Yanks

The film works for me because it concentrates on the three relationships and lets the war get on with itself. It was written from a British viewpoint and reflects the experiences of many people in war-torn Britain who came in to contact with American servicemen. The impact of the arrival of so many hearty, healthy and relatively wealthy young men was massive. The film struck a chord with many people in the UK, both of my parent's generation - who lived through the war, and my generation - who had heard all about it. The fact that the film was set in the north of England accentuated the gulf which existed in our common language. Many a GI must have been baffled by our slang. The three relationships in the film worked quite well because each one was different. How many times must these events have happened for real? The film isn't as good as THE WAY TO THE STARS of 1945, but it did recreate the war-time atmosphere quite well and evokes a period of history which is still vivid in the minds of many who lived near US bases in the UK in WW2.

That's what the local British people thought of the American troops stationed in the North of England during War World II: They are over paid, over sexed and over here. Divided by a common language and a very different view of the world. John Schlesinger is a director I adore - Midnight Cowboy, Darling, Sunday Bloody Sunday, just to mention three titles. The actors in a Schlesinger film, from Alan Bates to Dustin Hoffman to Peter Finch are at their best but never as compellingly than Richard Gere in Yanks. A performance of such beauty that one wonders why we haven't seen more of this Richard Gere. Enthralling, romantic and truthful, profoundly so. Lisa Eichhorn is also a stand out. Her English rose (Lisa Eichhorn is an American) is a throwback to the best English actresses of the 1940's. Vanessa Redgrave and Rachel Roberts also provide a unique glimpse into the Britishness of the story. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Just watched this film again for at least the tenth time since it's release and never fail to be impressed by the accuracy of its portrayal of Northern England. In fact this is the England I remember growing up in in the 1960s and it really only started to change around the 1970s when we finally seemed to recover from post war austerity. Shops looked like that when I was a kid in suburbs of Newcastle. Several people mention the power station mistakenly suggesting it was out of place as it was nuclear. Most power stations in the UK are coal powered and still look exactly like this and as the film was made in and around Stalybridge and the pennine towns of Yorkshire and Lancashire it may well have been Stalybridge which was built in 1926 and definitely never a nuclear plant. Lovely film and exactly as wartime was described in countless family discussions with our mams and dads. This was often the only adventure in their lives so it came up over and over again.

John Schlesinger returns to the land of his early, wonderful "A Kind Of Loving" and "Billy Liar" for a cross-cultural love story with a critical but undoubtedly affectionate eye. Richard Gere, pre-"American Gigolo" is terrific as Matt, the cook who falls for Jean, the local English rose played beautifully by the splendid American actress, Lisa Eichhorn. The Americans posted in the North of England felt truly abroad, they could hardly understand the lingo. For the locals it was a different story, they understood the American GI's because after all, they spoke like Gary Cooper. The elders look at the abrasive newcomers with politeness but also with a tinge of suspicion. There was a catch phrase at the time to describe the American troops: "They're overpaid, oversexed and over here" The cultural differences go beyond language and in a masterful writing stroke tells us why. Richard Gere tells Lisa Eichhorn about his dreams for the future - building a chain of Motels across America - while her British boyfriend dreams of getting married and building their home above his parents shop. Lisa Eichhorn's Jane is the perfect "man in the middle" attached to her parents (the wonderful Rachel Roberts and Tony Melody)world, and at the same time, she is fascinated by Richard Gere's look at the American dream - the "everything is possible" mentality. The film is a gem. Unfairly overlooked in its day but now on its 30th anniversary risks to be rediscovered and and re-evaluated. It certainly deserves another life.

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.