SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

gkeith_1 Spoilers. Observations. Opinions.A lovely film. Quakers are shown as serene, caring, spiritual farmers. I kept thinking of Amish when I was viewing this film, especially the black buggies and simple types of lives. There is so much recent press about Amish people, but less about Quakers.The Quakers' religious opposites are shown here as wearing colorful garments, while the Quakers in their church dress in gray, black and some tan. The Methodists believe in singing, but the Quakers frown on that sinful type of amusement.The mother seems like she liked dancing before her marriage, and that now her beliefs prohibit her from such enjoyment.The Civil War. People's ancestors came here, some of them, for religious freedom. Did that mean that they would not fight to maintain that freedom? Would they not fight to protect their families and properties?Were Quakers hiding behind the skirts of their religion so they would not have to fight? Did Lincoln's draft exclude Quakers and other conscientious objectors?Did Morgan invade Indiana? I know he invaded southern Ohio, where today those towns celebrate the romance of that rogue.This story took place north of the Ohio River. Tons of American Civil War Battles took place below the Mason-Dixon Line, but hardly any in Union territory. The northern biggie was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania over the 4th of July period in 1863, tons of miles away from the Indiana of this story, and a year later. Is this film's Civil War depiction about the Confederates accurate? Maybe so, but I haven't heard of it.Matter of fact, the Ohio River was a major dividing line between north and south, meaning that some people along both sides of the river were not always true to their side. Some people north of the river were Southern sympathizers. Some people south of the river were Northern sympathizers. You talk about brother against brother.Total war: done in the countryside and in towns, such as was done in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. From my historic war studies at university, regular or standard war is done on a real battlefield, where civilians and their private properties are not involved in the fighting. On a standard battlefield, there are no homebound women and children to be held hostage, and no food stores, livestock, silverware or candlesticks to be stolen -- no houses to be set on fire.The daughter in this film is not discussed much in comments here. The males are glorified, and the mother is admired. The daughter looks twelve to fourteen, in love with a Northern officer, who may be about twenty to twenty-one years of age. The actress playing this daughter was in real life around thirty years old during filming, so this was quite a stretch.More female observations: The three daughters of Marjorie Main were a total hoot, devouring Anthony Perkins with their eyes. They all wanted that man. Marjorie, meanwhile, was still in love, obviously, with her late husband. Marjorie, apparently, did not come on to Gary Cooper; Marjorie needed to fix her hair, anyway. Samantha the goose was a real scene stealer, and was one of the stars of the show.I am a degreed historian from university, studying many courses about the American Civil War, including military history, Civil War medicine, slavery, women's history and domestic interests, religious history of Christianity. I am also an actress, dancer, singer, stage makeup artist and fashion designer. I am a long-term film critic and movie reviewer for IMDb, with around 400 critiques and reviews since 2002.

Cass Moret "Friendly Persuasion" was released in 1956, a long time ago. But the movie is a timeless gem and I had the good fortune to watch it recently. Like the lives of real rural Quakers in the 1860s, the lives of the Birdwell's in the movie don't tell a conventional story with a beginning, middle and end. Instead, the movie links together a series of mostly humorous episodes, each of which could be the basis of a self-contained short story: The Birdwell's, father, mother, eligible daughter, teenage son and younger son attend a fair with unexpected consequences. Unknown to his wife, Jess buys a small organ. Its delivery ignites a dispute. Jess and his teenage son, Josh, make a two- week trip selling orchard stock to farmers. They stop at the home of a widow with three "man hungry" daughters who shower Josh with unwanted attention. The Civil War is remote until a plundering rebel patrol suddenly appears at their doorstep. Josh anguishes over killing. All of the actors and actresses turn in fine performances, but Gary Cooper shines. His expressive face can speak volumes without a single spoken word.

evanston_dad A surprisingly challenging film about what happens when devoutness to a religion collides with the realities of the world.Dorothy Maguire is the Quaker mother who wants to do the thinking for her young adult children, misguidedly wanting to prevent temptations from entering their lives rather than equipping them to deal with them when they do. Gary Cooper is the more reasonable father who doesn't see why pleasure and religious faith have to be mutually exclusive. Then a little thing called the Civil War directly affects them, and they have to decide when to stick to their beliefs and when to modify them for something bigger than themselves.Overall the movie is still a little light for my tastes and doesn't flesh out these questions as complexly as I might have preferred. But still, I was expecting a cornball, wholesome family film and so was pleasantly surprised by what I got instead."Friendly Persuasion" garnered six Academy Award nominations but won none: Best Picture, Best Director (William Wyler), Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Perkins), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song (warbled by Pat Boone), and Best Sound Recording.Grade: A-

robert-259-28954 There are generally two kinds of movies regarding war, those that glorify it, and those that condemn it. Rarely, though, are there ones that bridge that perilous divide with such elegance, insight, and charm. This is due in part to the casting, with an impeccable Gary Cooper, and an equally accomplished co-star in Anthony Perkins. But every great film requires a great man at the helm and who could compare with Billy Wilder, a true American treasure. This movie also stands as a emotional look at the war between the states, what we call the Civil War. Many families and communities were torn apart by that war, and although we hear about those travails in books, capturing it on film is an entirely different story. This film does it so well. In today's films, featuring bloodshed and violence on a scale unheard of when this film was produced, watching it again as a 65-year old man still brought tears to my eyes. It was truly a gentler, "sweeter" time then, which this movie captures so well. Although there is a modicum of violence in this film, it only serves the plot... of the utter senselessness of war.