Adapted from the best-selling novel by Jessamyn West, Friendly Persuasion is set in Southern Indiana in the early days of the Civil War. Gary Cooper plays Jess Birdwell, patriarch of a Quaker family which does not believe in warfare. Birdwell's son Josh (Anthony Perkins) wishes to adhere to his family's pacifism, but is afraid that if he doesn't sign up for military service, he'll prove to be a coward. Josh joins the Home Guard, which disturbs his mother Eliza (Dorothy McGuire). But Jess Birdwell realizes that his son must ...
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Adapted from the best-selling novel by Jessamyn West, Friendly Persuasion is set in Southern Indiana in the early days of the Civil War. Gary Cooper plays Jess Birdwell, patriarch of a Quaker family which does not believe in warfare. Birdwell's son Josh (Anthony Perkins) wishes to adhere to his family's pacifism, but is afraid that if he doesn't sign up for military service, he'll prove to be a coward. Josh joins the Home Guard, which disturbs his mother Eliza (Dorothy McGuire). But Jess Birdwell realizes that his son must follow the dictates of his own conscience. Josh proves his courage to himself when he is wounded during a Rebel raid, while the elder Birdwell is able to stay faithful to his religious calling by not killing a Southern soldier when given both a chance and a good reason to do so. Allegedly, writer Jessamyn West nearly scotched her deal with producer/director William Wyler and distributor Allied Artists when Gary Cooper, taking his fans into consideration, insisted upon including a scene in which he forsakes his pacifism and takes arms against the Rebels. If true, then wiser heads prevailed, since no such scene exists in the final release print. Though uncredited due to his status as a blacklistee, Michael Wilson wrote the screenplay for Friendly Persuasion--and even won an Oscar nomination. Also nominated was the film's chart-busting theme song, "Thee I Love" (by Dmitri Tiomkin and Paul Francis Webster). The story was remade as a 2-hour TV pilot film in 1975. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Friendly Persuasion (1956) to cart. $21.16, like new condition, Sold by GW Spokane Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Spokane, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2018.
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Fine. Condition: BRAND NEW! Still in original factory shrink wrap. All orders ship via UPS Mail Innovations-can take up to 14 business days from first scan to be delivered.
Add this copy of Friendly Persuasion (1956) to cart. $21.46, fair condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2018.
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Add this copy of Friendly Persuasion (1956) to cart. $25.56, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Warner Archive Collection.
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Joel Fluellen, Richard Hale, Walter Catlett, Peter Mark Richman, Phyllis Love, Robert Middleton, Richard Eyer, Anthony... New. 1956 Run time: 138. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
This gentle 1956 film about a Quaker family living in pre-Civil War southern Indiana has been criticized for inadequately portraying Quakerism. To my mind, the central story is the Gary Cooper role of Jess Birdwell, the family patriarch. A convert to the pacifist way of life by virtue of his marriage to a Quaker wife, one is never quite sure of the depth of Jess's Quaker convictions. He brings an organ into the house; he succumbs to the urge to race his horse against that of a fellow Quaker on their way to Friends' Meeting. As the Civil War comes to their doorstep, family and neighbors deal with conflicting decisions in a story that seems to make no endorsements of any one particular point of view. A wonderful movie.
