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Re: "Sergeant York" and the American Way of Life

Eric,

I guess that is my real question, how much of the movie story was contrived to heighten the dramatic effect of struggle and reward, because the message has a darker side: the sublimation of the individual (York) to the will of authority (the army), even to the point of killing people (the Germans), sacrifice of personal belief (actual Christianity), risk death for the good of the greater society (USA), and that achievements are honoured and rewarded to a greater degree for these sacrifices than effort that benefits only the individual.

I guess we think of the US today as more the promoter of individual achievement than that kind of nationalist socialism, but the York kind of thinking does pop up around wars and I think "Sgt. York" was '38 or '39 when the sabers were rattling again and a lot of people in power wanted the US in on the war as soon as possible.

Fortunatley, that kind of childish war mongering is too naive to be effective today.

Cooper's York is very likeable and I always like people who are shown to have woken up to at least ask deep moral questions (should I kill another person?- is the biggest), but York is characterized with a terrible weakness to please- a complex, flawed person.

Quality: I was struck by some of the photography, the scenes of York working for the land money plowing silhouetted against the sunset was a living Thomas Hart Benton painting.

Cheers,

BB


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  • Re: "Sergeant York" and the American Way of Life - Bambi B 23:47:05 03/08/03 (1)


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