MOVIE · 1956
Friendly Persuasion
DramaFamilyRomanceWarWestern137 min
In southern Indiana during the Civil War, a Quaker family tries to hold to a life of plain work, worship, and peace while the fighting moves closer to home. Jess and Eliza Birdwell, played by Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire, disagree over small worldly pleasures, but the larger strain comes when their pacifist beliefs collide with fear for their community and their children. As neighbors enlist and rumors of Confederate raids spread, the family’s daily routines give way to harder choices about duty, conscience, and self-defense. The story follows how war reaches a household determined not to meet violence with violence.
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