Movie Review – Sergeant York (1941)

Today we’re taking a look at Sergeant York, a 1941 biographical film about Alvin York, a simple man from Tennessee who achieved combat glory in World War 1 and became a hero, earning himself the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Sergeant York is a patriotic film that was a smash hit with the audiences.  The film continued to receive attention after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and a fresh wave of American patriotism.

Directed by Howard Hawks, Sergeant York stars Gary Cooper in the lead role of Alvin York.  Supporting him in the movie are Walter Brennan as Pastor Rosier Pile, Joan Leslie as Gracie Williams, and George Tobias as “Pusher” Ross, a soldier from New York City.

Sergeant York begins in 1916 in the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee at a place called the Valley of the Three Forks of the Wolf.  This is a small mountain town somewhat isolated from the rest of the United States.  When news breaks in the country, it’s several days before the residents in town learn about it.

Pall Mall, Tennessee, is the home of Alvin York (Gary Cooper), a poor farmer who is an exceptional marksman with a rifle.  He also enjoys drinking and fighting, must to the dislike of his mother (Margaret Wycherly).  Things begin to change for York when he meets Gracie Williams (Joan Leslie), a young lady in the town.

York’s family is in financial trouble and he’s in debt to Nate Tomkins (Erville Alderson).  If he fails to repay his debt at the end of 60 days, then he’ll lose his family’s farmland.  For the next two months, York takes any odd job that he can find so that he can raise the $70 to pay Nate Tomkins for the land.  When he falls just short of the goal, York pleads with Tomkins for a few extra days, guaranteeing the man that he’ll have all of the money.  York then enters a shooting contest and uses his superior marksmanship skills to win the contest.  The people are amazed in York’s shooting ability and he’s compared to Daniel Boone.  York then sells part of the prize and goes to pay Tomkins the money.

Unfortunately, Tomkins had just sold the land to Zeb Andrews (Robert Porterfield), a local man who has had an ongoing feud with Alvin York.  This news enrages York and he tries to fight both of the men, but other people hold him back.  York then goes to a bar and tries to drink away his problems.

There’s a terrible thunderstorm that night while York rides his horse back to his family’s house.  A close bolt of lightning misses York and strikes a nearby tree, splitting it in half.  Another bolt of lightning strikes York and knocks him off his horse.  Miraculously, Alvin York (and his horse) are unhurt from the lightning.  His rifle has been melted and completely destroyed, but the man and his horse are unhurt.

The flash with death has created a religious awakening and York heads to the town’s church and takes part in the festivities.  Pastor Rosier Pile (Walter Brennan) and the rest of the congregation recognize the change in York’s behavior and welcome him with open arms.  Alvin York vows to control his anger and never get angry or fight with anybody ever again.

York’s new attitude works when he peacefully speaks with Nate Tomkins and purchases back his mule.  Tomkins gives York a break and sells him back his mule at a very low price.  York then talks to Zeb Andrews and arranges to work the farm as a sharecropper.  In a few years he’ll earn enough money to own the farm himself.  York and Gracie plan on one day building a home on the land, a house with plenty of space and modern amenities.

One day news of America’s entry into the Great War reaches the town of Pall Mall.  Some of the men elect to volunteer for the army instead of waiting to be drafted.  Since York is no longer a violent person who likes to fight, he tries to avoid being drafted by claiming to be a conscientious objector because of his religious beliefs.  This doesn’t work since his church doesn’t have an official standing, and York is drafted into the army.

Alvin York reports to Camp Gordon for basic training.  He quickly befriends “Pusher” Ross (George Tobias), a recruit from New York.  Pusher is fascinated that in addition to York’s different accent and way of pronouncing words, York has no idea about modern inventions such as subway trains.

At first York’s drill instructors give him flak about his status as a conscientious objector.  Their attitudes change when York shows off his marksmanship skills at a firing range.  When York is instructed to report to Major Buxton (Stanley Ridges), he learns that his is to be promoted to the rank of corporal.  The only problem is that Alvin York doesn’t want anything to do with the army or killing enemy soldiers.  Major Buxton is sympathetic to York’s beliefs, and he tells him about other people who have made sacrifices throughout the history of the country.  He cites a few examples from a history book, and York asks to borrow the book so that he can learn more about those great people.

York is sent on a furlough to return home, read the history book, and think about his beliefs.  If he still decides to remain as a conscientious objector, then Major Buxton will recommend his exception for the status and allow him to leave the army.  York thinks about his believes and comes to the conclusion that whatever happens is basically in God’s hand.  He reports back to Camp Gordon and informs his superiors that he can serve his country.

Soon the American Expedition is sent to Europe and they arrive in France.  On October 8, 1918, the Americans participate in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive attack on the Germans.  York’s unit finds themselves pinned down by machine gun fire, and Sergeant Early (Joe Sawyer) is ordered to take some men to attack the machine guns from behind.  Almost all of the men are shot and injured, and York is one of the few who are still unwounded.  York uses his old hunting skills to sneak into a position to flank the main enemy trench.  He then shoots the Germans one by one just like during a turkey shoot, shooting them in a way so that none of them see the others being shot and killed.  York’s accuracy and precision is devastating on the Germans.  When they finally realize what’s happening, they throw up their arms and surrender.

But the battle isn’t finished yet.

York has the captured Germans march down the hill towards the Americans.  He then forces a German officer to convince other Germans still fighting to also throw down their weapons and surrender.  They do so and Alvin York is credited for single-handedly killing over two dozen German soldiers and capturing 132 prisoners.  Word of York’s heroic actions quickly spreads through the troops, and the story is embellished with each re-telling.  When Major Buxton returns with York to the scene of the attack, he questions the soldier on why he did it and placed himself in such a dangerous position.  York tells the major that he did so to try to save the lives of his men.

Alvin York is soon given an assortment of medals for his bravery and actions, including the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor.  He receives a hero’s welcome in New York City, complete with a ticker tape parade in his honor along with being given an honorary key to the city.  When Congressman Cordell Hull meets with York, he informs him that there are commercial endorsements that could give York a tremendous amount of money.  York turns down the offers, claiming that he’s not proud of what he did in the war.  York just wants to return home to Tennessee.

Sergeant York ends with Alvin York returning to Tennessee.  The people have chipped in to not only purchase the farmland that he wanted, but they have also paid for (and built) the dream house that he and Gracie wanted to build on it.  It’s implied that York and Gracie remain a couple and live together on the farm.

So is Sergeant York a good movie?

Sergeant York is a great patriotic movie about the life of Alvin York.  Just don’t expect to see many scenes from World War 1 until later in the film.  This story is more about the person as a whole versus his legendary and heroic actions against the Germans.

To be honest, I enjoyed this movie much more the second time I watched it rather than the first time.  When watching Sergeant York the first time, I kept waiting and waiting until the part of the movie when York was sent to Europe to fight in the war.  That waiting was a big distraction for me, especially since the battle scenes don’t occur until basically the last third of the movie.  The movie focuses more on York before he goes off to war rather than his role in the battle that made him a legend.

Fans of World War 1 will greatly enjoy that segment of the movie.  Although the scenes from the Great War are rather brief, what is there is fantastic.  The men are in the trenches and have to deal with artillery shelling before launching an attack against a fortified position.  There’s plenty of gunfire during the offensive, and even more when Alvin York takes on the Germans single-handedly.

Sergeant York (1941) – movie trailer

When you sit back and enjoy this movie as a biography about Alvin York, and not as a war film, then you’ll enjoy it a lot better.  It’s clear that this is a quality film with some great patriotic and inspirational moments.  Gary Cooper won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Alvin York.  Sergeant York is one of those films that needs to be shown to today’s middle and high school students to show them what bravery, inspiration, and hard work are really like.

If you’re a fan of patriotic films along with a superb tale of heroism and bravery, then make sure that Sergeant York is part of your film library.  Give the film a chance and you will not be disappointed.

Alvin – “What we done in France, we had to do. And some as done it, didn’t come back, and that kind of thing ain’t for buying and selling.”