Sergeant York (1941)

John Chard

10.0

Apr 14, 2019

Just like a turkey shoot! Alvin York of Tennessee was a simple backwoods farm boy who liked a drink and a scrap, then one day, fuelled by drink and anger in his heart, an event gave him religion and a new found respect for life. However, the advent of World War 1, and his subsequent call to duty, tore his pacifist state of mind apart, torn between a patriotic sense of duty and his religious beliefs, Alvin York of Tennessee was to become the name on everyone's lips in 1918. Sergeant York is pretty much close to being the perfect template for biography movies. It stands out (as it stands…

barrymost

9.0

Apr 18, 2021

To summarize (which is quite a task, since this is a very detailed, comprehensive, and well-done biopic), Gary Cooper plays one of the greatest and most beloved heroes of the First World War: backwoods sharpshooter, Alvin C. York. Hailing from the Valley of the Three Forks of the Wolf, somewhere in the Tennessee hills, he spent his youth drinking, carousing, and causing mischief and mayhem in general. All that changes one stormy night when a lightning bolt strikes his rifle, instead of him, and he turns from his rowdy ways and becomes a fine, upstanding Christian. When America becomes involved…

CinemaSerf

7.0

Jul 11, 2025

Alvin York (Gary Cooper) likes to work hard and play hard amidst the Tennessee backwoods, despite the warnings of the well meaning pastor (Walter Brennan) and the stoic observations of his mother (Margaret Wycherly). Then he starts to take a shine to local gal Gracie (Joan Leslie) and decides to put his hell-raising days behind him and settle down. That plan is thwarted by a love-rival but before he can go off the rails again something akin to a miracle occurs in the woods and next thing he has found and plans to keep God. In 1918, the USA finds itself finally drawn into the Great War and he h…