Sergeant York (film)
| Sergeant York | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Directed by | Howard Hawks |
| Produced by | Howard Hawks Jesse L. Lasky Hal B. Wallis |
| Screenplay by | Harry Chandlee Abem Finkel John Huston Howard Koch Sam Cowan |
| Based on |
Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary 1928 novel by Tom Skeyhill Alvin C. York |
| Starring |
Gary Cooper Walter Brennan Joan Leslie |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito |
| Edited by | William Holmes |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
134 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.4 million |
| Box office | $16,361,885 |
Sergeant York is a 1941 biographical film about the life of Alvin York, one of the most-decorated American soldiers of World War I. It was directed by Howard Hawks and was the highest-grossing film of the year.
The film was based on the diary of Sergeant Alvin York, as edited by Tom Skeyhill, and adapted by Harry Chandlee, Abem Finkel, John Huston, Howard Koch, and Sam Cowan (uncredited). York refused, several times, to authorize a film version of his life story, but finally yielded to persistent efforts in order to finance the creation of an interdenominational Bible school. The story that York insisted on Gary Cooper for the title role derives from the fact that producer Jesse L. Lasky recruited Cooper by writing a plea that he accept the role and then signed York's name to the telegram.
Cooper went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal. The film also won for Best Film Editing and was nominated in nine other categories, including Best Picture, Director (Hawks), Supporting Actor (Walter Brennan), and Supporting Actress (Margaret Wycherly). The American Film Institute ranked the film 57th in the its 100 most inspirational American movies. It also rated Alvin York 35th in its list of the top 50 heroes in American cinema.
In 2008, Sergeant York was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Alvin York (Gary Cooper), a poor young Tennessee hillbilly, is an exceptional marksman, but a ne'er-do-well prone to drinking and fighting, which does not make things any easier for his patient mother (Margaret Wycherly). He then meets winsome Gracie Williams (Joan Leslie), and works night and day at strenuous odd jobs to accumulate the payment for a certain "bottomland" farm so she'll marry him. Alvin is given an option on the bottomland by its owner as part of a gentleman's agreement that Alvin can raise the purchase price in sixty days. On the very day payment is due, he wins the final needed amount at a target-shooting contest, but discovers the owner has reneged and, instead, already sold the farm to Alvin's romantic rival, Zeb Andrews. Alvin drinks heavily and swears revenge.
...
Wikipedia