Sergeant York
Director: Howard Hawks
Year Released: 1941
Rating: 1.0
Feel-good schmaltz has Tennessee farmer Alvin York (Gary Cooper) go all the way to France (and that there Notre Dame!) to fight against the Krauts and win awards and act like a charming bumpkin. The York character, a preachy Christian (is there any other kind?), has to find a way of reconciling his love of the Lord and his skills at killing both animals and people, eventually realizing you can do both, by golly: it's called being a Republican. Cooper earned an Oscar for his skill at appearing continuously dazed, a talent he was praised for his entire career.
