“A
Soldier’s Story” is a film directed by Norman Jewison based on the Pulitzer
Prize winning play. It was shot on a
small budget because the studio questioned its box office potential. It turned out to be a modest success and made
a profit. It was a hit with critics and
was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Adolph Caesar),
and Adapted Screenplay. The movie was
filmed in Arkansas and Governor Bill Clinton provided the National Guard for a
scene.
The
movie is basically a military mystery from the subgenre that includes “A Few
Good Men”. Sgt. Waters (Caesar) is
murdered on a base in Louisiana in 1945.
He is part of an all-black unit training for war in Europe. A black lawyer is brought in to investigate
the case. Capt. Davenport (Howard
Rollins, Jr.) is not welcomed by anyone.
Noone wants to tell him the truth.
He does determine that Waters was a martinet and a racist - a black
racist. Waters was especially hard on the
darker skinned blacks and the Southern blacks who he felt embarrassed the
race. There are any number of people who
would have wanted him dead.
The
movie is well-acted by a very good cast.
It includes Denzel Washington, David Alan Grier, and Robert
Townsend. Caesar is outstanding as the
loathsome Waters. Rollins is solid
coming off his star-making role in “Ragtime”.
The film is very dialogue driven which is no surprise given its
source. The low budget also contributes
to the feel of a play. One of the more
interesting aspects of the movie is the soundtrack by Herbie Hancock. The screenplay is thought-provoking because
it deals with a type of racism that is seldom dealt with in movies. The mystery is solid with some typical red
herrings, but a satisfactory conclusion.
GRADE
= B-
I really liked this movie when I saw it a long time, the mystery was decent, but the portrait of life in the African-American divisions was eye-opening, at least to my sheltered young mind.
ReplyDeleteSo, did it crack the list?