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Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias, Stanley Ridges ... see more see more... , Ward Bond , Margaret Wycherly , Noah Beery Jr. , June Lockhart , Dickie Moore , Clem Bevans , Harvey Stephens , David Bruce , Charles Esmond , Joe Sawyer , Pat Flaherty , Robert Porterfield , Erville Alderson , Murray Alper , James Anderson , Arthur Ayleswofth , Lucia Carroll , Lane Chandler , Clyde Cook , Elisha Cook Jr. , Howard Da Silva , Jean Del Val , Donald Douglas , Charles Drake , Roland Drew , Frank Faylen , Abe Finkel , Jo Gilbert , Joseph W. Girard , Kit Guard , William Haade , Creighton Hale , Russell Hicks , George Irving , Selmar Jackson , Si Jenks , Edward Keane , Victor Kilian , Rita La Roy , Frank Marlowe , Tully Marshall , Frank McGlynn Sr. , Charles B. Middleton , Frank Orth , Gaylord "Steve" Pendleton , Walter Sande , Kay Sutton , Ray Teal , Charles Trowbridge , Theodore von Eltz , Lee "Lasses" White , Frank Wilcox , Guy Wilkerson , Douglas Wood , Gig Young , Jack Pennick , Jane Isbell

When World War I hero Alvin York agreed to sell the movie rights to his life story to Warner Bros., it was on three conditions: (1) That the film contains no phony heroics, (2) that Mrs.York not be pl... read more read more...ayed by a Hollywood "glamour girl" and (3) That Gary Cooper portray York on screen. All three conditions were met, and the result is one of the finest and most inspirational biographies ever committed to celluloid. When the audience first meets young farmer Alvin York (Cooper), he's the cussin'est, hell-raisin'est critter in the entire Tennessee Valley. All of this changes when York is struck by lighting during a late-night rainstorm. Chalking up the bolt from the blue as a message from God, York does a complete about-face and finds Religion, much to the delight of local preacher Rosier Pile (Walter Brennan). Despite plenty of provocation, York vows never to get angry at anyone ever again, determining to be a good husband and provider for his sweetheart Gracie Williams (Joan Leslie). When America goes to war in 1917, York elects not to answer the call when drafted, declaring himself a conscientious objector. Forced to go to boot camp, he proves himself a born leader, yet still he balks at the thought of killing anyone. York's understanding commanding officer Major Buxton (Stanley Ridges) slowly convinces the young pacifist that violence is sometimes the only way to defend Democracy. Later on, while serving with the AEF in the Argonne Forest, Sergeant York sees several of his buddies, including his Bronxite best pal Pusher Ross (George Tobias), killed in an enemy ambush. His anger aroused, York personally kills 25 German soldiers, then single-handedly captures 132 prisoners. As a result, York becomes the most decorated hero of WW1, celebrated by no less than General John J. Pershing as "the greatest civilian soldier" of the war. The film won Gary Cooper his first Academy Award, and also picked up an Oscar for Best Film Editing. Not surprisingly, it ended up as the highest-grossing film of 1941. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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86% liked it

5,188 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

18 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 14 min.

Directed by: Howard Hawks

Release Date: September 27, 1941

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DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006

Stats: 357 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (357)

  • mjgildea
    May 31, 2011
    mjgildea
    I liked Sergeant York but wasn't absolutely floored by it. The first half of the movie where York is a hell-raising yokel was entertaining, even if it did feel kind of forced. The second religious half was good even if there weren't enough of the WWI battles I'd expected and stor... read moreywise it was more interesting, too. I'm not the world's biggest Gary Cooper fan but he was pretty good here. The hickishness of Sergeant York got kind of annoying after awhile but consider the source. Overall, it wasn't what I expected but it was still good.
  • hypathio7
    October 18, 2007
    hypathio7
    I don't want to be a soldier. I don't want to go to war. I would seriously consider dodging the draft if there still was one. I identified with Gary Cooper's character. Yet, the movie's message is strongly supporting war and a soldier's work. Somehow I still enjoyed the film... read more, and can appreciate it for the things it does well.
  • chaleins
    November 24, 2010
    chaleins
    Once in a while it's good to look back at classic films that reflected the era in which they were made. At the outbreak of World War II, there was the usual rush to produce films that invoked patriotic feeling in young men, so that they would volunteer for the armed forces. Serge... read moreant York is a lightweight version of such a film, but it's significant in that it really examines the meaning of why people take up causes, even if their own conscience is against them. The heroism was genuine, and it still resonates with people today, because the term is overused. Like the US as it entered the Second World War, it's a film that hearkened back to a more innocent type of patriotism. It's both a war film, and biopic. It was successful in both areas as a movie.

    Directed in classic style by veteran actioneer Director Howard Hawkes, the movie take a long time to get to "the front". However, when it does, the connection that Hawkes and his star, Gary Cooper, has made in portraying York ensures that you care about this simple, yet honest soul. Cooper won an Academy Award, and although his performance is typical of his understated style, he's quite perfect for the role. On closer examination, he does go through quite an arc of behavior, and the scenes of his backwoods activities are both amusing and touching at the same time. There's a heartfelt innocence in the way York approaches anything - common sense is what it used to be called. Even his reason for his heroic actions are clearly explained: He did it to save lives, not take lives. He was fighting to help his friends, a sentiment that we hear over and over in modern epics like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and other 'modern' war films. Yet this was made in 1941 about the First World War. In that way, it was well ahead of its time, and is remembered when other drum-beating films made during the Second World War are forgotten or dismissed as mere propaganda.

    The producers were fortunate to have the real Sergeant York to provide advice and consult on the film. Even he thought he'd been portrayed as 'too heroic', but he liked Cooper's work.

    The dialogue is sparse but meaningful, and the narrative picks up speed rapidly after York decides to go to war. The trench warfare of the First World War is shown in some detail, although not in the brutal fashion that it would be done today. However, there's enough to give viewers and idea of how deadly it was, and that only makes York's actions seem even more extraordinary. He was a truly modern hero in a simpler age. We would do well to remember soldiers like Sergeant York, not just because he serves as a heroic portrait, but because he was human as well.
  • StefanoEarnest
    April 24, 2012
    StefanoEarnest
    Bogged down by a bland script, overdone Southern accents, and a one-note performance from Gary Cooper, "Sergeant Cooper" does anything but entertain. And it's a shame because Hawks does a good job with his direction.
  • threefolddado
    February 3, 2012
    threefolddado
    This combo of Hawks and Cooper packs a real wallop!
  • codyfranklin2
    April 28, 2008
    codyfranklin2
    The greatness of Cooper under the direction of Hawks makes this film a must see. Sure its a flag waving film with alot of religious themes, but Gary Cooper makes it believable and the film is just entertaining.
  • placeinthesun455
    April 10, 2012
    placeinthesun455
    a fantastic performance by Gary Cooper, and an overall terrific war movie with about as much "feel-good patriotism" as WWII-era cinema can muster. a lot of elements are at work here, and they're all accomplished admirably....there's a bit of Western, a little action, a little ro... read moremance, some American patriotism that does everything but tell you buy war bonds after the closing credits, and even a little pacifism and anti-war sentiment to balance it all out. if there are any flaws, the story does tend to drag in places, and some moments definitely feel forced....but in the end, this is still a wonderfully enjoyable film.
  • LittleMissBloodAndGuts
    February 3, 2012
    LittleMissBloodAndGuts
    A pretty good summation, but it missed a few memorable incidents, such as an occasion when three German soldiers rushed York in single file. Armed only with a .45, he shot the combatant who was FARTHEST away first, then the one in the middle, and finally the one in front with a ... read moresplit second to spare. The German in front had no idea his two comrades behind him were already dead.
  • smiley011999
    February 3, 2012
    smiley011999
    He makes the Germans surrender with the same marksmanship that he used to win the Turkey Shoot at home.
  • GarrettG
    December 1, 2010
    GarrettG
    It feels like the first half is an entirely different movie, non-intertwined with the second half. Decent otherwise.

View All Sergeant York Reviews

Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

The performance of Gary Cooper in the title role holds the picture together magnificently, and even the most unfavorable touches are made palatable because of him. Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The first half is quite good, documenting York's rural upbringing with great simplicity and charm. But the second part -- the war -- degenerates quickly and grotesquely. Full Review

Steve Crum
February 22, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Moving, memorable, great Warner Bros. biography of WWI hero York, with fine Cooper performance--an Oscar winner.

Jeffrey M. Anderson
November 12, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Sergeant York brought him Hawks one and only Oscar nomination for Best Director, and it's arguably his least interesting film. Full Review

John J. Puccio
November 9, 2006
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

This is one of those movies where the star appears to have been born to play the role. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
September 27, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Setting a precedent by preseting the saga of a celeb sill alive, the Hawks biopic is a tale of transformation of an obscure Tennessee hillbilly into a national hero, thus showing the validity of the d... Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
May 27, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Nothing to get upset about, but also not much to get excited about. Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
December 12, 2004
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

The breathless pace, the good script, and the mostly fine performances made me more forgiving of the dated aspects of this film. Overall, though, it's Gary Cooper's film. Full Review

Ken Hanke
November 25, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

First-class Hawks biopic on the WWI hero.

June 5, 2002
Boxoffice Magazine

Sergeant York is a quadruple 'A' attraction, destined to go many places and leaving complete satisfaction in its wake. Full Review

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Sergeant York Trivia

  • Of the following, which did Gary Cooper win an Oscar for?  Answer »
  • Who starred in all three of the following films; 'Meet John Doe', 'Sergeant York' and 'Stanley and Livingston'?  Answer »
  • Gary Cooper won his first Oscar in 1941 in playing a Tennessee pacifist, who reluctantly joins the army in World War One. He becomes a hero due to his sharpshooting. Movie is __   Answer »
  • Who played the starring role in Sergeant York?  Answer »
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