Watch Friendly Persuasion For Free

How sad is this?

Best movie ever!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The plot is a good one, even if the storyline unfolds at a leisurely pace. Still it's a tribute to the movie makers that the interest level is kept up for over two-hours, mainly with a judicious use of amusement, charm, and drama. In short, can the Birdwell family, steeped in Quaker religious beliefs, resist the worldly temptations that keep coming their way, especially when Confederate raiders plunder the area. After all, it's hard holding onto non-violence when everything dear is threatened with destruction. But remember, this is Hollywood where rough edges tend to get finessed in crowd-pleasing fashion. And that's what happens here, though the compromises are rendered so smoothly, it's hard to notice.Hard to think of anyone more suited to the role of upright father than Gary Cooper. Every pore of his stature oozes rectitude. Thus we're sure that whatever he does will be morally correct. Same for the sweetly insistent Dorothy Mc Guire as mother Birdwell. However, Tony Perkins is Tony Perkins, twitches and all. Still, he's well suited to a conflicted young man, torn between what other young men are doing and the family's strict precepts. It was also astute to cast the rather plain Phyllis Love as the daughter instead of someone more glamorous. She and the wonderfully impish little Eyer make persuasive siblings. All in all, the movie is Hollywood entertainment at its shrewdest, such that it's hard to notice the moral and religious complexities that have been so cleverly finessed.

In 1862, in Southern Indiana, the Quakers Jess Birdwell (Gary Cooper), his wife and Minister Eliza (Dorothy McGuire), their teenage son Joshua (Anthony Perkins), their teenage daughter Mattie (Phyllis Love) and their young son Little Jess (Richard Eyer) live a peaceful life in their farm. Eliza opposes to the war and they follow the stringent principles of their religious sect. But when the rebel Southern troops threaten the Birdwell family and their friends and neighbors, Josh decides to go to the front to defend their lands and Jess has to take a position against the principles of the Quakers."Friendly Persuasion" is another masterpiece of William Wyler that tells the story of a Quaker family in Southern Indiana that is forced to fight to defend their lands. William Wyler makes a sensitive film and the story is never melodramatic or corny, having the right doses of humor, love and violence. The performances are outstanding and the forty year- old Dorothy McGuire is extremely beautiful in a strong role. The debut of Anthony Perkins in a feature could not be better. The smart goose Samantha is responsible for the most hilarious scenes. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): Not available on DVD or Blu-Ray

There is a richness of the old Technicolor which makes every frame an oil portrait. Combine that visual beauty with Tiomkin's lush score, and you have a motion picture masterpiece. The film provides not only a lesson in the lifestyle of a Quaker family in Indiana, it reveals the personal impact and heartbreak of the American Civil War. It was hard for a young man to adhere to his family's pacifist beliefs when he knew his friends were going off to war to defend the very place he called home. Civil War buffs unwittingly romanticize this national trauma which took the lives of over 600,000 young men. This movie brings it down to a personal level. Although filmed closer to Hollywood, the story takes place in Jennings County, Indiana. Although the soil of the Hoosier State was very lightly touched by battle, the fear of invasion was real. The little town of Vernon, mentioned in the movie, is still much the same as it was in the 1860s.

Spare me some of these critics - read 'em blue eyes vs. brown eyes; Cooper disliked the film/he liked it but not the way he looked in it; Perkins did not like McGuire/he did like McGuire. The most ridiculous claim was from the right wingers flapping their wings. Speaking of that, it should be mentioned that Samantha the goose was one helluva scene stealer. Four honks.I thought the movie was a beaut. I live in an area that was an early Quaker settlement, and there are still two active Friends churches. Needless to say the 'thou' and 'thee' are out of fashion, but the warmth remains.My only puzzlement is that the family, whose house still stands and is a tourist attraction were, like all Quakers, anti-slavery, but the family did own four slaves.Back to the movie. Cooper, the fightin' hero of "Sgt. York," does a complete turnaround as a pacifist poppa, and he does so wonderfully, telling his story not only by his words, but by his facial expressions.Perkins was perk-fect as the son of Cooper and McGuire. I wonder what Coop and Perk talked about between takes - hopefully not sexual preferences."Friendly Persuasion" told its story quite well, and is particularly enjoyable if you just watch and enjoy, instead of watching for things gone wrong. That is very un-friendly.