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But this encounter leads Jess into trading horses with the Widow Hudspeth. The Widow has a horse that looks like a nag but is one heck of a buggy racer. Josh has gone along & he's constantly harassed by the three daughters. It was nominated for six Academy Awards but didn't win any. But, finally, Jess wins a buggy race against his neighbor. Friendly Persuasion isn't a western though it has some of that.
The female lead of Eliza was a crucial element in the film. She's at the age where boys are becoming very interesting. The laconic Cooper is perfect casting. Would our beliefs & values stand up when we're presented the choice of compromising some of them. Anytime Jess & the family begin to stray she's there to put them back on the narrow path.
Some of the best scenes involve Jess racing his buggy horse against his neighbor, Sam Jordan (Robert Middleton), every going-to-meeting day. She needs a plow horse which Jess has that isn't a good buggy racer. Jess, ever the practical one, is the one that extricates the family out of the events here. Most of all, it presents us with choices that must be made during a time of great duress. The story centers on a Quaker family in southern Indiana at the outbreak of the American Civil War. If you look closely in the scene where Jess is doing the target shooting you will see a young Robert Fuller in Union uniform near Cooper.
Friendly Persuasion was directed by the great William Wyler. Some may see this movie as old fashioned but it presents values that we all should have. This is one of Hollywood's greatest films that has a cast that's superior. Everyone thinks Jess has been taken.
He's the most affected by the war. He's practical & realizes that, at times, turning the other cheek doesn't always solve the problem. It was probably Maguire's best role, as it would have been for any actress of that era. It addresses questions that plague us in a time of war. He gets an opportunity to join in the fighting & is almost killed. Mattie (Phyllis Love) is the second oldest child. In a day when the female role in most movies wasn't pivotal, Friendly Persuasion was different. Josh (Anthony Perkins) is the oldest of the Birdwell children.
His scenes with the family pet goose are hilarious. Friendly Persuasion is a film that should be seen by everyone. She's even one of their ministers. Those nominations were Best Director (Wyler), Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Perkins) Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Song & Best Sound. Though Jess is a Quaker he isn't completely committed to the idea of it.
Little Jess (Richard Eyer) is the youngest & steals some of the scenes that he's in. There's a scene where the family goes to a fair & we see how protected an existence they live. Jess loses every time time but he isn't deterred. The film's statement on war is timeless & should remind us how it affects everyone, even those not directly involved.
It's a drama but has many comedic moments throughout. His wife, Eliza (Dorothy Maguire), is committed to the ways of the Quaker. He has no lines & the role is uncredited but he's there. That's a shame for it was a deserving film.
Jess Birdwell (Gary Cooper) is the center of the story. ESSENTIAL MOVIE. In a chance meeting with another family Jess meets Widow Hudspeth (Marjorie Main) & her three man hungry daughters.
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