A Soldier's Story (1984)

An African American officer investigates a murder in a racially charged situation in World War II.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Charles Fuller (screenplay), Charles Fuller (play)

Stars:

Howard E. Rollins Jr., Adolph Caesar, Art Evans

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Howard E. Rollins Jr.	...	Captain Davenport
Adolph Caesar	...	Sergeant Waters
Art Evans	...	Private Wilkie
David Alan Grier	...	Corporal Cobb
David Harris	...	Private Smalls
Dennis Lipscomb	...	Captain Taylor
Larry Riley	...	C.J. Memphis
Robert Townsend	...	Corporal Ellis
Denzel Washington	...	Private First Class Peterson
William Allen Young	...	Private Henson
Patti LaBelle	...	Big Mary
Wings Hauser	...	Lieutenant Byrd
Scott Paulin	...	Captain Wilcox
John Hancock	...	Sergeant Washington
Trey Wilson	...	Colonel Nivens

Storyline

A black soldier is killed while returning to his base in the deep south. The white people of the area are suspected at first. A tough black army attorney is brought in to find out the truth. We find out a bit more about the dead soldier in flashbacks - and that he was unpopular. Will the attorney find the killer ?

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Plot Keywords:

african american | captain | racism | murder mystery | military officer | 

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Taglines:

Alone, far from home, and far from justice, he has three days to learn the truth about a murder...and the truth is a story you won't forget.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1985 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Sergeant Waters - Eine Soldatengeschichte

Filming Locations:

Clarendon, Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$22,100,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Caldix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original off-Broadway Negro Ensemble Company production of "A Soldier's Story " by Charles Fuller opened at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York on November 20, 1981, ran until January 2, 1983 and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1982.

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Goofs

When Peterson (Denzel Washington) bunts, the play is shown at second base, where the infielder attempts to tag the runner. Any decent fielder would simply force the runner by stepping on the bag. Also, the result of the play would obviously have Peterson safe at first, but when C.J., the next batter, homers, we see Peterson in the dugout clapping and smiling.

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Quotes

Corporal Ellis: I've been driving this jeep for six months, sir. Only turned over twice.
Captain Davenport: Twice?
Corporal Ellis: Yes sir.
Captain Davenport: Good.

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Connections

Featured in Precious Images (1986)

User Reviews

One of the Best of All Time

I can't even say this movie is underappreciated and overlooked b/c it did get a nomination for Best Picture...but I'll say it is anyway! :) This movie is not just a great "black" film, it's a great film, period. Howard Rollins shows the great actor he once was (and makes you saddened by how his later career after "Heat of the Night" turned out) and you cannot beat the who's who of the rest of the cast: Robert Townsend, Denzel, Adolph Caesar... I'm glad I found out it's on DVD with commentary by Mr. Jewison cause it deserves the format (although more goodies would've been great). If you haven't seen it, you must. For excellent acting and story it rarely gets better than this one...