Get ready to learn about the life of this real-life brave soldier put his life out on the battlefield despite his pacifist beliefs. Howard Hawks’ Sergeant York is about the life of celebrated war hero Alvin C. York during World War I.
Sergeant York is about Alvin C. York who worked as a farmer before being drafted into World War I. Before the war, he was normally prone to drinking and getting into fights. It is not until after surviving being struck by lightning that an epiphany came to him to better himself. Even though York was against violence, he still gave it his all to be there for his fellow soldier and his country. It is almost like going against your morals all for the cause of the greater good it could lead to.
To be honest with you, I’m ashamed that I’ve never heard of this soldier before! He seems like a very inspirational man. It kind of gives me a Hacksaw Ridge feel in that United States Army corporal Desmond Doss was the same way. I’ll admit that the start of the movie was pretty slow in showing us York’s background and love life. I started gaining interest in this movie once York joined the army. But, I guess we had to know a lot about his background to know what led to his religious epiphany, how he changed as a person, and what he would be leaving behind during the war. Gary Cooper really does shine as this soldier in that we can see the passion he puts into his character to give audiences a good feel of who this celebrated soldier was.
“Sergeant York” was actually a long process. It took several years for producer Jesse Lasky to convince Alvin C. York for the rights to his story. He told York that with WWII approaching, his story was more important than ever for audiences. York finally agreed, but on three conditions- for York’s share of the profits to be contributed to a Bible School York wanted to make, no cigarette-smoking actress could play the role of his wife, and he could only be played by Gary Cooper. Once York himself contacted Cooper to play him in the movie, Cooper said yes. Cooper was not able to participate in WWII because of an old hip injury and his age, so Sergeant York was his part of contributing to the cause.
Sergeant York was the top-selling film of 1941. It was nominated for 11 awards and won two- Gary Cooper for Best Actor and William Holmes for Best Editing. When Cooper won Best Actor, he said in a memorable Oscar speech, “It was Sergeant Alvin C. York who won this award; Shucks, I’ve been in this business sixteen years and sometimes dreamed I might get one of these things. That’s all I can say! Funny, when I was dreaming, I always made a good speech.” And then he left his statue on the podium! Proves that he didn’t need a trophy to know he did a great job in this role. Alvin C. York make the film what it was. If you love war biopics and films that teach you the importance of when to fight the big fight, here you go.
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