Sergeant York Movie Analysis

In the movie Sergeant York my group and I decided to do the scene in which Alvin York gets struck by lightning. In my opinion is the turning point of the character, because Alvin is known as the “bad boy” in town. He does not have very much respect, and this scene is completely life changing to the character. The scene first starts off Alvin riding his horse in a very bad thunderstorm. The sound is a non-diegetic orchestra that is playing immensely loud. The orchestra music builds a lot of tension because while its playing there is lighting striking. The music perfectly captures the audience attention because viewers will be sucked in thinking that Alvin York is gonna die or get struck by lighting because the music is emphasized with its weird medallic tune that creates the eerie feeling of “whats going to happen”. Coincidentally Alvin ends up getting struck by lighting. Almost immediately after he gets struck by lightning, the orchestra music is switched to the background with a different tone. Initially the tone of Alvin riding his horse during the storm was very unpleasant and suspenseful but the aftermath of being hit by the lightning changed it from being a dark atmosphere to a light. The music changes to a very peaceful and calm orchestra. With the music becoming very calm signifies Alvin York’s reawakening as a character. During the impact of him being
Without Alvin York getting struck by lighting, the viewers would not witness the climatic change of a person dramatically. Howard Hocks masterfully captures the audience, where Alvin goes from being a cold hearted ma to a guy that has a whole new perspective in life. His use of sound engulfs the audience brilliantly where every single song/sound that is in this scene plays a big part in reflecting Alvin York’s change of a