Yanks (1979)

Joining WWII, USA ships soldiers to UK. Matt and John arrive in 1942. Each see a local woman - married or to be engaged with soldiers serving faraway.

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Colin Welland (story), Colin Welland (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Gere, Lisa Eichhorn, Vanessa Redgrave

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Matt Dyson
Lisa Eichhorn	...	Jean Moreton
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Helen
William Devane	...	John
Chick Vennera	...	Danny Ruffelo
Wendy Morgan	...	Mollie
Rachel Roberts	...	Mrs. Clarrie Moreton
Tony Melody	...	Mr. Jim Moreton
Martin Smith	...	Geoff
Philip Wileman	...	Billy (as Philip Whileman)
Derek Thompson	...	Ken
Simon Harrison	...	Tim
Joan Hickson	...	Mrs. Moody
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Henry
Annie Ross	...	Red Cross Lady

Storyline

During WWII, the United States set up army bases in Great Britain as part of the war effort. Against their proper sensibilities, many of the Brits don't much like the brash Yanks, especially when it comes to the G.I.s making advances on the lonely British girls, some whose boyfriends are also away for the war. One Yank/Brit relationship that develops is between married John, an Army Captain, and the aristocratic Helen, whose naval husband is away at war. Helen does whatever she needs to support the war effort. Helen loves her husband, but Helen and John are looking for some comfort during the difficult times. Another relationship develops between one of John's charges, Matt, a talented mess hall cook, and Jean. Jean is apprehensive at first about even seeing Matt, who is persistent in his pursuit of her. Jean is in a committed relationship with the kind Ken, her childhood sweetheart who is also away at war. But Jean is attracted to the respect with which Matt treats her. Despite Ken ...

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Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | train station | soldier | sex scene | premarital sex | 

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Taglines:

Love during wartime.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roy Scheider and George Segal were considered for the role of Matt Dyson.

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Goofs

Matt and Danny are U.S, Army cooks, hence non-combatants. They are shown undergoing training with fake landing craft for D-Day. As cooks, they would be in the rear and would certainly not land on the beach with infantrymen under fire.

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Quotes

Danny: [naked in an uncovered exterior shower, watching the Red Cross trucks pass] That's the Red Cross...they only do it for officers.
Matt: If you don't put your uniform on, they'll never tell the difference.

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Crazy Credits

The names in the opening credits are divided into two categories: The Americans and The British.

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Connections

References Song of the Islands (1942)

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Soundtracks

The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended
(uncredited)
Lyrics by John Ellerton with music attributed to Rev. Clement Scholefield
Sung at Mrs Moreton's funeral

User Reviews

Tony Melody

Was sad to see the passing of Tony Melody this summer. He was such a good yet under sung character actor. His performance in Yanks was excellent and the mischievous smile he cracked when he said there would be 'no danger' of the bottle of whisky remaining unopened was brilliant as oppose to his wife's refusal to eat the cake that Geres character had prepared.

I wonder if the picture of his character he showed Gere when he was talking about his war service was actually his real father as he had served in the Guards during the first world war - just a thought.

Lisa Eichorn had me fooled for many a year - that Lancashire accent is spot on.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 1979 (UK)

Also Known As:

Yanks

Filming Locations:

Moore, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,931,010

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,931,010

Company Credits

Production Co:

CIP Filmproduktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min 165 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1