Film Review: Sergeant York (1941)

When the Second World War started, the United States stayed out of it by declaring neutrality. Some Hollywood studios, however, made films specifically to prepare the American public for the situation when that would no longer be the case, or even to sway public opinion—at the time predominantly isolationist—towards intervention on the side of the Allies. Warner Bros., led by its anti-fascist mogul Jack Warner, was doing the latter. This led to a number of films reminding audiences of Americans fighting and beating the Germans in the previous world war. Among these, the most successful was Sergeant York, a 1941 biopic directed by Howard Hawks.

The film is based on the autobiographical book by Alvin York, the most decorated US Army veteran of the First World War, written with the help of Tom Skeyhill. The plot begins in 1916 in rural Tennessee, at a time when the United States is still neutral and people do not care about the war ravaging Europe. Alvin York (played by Gary Cooper) is an impoverished and barely educated farmer who is supporting his widowed mother (played by Margaret Wycherly) and two younger siblings (played by June Lockhart and Dickie Moore). He finds escape from life’s monotony in drinking, which leads him into fights and all kinds of trouble.

Things begin to change when he meets Gracie Williams (played by Joan Leslie), a beautiful girl whom he tries to impress by attempting to purchase a valuable piece of land. His efforts fail, but after being struck by lightning, he decides to turn towards the Christian faith, abandon drinking, and accept the teachings of the local pastor Rosier Pyle (played by Walter Brennan). That might get him into another set of trouble when the USA enters the war in 1917 and York must register for military service. He at first cannot reconcile taking part in the war with the pacifist teachings of the Bible and tries to avoid the draft by claiming to be a conscientious objector. But after he is finally conscripted, he proves to be a disciplined soldier with excellent shooting skills. With the guidance of his superior officers, who successfully infuse him with patriotism, he finally reconciles his faith and military duty. He is sent to France, where he takes part in the 1918 Meuse–Argonne offensive and, during the assault on German positions, uses his shooting skills and ingenuity to single-handedly kill dozens of enemy soldiers and capture more than a hundred.

Attempts to make a film about York and his heroic feat started soon after his triumphant return from France in 1919, but York constantly refused offers from Hollywood studios, believing that no one should profit from his patriotic duty. The likelihood of a new world war and his own interventionist beliefs made him change his mind, but he agreed to give the film rights to his life story to Warner Bros. under a very specific set of conditions. Part of the film’s profits were to go to his Bible school, his wife Gracie was to be played by an actress of good moral character, and, finally, he was to be played by Gary Cooper. The latter was enthusiastically accepted by Cooper, who, like York himself, supported US intervention in Europe. This proved a very wise choice, because Cooper won an Oscar for Best Actor for playing York. Sergeant York was also the only film for which the celebrated Classic Hollywood filmmaker Howard Hawks received an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

Despite that, this is not considered to be among his best films. The reasons go beyond the script and the film itself being subordinated to the dictates of crude war propaganda. Sergeant York is actually two films melded into one. The first part, which depicts York’s pre-war life in Tennessee, is more interesting, providing a lot of humour and local colour in depicting a somewhat idealised version of simple rural America. Cooper plays his role very well, but at the age of 40 he seems awkward in the role of a much younger man, and some might find the romantic plot between his character and the one played by the 16-year-old Joan Leslie not particularly appropriate. The impression is, on the other hand, saved by Walter Brennan in an excellent role as the pastor and Margaret Wycherly (later known for her role in the gangster classic White Heat) as the protagonist’s mother.

Like many Hollywood biopics, Sergeant York strays from the historical record for dramatic purposes, especially in the first part. The second part, which shows York’s life in the military, is actually quite faithful to history, but it seems much weaker and, strangely, not particularly convincing. Hawks nevertheless does a solid job, and most viewers would not have too many reasons to complain.

Sergeant York appeared in cinemas during intense debates on whether the USA should get involved in the war or not. That debate ended a few months later with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In the new atmosphere of patriotic euphoria, the film’s messages deeply resonated with the public, turning it into one of the most commercially successful films of its time. Seen from today’s perspective, it is difficult not to see it as propaganda, but also to recognise that Hollywood in earlier times knew how to deliver propaganda with much more skill than it does today.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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