Customer Reviews

Friendly Persuasion [VHS]

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a lovely movie, beautifully photographed on location (no phony Hollywood sets here). The performances are stellar throughout, but Gary Cooper is outstanding as the family patriarch. Watch him acting, the subtle shifts in gait, his facial expressions and nuances make him the great star that he was. They don't make 'em like Cooper anymore. Anthony Perkins is also excellent as the vacillating Josh Birdwell, the Quaker boy gone off to fight in the Civil War and Dorothy McGwire is quietly effective. There is much humor throughout the movie, you'll laugh our loud many times.

This is a great movie for everyone in the family, adults and children alike. "Wholesome" is an old-fashioned concept, this this movie lives up to that billing.

This is my favourite movie and I refer people to it often to explain the Quaker Distinctive of Non-Resistance (pacifism is something different). Based on the book by Jessamine West (who was also the consultant on the set), there are many 'inside' jokes only a Quaker (Friend) would get. Many non-Plain Faith people think we plod peacefully and quietly along through life (refering to noise level and degree of emotions), and that our children are born that way, too. This movie does an excellent job of showing we are all human, laugh, cry, etc., and especially why Quakers (Friends) do not bleieve in 'returning violence for violence done' (one of Dorothy McGuire's lines), why we do not believe in the 'glory' of war (there isn't any), and why we stress the sacredness of all human life. I also like how, when the teenage son (Anthony Perkins) feels compelled to choose differently, his dad reminds the mother (who is not just an Elder, but the Recorded Minsister of the Meeting) that one of the principal beliefs of Friends is each individual being directly responsible for their own actions/decisions to God through their individual consciences. An outstanding movie, with lots to keep you intertained and interested all the way through. Look for the humorous scene with Marjory Main (Ma from the Ma and Pa Kettle movies).

There's been a lot of give and take on this movie, questioning how good it is at representing true Quakers, and rightfully so. But as a member of Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, I enjoyed it. It is fairly well acted, and full of humor. It also is probably the best one can expect from Hollywood as far as accuracy.

The humor itself is very revealing, often circling around the tendency now, and especially during the Civil War, for Friends to lapse into legalism- such as in issues of dancing, gambling, singing, and racing- in their attempt to truly follow the Spirit and the Word. The movie also accurately represents the wide range of views that Friends had in response to taking up arms in the Civil War (and again in the World Wars), with some choosing to fight and some to nonviolently resist. It brings up the interesting questions of how to respond to one's son who chooses to kill another human, when one wants to honor the child's ability to listen to God.

There are other glimmers of philosophy: the difference between militancy and militarism, as displayed by one strong-feeling pacifist Quaker at the beginning; some wonderful nonviolent action practiced by Gary Cooper and his wife upon each other. She doesn't want an organ in the house, so sleeps in the barn until he removes it. He responds by putting the organ in the house, and then going to sleep in the barn along side her, coming along with her suffering. The end result is compromise, because of the love shown in strong conviction.

I would have liked to see stronger convictions displayed by the Quakers represented. It does seem that too many of them choose the side of violence and darkness, or do not stick with their convictions. But at least one holds out. And I don't remember another movie I've ever seen where the man is shooting at his enemy, and yet crying at the same time- not from fear of war, but because he loves his enemy so much. The language of "thee" and "thou" was also grammatically inaccurate. A Friends production could have done better, but for Hollywood, it was pretty good. And I liked how, as I left the movie, I felt transported back to another time, when the greeting were still full of First Days and Friends.

If you want to know why Gary Cooper was once the worlds biggest film star watch this film. Cooper's performance like that of his co star Dorothy McGuire is of the highest order. Friendly Persuasion asks the question, what do people do when their beliefs are threatened by events?. In this case what are the Quakers of southern Indiania to do when their non violent beliefs are threatened by southern raiders during the American Civil War?

What this film makes clear is that there is no single answer. McGuire as a Quaker Elder tells a Union recruiting officer
that Quakers are opposed to slavery, but that they would not kill one man to free another. She also admits that some Quakers have gone off to fight.

Later as the raiders get closer Anthony Perkins as Cooper's son tells his father he is prepaired to die fighting the raiders. Cooper reminds him that he will not be asked to die but to kill.

When he still insists on going off to fight McGuire begs Cooper to stop him. It is clear that this not because she is a Quaker but because he is her son and she fears for his life. Cooper tells her that each person must decide these things for themselves and answer to their own beliefs.

When a fellow Quaker urges Cooper to 'pick up the rifle', his Methodist friend ( Robert Middleton ) tells him that he will fight for the both of them.

Add a love interest and some comic scenes and you have a film well worth two hours of anyones time. As a Brit it also appears to me that as America was founded on the principal of religious freedom this is a film no American should miss.

This gentle, sensitively crafted story of a loving Quaker family is the closest thing to a perfect movie I have come across.

Usually touted as an anti-war film, Friendly Persuasion deals with young Josh Birdwell's (Anthony Perkins) crisis of conscience over whether to fight the Confederate forces that have invaded his home area. But, the film has a broader sweep as well, fitting Josh's struggle into the broader life of the Family. Sister Mattie is in love with a Methodist, son of Papa's friend Sam Jordan, with whom he races to Meeting and/or Church on Sundays. Little Jess, the youngest, has a mortal fude with Mama's pet goose Samantha.

And, Mama and Papa? Different as their outlooks on life seem, they love each other very much. Without sinking to the maudlin this film, like The Sundowners, portrays two people who have been married for about twenty years and are totally, charmigly in love.

The story takes place over just a few weeks, but the brief time-span allows for a depth of realization which, by the end, leaves the viewer feeling that she/he kknows and is very fond of this family.

Perfect for snuggling with that special someone, or watchig as a family project.

Friendly Persuasion is another of those "they don't make them like they used to" films. Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire star as the parents of a Quaker family who find their traditional beliefs and way of life being challenged during the American Civil War. A simple trip to the County Fair exposes the family to dancing, gambling, music, and violence, all things their religion does not support. The ultimate test to their traditions arises when the need to defend their homestead from Confederate raiders forces some difficult personal decisions, especially for their son, well played by a young Anthony Perkins. In a violent world, it's very difficult to avoid conflict and violence, a message we understand even more clearly today. The film presents their challenges simply, honestly, and with much humour (the goose is a riot). Cooper and especially McGuire excel in their characterizations, as does Robert Middleton as Cooper's Methodist friend. This is an excellent family film.

There aren't many films from any era that come close to being "perfect" (though that's not really the right word) in just about every way--probably you could count them on your fingers and have some left over.

"Friendly Persuasion" is one of those films--in spades. Directed by William Wyler and starring Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, and Tony Perkins, it is a wonderful, human story about a loving family of Quakers (also known as Friends) living in one of the Union-Confederate "border" states at the time of the Civil War in the 1860s.

The cast, in small roles and large, is uniformly excellent, none calling attention to themselves but rather becoming their characters and making us understand them. Led by beloved, legendary star Gary Cooper in a great performance as the head of the Quaker family Jess Birdwell, they are marvelous, including child actor Richard Eyer as feisty "Little Jess", scrapping with his big sister or partaking in a running feud with "Samantha", his mother Eliza Birdwell's pet goose, who more than carries her end of the feud with scene-stealing craftiness.

There are incidents of family humor and love and occasional disagreements, and a hilarious episode in which eldest son Josh (Perkins) accompanies father Jess on a sales trip and is set upon by the scrappy, amorous daughters of one of Jess's customers (Marjorie Main). We are settled into a lovely, lively exploration of the Birdwell family's idyllic existence.

Then the war intrudes.

Josh feels he must volunteer to fight as long as others have to, even though it is against the teachings of his faith. His younger sister loves a young Union officer who is soon to go into battle. Rebel troops are nearing the region where they live, and no one, including the audience, quite knows what will happen.

There is a beautifully honest and dramatic sequence in which young Josh gets his first taste of battle, which Perkins performs with heartbreaking realism. I recall my father, a World War II veteran, saying that this scene was the most realistic depiction of a young man's first time in battle that he had ever seen in the movies.

When it is all over and the Birdwells return to their quiet, hard-working, loving life as a family, the music (Dimitri Tiomkin's marvelous score) swells, the wonderful lyrics to the song "Friendly Persuasion" are sung sweetly by the young Pat Boone, and you realize you have spent two wonderful hours with these genuinely fine, completely human characters in ordinary life and in challenging times.

The story has been told with integrity, honesty, humanity, gentle humor, kind restraint and, yes, love--all of these also attributes of the Birdwell family that we have come to know. That is the "genius" of this film. Along with a very few others, it shows us who we are, who we can be, and how we can live, all with a grace and humility that is almost poetic. And the film never, ever loses its balance.

It's just a great and good movie. I've seen it almost a dozen times, and it can still move me to tears. I'm betting it could be released today, amid the ridiculously over-budgeted, badly executed films that rely too much on computer effects and star charisma, and that it would clean up at the box office.

The term "family values" has been kicked around a lot lately, and nobody quite seems to know what is really meant by it. Watch this truly beautiful film and you'll get a pretty good idea of the genuine meaning of those words.

This Gary Cooper classic is from those days when "family film" meant more than just a film for parents to dump their kids for two hours so they're free to shop, eat out, etc. It is a film which all ages can enjoy and be challenged by. Deliberately paced by director William Wyler, it has excellent performances from Cooper, Dorothy Mcguire and a young Anthony Perkins. Watching Perkins in this multi-layered role, one regrets that Psycho locked him into Norman Bates-like roles for the rest of his career. His scenes opposite the legendary Cooper are gems. This performance makes you realize what an extraordinary actor he was. Highly recommended.

Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire play devoted Quaker parents. Their life revolves around their children, (including Anthony Perkins), their farm, and their religion. The first half of the story shows their idyllic life: they attend church, go to a fair, and, much to Dorothy's horror, Coop buys an organ! (Their make-up scene is the best in the movie.) The second half concerns the encroachment of the Civil War. The family strongly believes in non-violence, but son Perkins feels he must fight on the side of the North. And one day, some low-life soldiers visit the farm...

There is great chemistry between Cooper and McGuire, who seem passionate about each other, as well as their children and lifestyle. Their dialog, with thee's and thou's, is so charming and Coop supplies much humor with his desire to win at horse racing. The script is outstanding, the scenery beautiful, and the theme music is perfect. If you're looking for wholesome entertainment with top stars that still manages to deal with issues of right and wrong, Friendly Persuasion is for you.

This is my absolute favorite film. I have about 7 more that I really like,but I never need to hesitate one second,when asked my one favorite,it is always "Friendly Persuasion". It has everything,drama,humor,breathtaking scenery and a fabulous music score,plus a little love interest, and also very inspirational,with some deeper issues of life,having to be faced by the family members. In my opinion, it is just absolutely flawless,and it makes me want to cry,because no other movie even comes close to this quality,and that is so sad. This is a great movie to watch with family or friends,it is a joy to be shared.