Doesn't remind me of other Hawks films - not sure why that is. Maybe the women don't seem like other Hawks women? Too much moralizing?
The first half at least seems really slow and meandering, too. What's the story here? How's this movie fit into Hawks' body of work?
It definitely has a naive, sort of colloquial innocence about it. Characters are earthy and real, and full of an unsophisticated goodness that's more reminiscent of Capra than of Hawks' other films. The characters in Sargeant York couldn't be more different than those in Hawks' other films, like To Have and Have Not or Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
It was war propaganda, to get people revved up about World War 2. Good movie though, but I agree, the first half took longer than it needed to.
shareHawks was one of the great Hollywood filmmakers but this I found a big bore, especially during the endless hillbilly stuff in the first half. Gary Cooper was a good actor but he could be wooden and I find him completely dull here.
Hawks movies are typically full of life and energy which Sergeant York is sorely missing IMO.