With most of America enthralled with Raymond Burr as "Perry Mason" on TV and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" about to be released, director John Ford was at least ahead of the curve, even this late in his career. "Sergeant Rutledge" places the now-familiar trial of the noble Black man accused of raping a White woman in Mr. Ford's western setting. And, set in Monument Valley, to boot. The timely story has some problems, but should be appreciated for its effort.
First of all, the title presumes the picture to be about "Sergeant Rutledge" (Woody Strode), who couldn't have been familiar to the vast majority of filmgoers - so, the more symbolically representative "Captain Buffalo" would have been a preferable title. And, it often seems like the title character is more like a prop, with romantic defenders Jeffrey Hunter (as Tom Cantrell) and Constance Towers (as Mary Beecher) taking center stage. Finally, the courtroom and location flashbacks aren't juxtaposed well, until the exciting climaxes. Watch for fluttering Billie Burke (as Cordelia) in her last featured role.
Also, Ford "extra" Mae Marsh (as Nellie) gets a relatively good amount of screen time playing (obviously) a fluttery friend of Billie Burke. Ford, and many members of his troupe, absolutely recalled Ms. Marsh's courtroom appearance in D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" (1916) - once upon a time, it was considered one of the most memorable moments in film. So, to have Marsh bracketing two great directors' attempts to redress past racist images is grand ironic counterpoint.
****** Sergeant Rutledge (5/18/60) John Ford ~ Woody Strode, Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Towers, Billie Burke
First of all, the title presumes the picture to be about "Sergeant Rutledge" (Woody Strode), who couldn't have been familiar to the vast majority of filmgoers - so, the more symbolically representative "Captain Buffalo" would have been a preferable title. And, it often seems like the title character is more like a prop, with romantic defenders Jeffrey Hunter (as Tom Cantrell) and Constance Towers (as Mary Beecher) taking center stage. Finally, the courtroom and location flashbacks aren't juxtaposed well, until the exciting climaxes. Watch for fluttering Billie Burke (as Cordelia) in her last featured role.
Also, Ford "extra" Mae Marsh (as Nellie) gets a relatively good amount of screen time playing (obviously) a fluttery friend of Billie Burke. Ford, and many members of his troupe, absolutely recalled Ms. Marsh's courtroom appearance in D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" (1916) - once upon a time, it was considered one of the most memorable moments in film. So, to have Marsh bracketing two great directors' attempts to redress past racist images is grand ironic counterpoint.
****** Sergeant Rutledge (5/18/60) John Ford ~ Woody Strode, Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Towers, Billie Burke