Two Soldiers (2003)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Aaron Schneider

Writers:

William Faulkner (short story)
Aaron Schneider (written by)

Genre:

Short | Drama | War

Plot:

Mississippi, just before Pearl Harbor. Two brothers, Pete, about 19 and Willie, about 10 years younger...

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Sheriff | Football | Child Traveling Alone | Tear Jerker

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

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

Runtime:

40 min | USA:39 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

East Bend, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Shoe Clerk Picture Co. Inc.

Trivia:

Made its Midwest premiere on June 26-28 in Peoria, Illinois, the hometown of writer/director Aaron Schneider. Both Aaron Schneider and Ron Perlman attended the screening, which was followed by a reception at the Hotel Pere Marquette.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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.

Quotes:

Colonel McKellog: So what the hell is this about?
Lieutenant Hogenbeck: I have no idea, sir. You'll have to ask that little pissant there.
Colonel McKellog: I was, Lieutenant.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Independent Filmmaking in Wilmington, NC (2004)

A Classic!

William Faulkner was one of the American writers to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Faulkner mostly wrote about life in the South particularly during the depression years. Many of his stories have been adapted to screen. Short stories like Two Soldiers is an endearing tale of two brothers in December 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The older brother, Pete Greer, goes to Memphis, Tennessee to enlist like hundreds of thousands of young men, some who would never come home. His younger brother doesn't take his departure well. He manages to get a bus ticket to Memphis without any money to find his brother. He surprisingly becomes a soldier of another kind since he wants to enlist also at 10 years old. Ron Perlman does a surprising performance as the military leader who manages to take care and bond with the boy. This short film won an Oscar for Best Short-Live Action film which is well-deserved. If it was longer, it could compete with the longer films. Everything else like costumes, art direction, and recreating the era of America in 1941 is perfect. The film also shows the heartbreaking war at home as most Americans were surviving the great depression. The actors and actresses are not known but they do a first rate performances. If Hollywood would make more quality films, I would probably go to the cinema more. If Broadway had more quality shows, I would go to the theater more.