Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

James Warner Bellah (written by) and
Willis Goldbeck (written by) ...

Release Date:

18 May 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Crime

Tagline:

It's the rendezvous with DEATH for men to whom DEATH was no stranger!

Plot:

Respected black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer.

Plot Keywords:

Sergeant | Rape | Murder | Courtroom | Buffalo Soldier

Cast

Jeffrey Hunter	...	Lt. Tom Cantrell (counsel for the defense)
Constance Towers	...	Mary Beecher
Billie Burke	...	Mrs. Cordelia Fosgate
Woody Strode	...	1st Sgt. Braxton Rutledge
Juano Hernandez	...	Sgt. Matthew Luke Skidmore
Willis Bouchey	...	Col. Otis Fosgate (president of the court-martial)
Carleton Young	...	Capt. Shattuck (prosecutor)
Judson Pratt	...	Lt. Mulqueen (court-martial board member)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (certificate #19413) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Mexican Hat, Utah, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: An Indian rides alongside a soldier and stabs him with a spear.

Goofs:

Continuity: Mary Beecher claims at the trial that she first met Sgt. Rutledge on a caboose, but in her flashback, she clearly meets him in the desert right before they are attacked by Apaches.

Quotes:

1st Sgt. Braxton Rutledge: Anyone come, you ain't gonna be in here with me.
Mary Beecher: What are you talking about?
1st Sgt. Braxton Rutledge: I'm talking about you. A white woman. White women only spell trouble for any of us.
Mary Beecher: That's nonsense. We're just two people trying to stay alive.
1st Sgt. Braxton Rutledge: Lady, you don't know how hard I'm trying to stay alive.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Captain Buffalo

A great underrated film

John Ford, ever the director of the under dog creates another masterpiece of forgotten American history.

Ford, who called himself a social democrat creates another film of nobility and personal convictions, both his and his characters. It is Fords great humanity and sense of justice which makes this film so appealing.

Some of the narrative is forced and the resolution is pat. What we do have is Fords beautiful colour camera in Monument Valley, ala "The Searchers ( 1956 )", broad humour, defined characterizations and attention to detail both individual and historical.

Jeffrey Hunter, always an underrated actor, is fine as the lead, but it is Woody Strode as the title character that is a stand out. His courtroom scene defending his beliefs and humanity is truly moving as is his scene as he rides back to save his troop. A " man mountain" he is ! Through his physical presence Ford coaxes out subtle nuances of character which give the role a ring of truth. Supporting him we have Fords usual wonderful stock players. Although not as poetic or thought out as some of Fords other films this is still miles ahead of other peoples efforts.