| Sergeant York | |
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.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Howard Hawks |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito |
| Edited by | William Holmes |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 134 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.7 million[1] |
| Box office | $8.3 million[1] |
Sergeant York is a 1941 Americanbiographical film about the life ofAlvin C. York, one of the most decorated American soldiers ofWorld War I. Directed byHoward Hawks, the film starsGary Cooper in the title role, and was based on York's diarySergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary, as edited byTom Skeyhill,[2] and adapted byHarry Chandlee, Abem Finkel,John Huston,Howard E. Koch, and Sam Cowan (uncredited). York refused, several times, to authorize a film version of his life story, but finally yielded to persistent efforts to finance the creation of an interdenominational Bible school. The story that York insisted on Cooper for the title role comes from a telegram that producerJesse L. Lasky wrote to Cooper pleading with him to accept the part, to which he signed York's name.[3]
Sergeant York was a critical and commercial success, and becamethe highest-grossing film of 1941. Cooper went on to win theAcademy Award for Best Actor for his performance, while the film also wonBest Film Editing and was nominated in nine other categories, includingBest Picture,Best Director,Best Supporting Actor (Walter Brennan), andBest Supporting Actress (Margaret Wycherly). TheAmerican Film Institute ranked the film 57th in its100 most inspirational American movies list; it also rated Alvin York 35th in its list of the top50 heroes in American cinema. In 2008,Sergeant York was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5]
Before America's entry intoWorld War I,Alvin York is a poor, young farmer in ruralTennessee, living with his widowed mother Mary Elizabeth, sister Rosie, and younger brother George. He spends his time fighting and getting drunk with friends. Alvin's goal is to purchase a piece of farmland, fertile "bottomland". He works hard to acquire the price for the land, and is given an extension by the owner Nate Tomkins. His sharpshooting skills enable him to raise the money needed, but Nate reneges, making Alvin seek revenge, only for him and his mule to be struck by lightning, prompting him to rejoinhis church.
When the U.S. enters World War I, Alvin seeks exemption as aconscientious objector, which is denied. He is torn between fighting for his country and thebiblical prohibition against killing. His sympathetic commanding officer gives him leave to go home and come to a decision. He reconciles his moral conflict after reading the biblical injunction to"render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."
During theMeuse–Argonne offensive, Alvin's qualms vanish when he sees his friends and comrades being killed as they assault a strong German position. With all of his superiors dead or incapacitated, he takes charge. He infiltrates the German lines by himself and finds a position thatenfilades the main German defensive trench. He kills so many German soldiers that they eventually surrender to him en masse. After a prisoner of war treacherously throws a grenade that kills Alvin's good friend, "Pusher" Ross, Alvin shoots him dead. He and the handful of survivors from his unit lead their many captives behind their lines, but have a hard time finding anyone to take the Germans off their hands. The officer who finally does is astonished to learn that so few men captured so many of the enemy.
Alvin is decorated and hailed as a national hero, feted in Europe, New York, andWashington, D.C., but he desires to return home. He rejects commercial offers that would make him wealthy, explaining that he could not take money for doing his duty. He returns home to marry his fiancée, Gracie Williams. To his surprise, the state has purchased the bottomland farm and built a house for Gracie and him.
Sergeant York was a success at the box office and became thehighest-grossing film of 1941. This was influenced by theattack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred while the film was still playing in theaters. The film's patriotic theme helped recruit soldiers; young men sometimes went directly from the movie theater to military enlistment offices.[6]: 156–157 After its initial release, the film was frequently reshown at theaters all over America during the war as a quick replacement for box-office flops and as a theme program for bond sales and scrap drives.
According toWarner Bros. records, the film earned $6,075,000 domestically and $2,184,000 internationally.[1]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 81% rating based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[7]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[8][9] | Outstanding Motion Picture | Hal B. Wallis andJesse L. Lasky | Nominated |
| Best Director | Howard Hawks | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Gary Cooper | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Brennan | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Margaret Wycherly | Nominated | |
| Best Original Screenplay | Harry Chandlee, Abem Finkel,John Huston andHoward Koch | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration – Black-and-White | John Hughes andFred M. MacLean | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography – Black-and-White | Sol Polito | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | William Holmes | Won | |
| Best Scoring of a Dramatic Picture | Max Steiner | Nominated | |
| Best Sound Recording | Nathan Levinson | Nominated | |
| National Board of Review Awards[10] | Best Acting | Gary Cooper | Won |
| National Film Preservation Board | National Film Registry | Inducted | |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards[11] | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Gary Cooper | Won | |
The film was nominated by theAmerican Film Institute for its 2006list of most inspiring movies.[12]
| International | |
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| National | |