Jess Birdwell (Gary Cooper) is the head of a Quaker family in Southern Indiana. It's 1862 and it's been two tough years of war. Eliza (Dorothy McGuire) is his loving wife and Josh (Anthony Perkins) is his eldest son. Doubts about joining the war start seeping in. When rebel raiders approach, there is a difference of opinion.
Well, that's an odd little broad-comedy detour with the Hudspeth women. This movie deals with tough important issues. I really like getting a sense of Quaker life and believes. They don't always fit with the broad humor. The ending feels a bit condensed. The battle feels cut short. It's an interesting and different wartime movie. Of course, its most important aspect may be its connection to McCarthyism through its writer. That does add something but the pacifism in the movie is somewhat watered down. There are lots of competing influences here and it's an interesting case study.
Well, that's an odd little broad-comedy detour with the Hudspeth women. This movie deals with tough important issues. I really like getting a sense of Quaker life and believes. They don't always fit with the broad humor. The ending feels a bit condensed. The battle feels cut short. It's an interesting and different wartime movie. Of course, its most important aspect may be its connection to McCarthyism through its writer. That does add something but the pacifism in the movie is somewhat watered down. There are lots of competing influences here and it's an interesting case study.