Sergeant York

Nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winner of two, this is one of the all-time great movies to come out of Hollywood. Gary Cooper won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Alvin C. York. Oddly enough, he won in part for his ability to make what was thought to be fiction seem real. Hey there, sorry folks, but it really was real!

I was stationed in the South during the early days of the Korean War - 1951-52. I was in homes within 50 miles of Mobile, Alabama, that were still cooking on wood stoves, using pumps for water, had outdoor plumbing and were lit by kerosene lamps. I visited a home in rural Florida where the family didn't know there was a war going on, and actually thought Franklin D. Roosevelt was still President! And this was in May of 1952. With this thought in mind, remember that this movie is set in the period from 1910 to 1919.

Sergeant York tells the story of a young Tennessee man's maturation from whiskey-swilling hell-raiser to God-fearing fundamentalist Christian, to national hero. There are several ways of watching this movie, all equally valid. There is the religious perspective of how God can change lives for the better. There is the patriotic perspective of how love of country and devotion to American principles can lead to heroic acts. And, finally, there is the love perspective of how a young backwoods man can find, woo, and win a girl to be his wife. The trick to really appreciating this movie is to watch from all three perspectives at the same time, without losing track of any of them.

Some people are put off by seeing people still riding mules for transportation in the 20th Century - albeit early 20th Century. Well, people are still using horse-and-buggy transportation in the 21st Century in Pennsylvania.

Some people are put off by the simplistic way in which the Preacher sways the behavior of his "flock." There are still many "Ministers" practicing without benefit of formal ordination into a recognized denomination. They are wholly dedicated to preaching the Word of God as it is given in the Holy Bible, and as they are able or unable to interpret it. It is the interpretation that leads to the Holy Rollers and snake dancers -- all in the name of God. These still exist today, let alone back then.

Although there were a total of seven names credited in the writing of the final screenplay, one of the seven was Alvin C. York himself, and the basis of the screenplay was his personal diary -- not just recollections, but daily diary! It took so many writers because Alvin was just such a "goody two-shoes" after being Born Again and baptized by immersion that Hollywood recognized that no one living outside Appalachia would ever believe it. The writers had to sort of "rough him up" a bit, and bring him back down to earth.

Try to put yourself into Alvin York's position -- that's what Gary Cooper had to do. Imagine the struggle York went through while trying to reconcile killing other men in the course of War with the unequivocal, graven in stone, Thou Shalt Not Kill. Gary Cooper successfully conveyed that struggle.

Imagine York, trying to take advantage of Christ's promise that "The meek shall inherit the earth," and remember that York is a farmer, and feel how hard it was to accept promotion over his fellow soldiers. Cooper showed that, too. Throughout the film, Gary Cooper became Alvin C. York right down to the toenails. I have a personal suspicion that York was one of the young Gary Cooper's own heroes, and that's why he did such a good and conscientious job of playing him.

The plot is as simple as the Appalachian life it describes. Living in hard-scrabble poverty (without realizing it because everyone else lives the same way), York takes the easy way to escape his hardships - the jug. He gets drunk and gets into fights because that's what there is to do. When it infringes on his duties at home, his rigid young brother, played by Dickie Moore, is sent to fetch him.

In the course of his doing his thing he encounters Gracie Williams (played by young Joan Leslie) forcefully enough to notice that she is both attractive and personable. He begins scheming on how to get her to marry him and the two of them settle down. It's about this time that an encounter with a lightning bolt persuades Alvin that he needs to pursue not only Gracie, but Jesus as well.

The reborn Alvin works backbreaking hours to try and earn enough money to buy some land for him and Gracie to settle on after marrying. He is cheated out of it, but true to his newly found faith, turns the other cheek and is allowed to sharecrop it with the eventual end of earning it free and clear. Before he can really get started, however, War is declared. He doesn't want to go because the Bible says not to kill. His Pastor, Rosier Pile, is played by Walter Brennan who, incidentally, is made up to look like the few photos of Alvin's in which the Pastor appears.

Pastor Pile, who also served as postmaster, draft board representative, and general store operator, told Alvin that he had to go unless he could get an exemption on religious grounds. He accompanied Alvin on his quest for exemption but, not being a member of a recognized denomination, just saying that the Bible told him not to go wasn't enough. Alvin became Private York, U.S. Army.

Alvin fights his feelings against killing until he is able to reconcile his duties with the precept to "Render unto Caeser what is Caesers, and render unto God what is God's." He now accepts the possible killing of enemy soldiers as his duty to "Caeser," and works to do his best at it.

The film is virtually molded to fit the central character of Alvin C. York, as well it should be. Working from the man's own diary, it is intensely self-centered in the physical actions taken and the mental and emotional turmoil he felt. Even though the setting is now considered historical, and the black and white photography are occasionally dated in technique, it is still possible to open yourself to the story and bond with York as he unwittingly and unwillingly becomes a hero.

Isn't it odd that America's two greatest military heroes, Alvin C. York and Audie Murphy, both didn't really want the roles they were given? Kids dream of becoming heroes, and are disappointed when they have no opportunity to do so, and the real heroes don't want it.

Actually, the only portion of this film that isn't true to York's life is when they have him killing seven Germans in a line with a Luger pistol. In reality the pistol used was a .45 caliber automatic. Hollywood used a Luger for the movie because they couldn't get the Colt .45 to shoot blanks. That's how close to reality they come.

You'll probably get a kick out of some of the dialogue, and may as well know now that it's OK to laugh when you feel like it. Such as when a traveling salesman comes to service Pastor Pile's store. There is no highway to the valley, and the only road isn't anything to brag about. The salesman has had a hard time getting there, and asks a couple of the locals, "This valley is pretty hard to find. How did you fellows get here?" To which the locals reply, "We'uns was born'd here." The delivery and the look on the salesman's face will draw a laugh, I promise.

There are some good exchanges when York is in the Army, too. In one scene, York has been acing the targets on the rifle range while other recruits are doing good to even hit their own target. The range sergeant asks, "Where did ya learn to shoot, York?" Alvin modestly answers, "Well, I ain't never learned, Sergeant. Folks back home used to say I could shoot a rifle before I was weaned. But they was exaggeratin' some."

I dassn't dare tell you any more for fear of totally spoiling the end for you. You already know he became a hero, but you haven't yet seen just how he did it, or the reactions to the rest of the army. Also, you haven't seen Cooper wonderful acting when the French General pins the Legion of Honor on Alvin York.

If you like a man whose very modesty and dedication to principle make him all man; if you like a man whose pride won't allow him to take anything extra for doing the job he was supposed to do; if you like a man who not only has feelings but communicates them, then you will simply love Sergeant York. This is definitely a feel good movie that legitimizes being a hero while also legitimizes not wanting to be one. There is humility here, and reverence, and love and bravery and humor and action enough for just about anyone looking for a downright good movie. Why don't you check it out?