| Sergeant York | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Sergeant_York_(1941_poster).jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Howard Hawks |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary by |
| 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 American biographical film about the life of Alvin C. York, one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War I. Directed by Howard Hawks and starring Gary Cooper in the title role, the film was a critical and commercial success, and became the highest-grossing film of 1941. 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".[2][3]
The film was based on York's diary, as edited by Tom Skeyhill,[4] and adapted by Harry 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 producer Jesse L. Lasky wrote to Cooper pleading with him to accept the part, to which he signed York's name.[5]
Cooper went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, while the film also won Best Film Editing and was nominated in nine other categories, including Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Walter Brennan), and Supporting Actress (Margaret Wycherly). The American Film Institute ranked the film 57th in its 100 most inspirational American movies list; it also rated Alvin York 35th in its list of the top 50 heroes in American cinema.
- ^ a b Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p. 22 doi:10.1080/01439689508604551
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "Sergeant York Review". AllMovie. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ Lee, David D. (1985). Sergeant York: An American Hero. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 105ff. ISBN 978-0813190280.