Have you ever noticed that there aren’t many good Thanksgiving movies? Of course, there’s “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” and “Pieces of April,” but when I think of this holiday, I think of pilgrims chopping the heads off turkeys, eating corn pudding, thanking God for the day, and just enjoying the peaceful, chilly land. “Friendly Persuasion” isn’t about pilgrims, nor is it about Thanksgiving. But the way it portrays a Quaker’s life is the way I picture the first Thanksgiving. Quiet and calm, with people you enjoy, lovely locations, and we mustn’t forget that blackberry pie that Dorothy McGuire cooked up from scratch.
The story is about a Quaker clan named the Birdwells. Gary Cooper is the father, while McGuire is the mother of the family. Phyllis Love is their lovestruck daughter, Mattie, Richard Eyer is “Little” Jess, their youngest son, and Anthony Perkins plays their other son, Josh, in his only Academy Award nominated performance. A good thing about their performances is that they play the family like real people instead of being stereotypical.
The time frame is set in the 1860s, during the Civil War, and the only big difference between the Quakers and the rest of the world is the way they treat these kinds of issues. Being on the Union side, instead of trying to hate the Rebels, they attempt to turn the other cheek and simply get by with life. Also, being a Quaker means going to meetings at their church house every Sunday, growing your own food, and having no music. But it doesn’t make for a bland story because they don’t always follow the rules. Mr. Birdwell races his horse and buggy against the Methodists, they buy an organ and hide it from the other Quakers, and Josh even considers joining the army.
Most of the movie consists of feelings about the ongoing war and what to do. Anthony Perkins plays his part well, and you feel for him. Josh can’t join the Union or else he breaks his Quaker rights, yet he feels he should help defend the country. The performance is so good, I promise you won’t even think about Norman Bates during the film.
The other major storyline is about Mattie’s love to a soldier named Gard. But that’s about it. It doesn’t need another couple of storylines, it’s fine just the way it is. It’s a good movie for a cold day and for Thanksgiving. Again, it’s not that it’s about pilgrims or turkeys, it’s just got that old fashioned, homey feeling.
And that's why "Friendly Persuasion" is the movie of the week.
P.S. I looked for a clip from the movie, but the best I could come up with were some stills from the film set to its' nice Dimitri Tiomkin score. Enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment