The Dryden will screen Sergeant York (Howard Hawks, U.S. 1941, 134 min., 35mm) as part of the WWI series.

Alvin Cullum York, a third-grade dropout who found religion, vowed to obey the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." That vow put him at odds with the U.S. Army as a conscript in World War I. Turned down twice as a conscientious objector, York ended up being one of the most decorated heroes of the war. After years of refusal, York agreed that Warner Bros. could make a film of his life provided that no "Oomph" girl would play his wife, York's share of the film's earnings would be donated to a bible school, and Gary Cooper would portray him. When accepting his Best Actor Oscar for the role, Cooper insisted, "It was Sergeant Alvin C. York who won this award."

[source: George Eastman Museum , 2017-Sep-4]