Sergeant York (1941)

War propoganda. - Sergeant York review by Steve

Warner Brothers adapted a true story from WWI, to make a case for why America must fight again. Alvin York was an uneducated farmer from rural Tennessee. He was a conscientious objector on religious grounds, but went to the Western Front and used his gift as a sniper, plus his extraordinary bravery, to silence machine gun nests and capture 130 German soldiers.

He became a decorated hero and a legend. Gary Cooper was well cast and he won an Oscar. The first half of the film is about his conversion to Christianity among the enduring poor of the American south. Howard Hawks creates this world with humour and affection. Margaret Wycherly is excellent as the steadfast and durable mother.

This isn't typical Hawks. There is zero screwball fizz, no fast talking dames. The slow, introspective hero is an anti-Hawks character, a loner. The director performs a miracle in largely avoiding sentimentality, helped by Max Steiner elegant score. Though the film is unashamedly mystical.

This was propaganda aimed at the hearts and minds of ordinary Americans reluctant to fight in another foreign war. The model of the peaceful man who must act for the greater good is a pitch that Hollywood would use extensively in WWII.  Freedom must be defended. After Pearl Harbour, Hawks' film became a popular vehicle for patriotic American interventionism.