Sergeant York (1941)

Directed by Howard Hawks. Starring Gary Cooper, Joan Leslie, Walter Brennan, George Tobias, Margaret Wycherly, Stanley Ridges, Ward Bond, Dickie Moore, Noah Beery Jr., June Lockhart.

Sentimental true story of Alvin York (Cooper), a young man from the hills of Tennessee who was good with a rifle and strongly believed against killing, yet signed up for the war effort as a conscientious objector and emerged a celebrated war hero. There’s inspiration and heroism to spare in York’s accomplishments on the battlefield, but it takes half the movie before he even goes into basic training; before that, he has to fall in love with local girl Leslie (looking far too fresh-faced for the tough, rural setting), yearn mightily for a piece of bottom land to call his own, and find religion. Weaknesses in the supporting cast and an excess of hokey moments (especially the depiction of York’s internal debate between serving God and serving his country) can’t dispel the strength of its storytelling and virtue. Hawks earned the only Best Director Oscar nomination of his career here, though it’s hardly one of his most superlative efforts; Cooper, on the other hand, was rarely better suited for a role than here (the real-life York insisted that Cooper play him), taking home the Best Actor award. The picture was still in theaters when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and its patriotic message helped recruit American soldiers, with some documented instances of young men going straight from the movie theater to an enlistment site! Co-written by John Huston. Also nabbed an Academy Award for Best Editing.

72/100