Sergeant York
(Warner Bros., 1941)
Howard Hawks' timely biopic featuring Gary Cooper in the title role, (back when studios thought nothing of lauding the heroism of Medal of Honor awardees instead of mocking them as patsies, suckers, and baby-killers) with Cooper's best co-star sidekick ever, Walter Brennan.Try not to fall over in shock at blatant Christianity, pro-Americanism, and the triumph of uplifting morals as central themes, or the fact that Cooper won a Best Actor Oscar for the role of a hell-raiser turned pacifist turned war hero, reenacting what was a phenomenal event in the midst of a very bloody business. The movie premiered 5 months before America entered WWII, and holds up well for something 72 years old.
Happy Veterans' Day.
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