Two Soldiers (2003)

Mississippi, just before Pearl Harbor. Two brothers, Pete, about 19 and Willie, about 10 years younger. They are clearly close friends. The news arrives, and Pete goes to enlist. Willie ... See full summary »

Director:

Aaron Schneider

Writers:

William Faulkner (short story), Aaron Schneider

Stars:

Jonathan Furr, Ben Allison, Ron Perlman

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Furr	...	Willie Grier (as Jonathan 'Furrball' Furr)
Ben Allison	...	Pete Grier
Ron Perlman	...	Colonel McKellog
David Andrews	...	Lieutenant Hogenbeck
Mike Pniewski	...	Sheriff Foote
Deacon Dawson	...	Mr. Grossnickel
Joanne Pankow	...	Mrs. Habersham
Danny Vinson	...	Pap Grier
Suellen Yates	...	Maw Grier
David Hall	...	Private
D.H. Johnson	...	Colonel's Driver
Al Wiggins	...	Man on the Bus
Allan Hamilton	...	Bus Driver
Warren Hendon	...	Old Man Killegrew (as Warren Jack Hendon)
Nancy Saunders	...	Old Lady Killegrew

Storyline

Mississippi, just before Pearl Harbor. Two brothers, Pete, about 19 and Willie, about 10 years younger. They are clearly close friends. The news arrives, and Pete goes to enlist. Willie wants to come along, but is told he cannot. After his brother leaves, the boy walks 30 miles to the nearest town, where the sheriff eventually puts him on a bus to Memphis where his brother is. At the recruiting office, Willie proves even more determined to see his brother; eventually, sympathetic Col. McKellogg takes care of him.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | bus | looking in window | brother brother relationship | dc 3 | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

William Faulkner's Two Soldiers

Filming Locations:

East Bend, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shoe Clerk Picture Co. Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

40 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At 28:19 on the DVD feature, Colonel McKellog says "You know, a great man once said that God put the firewood there but every man must gather it and light it for himself", to which Lieutenant Hogenbeck responds "Abraham Lincoln", and Willie Grier then says "Lone Ranger". The quote is actually from the "Ranger creed" in the Lone Ranger series.

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Goofs

At 12:49 on the DVD as Willie Grier is walking down the road in the moonlight, he seems to be walking on a path in the middle of the road. At 10:23 in the 3rd (director and cinematographer) commentary Aaron Schneider mentions that Bill Eaton, who owned the farm where location shots were made, assisted by spreading quarry gravel (granite dust at 08:44 in the documentary "Behind the Scenes") over the yellow lines to conceal them and avoid an anachronism.

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Quotes

Colonel McKellog: Aside from Army versus Navy and World War II, my day is entirely free.

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Connections

Referenced in Independent Filmmaking in Wilmington, NC (2004)

User Reviews

A top notch short film

Based on a William Faulkner short story, Two Soldiers is a top notch short film, a movie that has enough story, emotion and great cinematography for a feature film and definitely leaves you wanting more in the end. The story involves two dirt poor Mississippi brothers, one only a kid, the other old enough to volunteer for the war effort shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The younger brother, played brilliantly by newcomer Jonathan Furr, doesn't want to let his older brother go, and he sets out on a quest to enlist in the Army himself. Ron Perlman gives a gruff but touching peformance as the Army Colonel who decides to help the kid.

Because it is only 39 minutes long, this gem will be hard to find (it will most likely be confined to the festival circuit for now), but remember the name Aaron Schneider--this picture marks him as a director to watch.