SERGEANT YORK 283
a mistake is understandable, since none of us who arrived at Auschwitz and sur-
vived the initial se lection at the ‘ramp’ knew where we were or knew that death by
gassing was the Nazi method for bringing about the ‘final solution’ ” (Lobet, 1994).
With regard to Emilie Schindler (1907–2001), the film portrays her as an aggrieved
and frequently cheated- upon spouse— which she most certainly was— but gives her
humanitarian work on behalf of the Schindlerjuden short shrift. According to
her 1996 memoir, Where Light and Shadow Meet, she was very much involved
with her husband in aiding his Jewish workers in the last two years of the war.
None of the foregoing cancels out Oskar Schindler’s heroic acts in saving hundreds
of Jewish lives but does suggest that Spielberg and his screenwriters could have
taken greater risks and hewed closer to the admittedly incredible historical real ity
by letting Schindler be more fully himself.
Sergeant York (1941)
Synopsis
Sergeant York is a biopic about the life of Alvin C. York, one of the most- decorated
American soldiers of World War I. Co- produced and directed by Howard Hawks
and starring Gary Cooper as Alvin York, the film recounts York’s initial reluctance
to serve in the military on religious grounds, his ac cep tance of his duty, his Medal
of Honor– winning actions in
combat, and his public recogni-
tion afterwards.
Background
Alvin Cullum York (1887–1964),
a poor, unlettered farmer from
rural Tennessee, was one of the
most decorated American soldiers
to serve in the First World War.
On 8 October 1918, during
the Meuse- Argonne Offensive,
York (a corporal in Com pany
G, 328th Infantry Regiment,
167th Infantry Brigade of the
82nd Infantry Division) led seven
other soldiers in an attack on
German positions near Chatel-
Chehery, France, taking out 35
machine guns, killing at least 25
enemy soldiers, and capturing
another 132. York’s stunning dis-
play of marksmanship, courage,
and resourcefulness under fire
Medal of Honor winner Sergeant Alvin C. York
(Gary Cooper) surveys the battlefield in Howard
Hawks’s popu lar biopic, Sergeant York (19 41).
(Warner Bros./Photofest)