Directed by Norman Jewison, A Soldier's Story is a gripping film that tells the story of an African-American captain and lawyer who is sent to the Deep South to investigate the murder of a sergeant. But the film does not just tell the story of the investigation; it also opens up a whole new state of affairs for the audience to see. Jewison shows the hard-core racism that was present during World War II. Racism is the central theme that surrounds the murderous plot.
The movie takes place in 1944, on a black army base in Louisiana where the men eagerly wait to be sent to Europe to fight World War II. Captain Davenport is brought in from Washington D.C. to inspect the unexpected murder of Sergeant Waters. Captain Davenport tediously interviews each man who was under Waters' command. All men gives his story and about how their great or not so great encounters with the late Sergeant Waters. The movie constantly flashes back and forth between the past and present as the men tell their stories to Davenport, explicitly introducing the different attitudes and animosities towards Sergeant Waters. All the men that Davenport interviewed had a motive to kill.
This film explores a variety of racial behaviors that African-American men had to face at that time. Not only does it show racism from whites to blacks but also from black to blacks. Jewison does not spare the audience's ears as every sort of racial slur is thrown at the men, with the cruelest racist words coming from the black Sergeant Waters. He gives us a scandalous taste of this unsympathetic prejudice and bigotry through-out the entire picture and then at the end, just like that, all the arguments, issues, and chauvinism between all the men on the base is solved. The men finally get to fight in the war, everyone is content, and saluting one another; as if none of the narrow-minded racist name-calling and bias misconceptions never happened. Jewison failed to give this movie a "real" ending.
How can Jewison, a white man from Canada ever be able too see that something like this would never happen? How can an entire movie that is built on preconceptions and injustice have an ending with a white man giving a black man a hand up and saluting other white officers without any acknowledgement of the unfair treatment that was handed to him? Jewison did an acceptable job displaying life for a black man in 1944, searching for his own identity in a world of whites who believe they are superior; I just think that representing open racism as "OK" is not OK.
However, the acting is superb. Denzel Washington in particular, did an exceptional job, playing Private Peterson, as he resisted Sergeant Waters and refused to be talked down. Even though he couldn't back all his talking and lost in a fist fight against Waters, he did admirably well as he refused to be disparaged by another black man with only a few stripes more than him. Adolph Caesar, who starred as Sergeant Waters, also did a delightful job portraying a hateful man who enjoyed putting black men away who made his race look bad. Although he was malicious and intolerable towards his all black troop, he became a character you'd love to hate. Because of his sharp wit, small stature and roughness, he gave A Soldier's Story a slight sense of mean humor. Moreover, he gives the audience a sense of black on black hate and opens up a new perspective of how blacks had to endure racism with-in their own culture.
A Soldier's Story is highly recommendable. It's a type of movie that keeps it's audience captivated through-out the entire view and never gets dull. The film is unpredictable and comical but only to a certain extent. Addressing serious issues, there are times when A Soldier's Story draws the audience in to sympathize with the characters and feel their pain. However, a special appearance from Patti LaBelle will help ease that pain and standing up and shouting is the only option when she blows only like Patti LaBelle can.
The movie takes place in 1944, on a black army base in Louisiana where the men eagerly wait to be sent to Europe to fight World War II. Captain Davenport is brought in from Washington D.C. to inspect the unexpected murder of Sergeant Waters. Captain Davenport tediously interviews each man who was under Waters' command. All men gives his story and about how their great or not so great encounters with the late Sergeant Waters. The movie constantly flashes back and forth between the past and present as the men tell their stories to Davenport, explicitly introducing the different attitudes and animosities towards Sergeant Waters. All the men that Davenport interviewed had a motive to kill.
This film explores a variety of racial behaviors that African-American men had to face at that time. Not only does it show racism from whites to blacks but also from black to blacks. Jewison does not spare the audience's ears as every sort of racial slur is thrown at the men, with the cruelest racist words coming from the black Sergeant Waters. He gives us a scandalous taste of this unsympathetic prejudice and bigotry through-out the entire picture and then at the end, just like that, all the arguments, issues, and chauvinism between all the men on the base is solved. The men finally get to fight in the war, everyone is content, and saluting one another; as if none of the narrow-minded racist name-calling and bias misconceptions never happened. Jewison failed to give this movie a "real" ending.
How can Jewison, a white man from Canada ever be able too see that something like this would never happen? How can an entire movie that is built on preconceptions and injustice have an ending with a white man giving a black man a hand up and saluting other white officers without any acknowledgement of the unfair treatment that was handed to him? Jewison did an acceptable job displaying life for a black man in 1944, searching for his own identity in a world of whites who believe they are superior; I just think that representing open racism as "OK" is not OK.
However, the acting is superb. Denzel Washington in particular, did an exceptional job, playing Private Peterson, as he resisted Sergeant Waters and refused to be talked down. Even though he couldn't back all his talking and lost in a fist fight against Waters, he did admirably well as he refused to be disparaged by another black man with only a few stripes more than him. Adolph Caesar, who starred as Sergeant Waters, also did a delightful job portraying a hateful man who enjoyed putting black men away who made his race look bad. Although he was malicious and intolerable towards his all black troop, he became a character you'd love to hate. Because of his sharp wit, small stature and roughness, he gave A Soldier's Story a slight sense of mean humor. Moreover, he gives the audience a sense of black on black hate and opens up a new perspective of how blacks had to endure racism with-in their own culture.
A Soldier's Story is highly recommendable. It's a type of movie that keeps it's audience captivated through-out the entire view and never gets dull. The film is unpredictable and comical but only to a certain extent. Addressing serious issues, there are times when A Soldier's Story draws the audience in to sympathize with the characters and feel their pain. However, a special appearance from Patti LaBelle will help ease that pain and standing up and shouting is the only option when she blows only like Patti LaBelle can.