Friendly Persuasion

For two years the Civil War has been elsewhere. Now Confederate forces are nearby, looting and burning. It is time to fight back, Jess Birdwell´s neighbors insist. Yet Birdwell, a Quaker, knows there must be a better way to settle things.

In a role ideally suiting his stalwart persona, Gary Cooper plays Jess in William Wyler´s beloved film of Jessamyn West´s novel that earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Dorothy McGuire (the National Board of Review choice as Best Actress), Anthony Perkins and a superior cast get to the heart of family, faith and pacifism put to the test.