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Yanks is a 1979 period drama film set during World War II in Northern England. The film was directed by John Schlesinger and starred Richard Gere, Vanessa Redgrave, William Devane, Lisa Eichhorn and Tony Melody. It was Schlesinger's first British film since Sunday Bloody Sunday which he directed in 1971. Despite being set during the Second World War, the film is a character study which features no combat or fighting scenes. The film depicts the relationships between American soldiers stationed in semi-rural Northern England and the local population during the build-up to Operation Overlord in 1944. In particular, three romances between US service personnel and local women are shown, in order to explore the effects of the cultural differences between the brash GIs or "Yanks" and the more reserved British population.