Sergeant York (1941)

Torn between religious pacifism and patriotism. Tennessee-born Alvin York went on to become the most acclaimed hero of World War I. For his portrayal of the simple backwoods farm boy who captured 132 German soldiers during the battle of Argonne, Gary Cooper (hand-picked by York to play him! also won acclaim-and his first Best Actor Academy Award. Released in 1941 when the United States was on the brink of another war, this stirring adventure inspired thousands of enlisting men. Nominated for a total II Oscars including Best Picture, also a winner for Best Film Editing and movingly directed by Howard Hawks. it tells of a religious man's moral crisis, heroics and subsequent return to the rural life he loved. refusing to capitalize on the adulation heaped upon him. An ode to patriotism and the human spirit. Sergeant York endures as one of Hollywood's finest hours.