‘Friendly Persuasion’ revisited

I was in high school when I watched and thoroughly enjoyed William Wyler’s film, “Friendly Persuasion,” starring two-time Oscar winner, Gary Cooper. I wanted to see it because of Cooper, Dorothy McGuire and a hot, new matinee idol named Anthony Perkins, who was often cast in all-American-hero roles before he starred in “Psycho.”

One of my favorites, the film revolves around the conflicts of a Quaker family in Indiana before the Civil War. The pacifist family is put to the test—they have to either defend themselves or allow others to defend them!

Beliefs

As the liberal patriarch, Cooper understands what his son (Perkins) is going through. His wife, one of the ministers of their church, is more religious in her beliefs. Their daughter is engaged to a Methodist neighbor’s son.

Cooper’s character understood humanity—and why his neighbors had a yen for racing, music and fighting. In fact, when a military officer visited their pacifist church to conscript recruits for the war, he knew why his son and his friends were conflicted about it. Thereafter, the tormented teens experience bigotry from those who find their religion too strict.

I enjoyed the performances of the cast led by Cooper, who was both human and heroic. The well-balanced film has a little of everything. The theme song, which evocatively captures the era, was sung by Pat Boone, Elvis Presley’s rival at the time.