural Tennessee stuff. We do need an introduction to York but this one just lasts far too long without a great deal happening.
The war side of things is much more interesting. It's not an especially well-done depiction of World War I (All Quiet on the Western Front is just one example that looks much better and that's nearly ten years older) but it certainly tells the story of a hero who fought to save lives and achieved remarkable things.
It's hard not to see this as a piece of propaganda encouraging people to join the army and be like Sergeant York. The film was made before the US joined the war but it seems obvious that they would keen to enlarge their army if not actively prepare for war. As it turned out, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened whilst this film was still showing in theaters so it was in prime position to encourage recruitment- it was reported that some young men went straight from the theaters to military enlistment offices.
You can see why it inspired people. Those that could imagine joining the army are shown a bit of heroism that tips them into joining up. But the film is clever in that it speaks to the people who are like Alvin York, that don't believe in war and couldn't imagine themselves killing other human beings. The film uses York's own experiences to suggest that fighting can save lives and so it has the potential pretty much anyone no matter what their attitude towards war is.
As a piece of entertainment, I didn't get a lot from it. The first half is slow and uninteresting and the second half tells a decent story albeit in a not particularly cinematic way. I appreciate what it does and how it helped to recruit US soldiers but it didn't feel to me to be a film which stands up very well now.
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