Buffalo Soldiers (1997)

Fact based story about the all-black US Cavalry Troop H which protected the Western territories in post Civil War times. The story focuses on the troops attempts to capture an Apache ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Haid

Writers:

Jonathan Klein (story), Frank Military (story)

Stars:

Lamont Bentley, Tom Bower, Timothy Busfield

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lamont Bentley	...	Cpl. Sea
Tom Bower	...	Gen. Pike
Timothy Busfield	...	Maj. Robert Carr
Gabriel Casseus
Danny Glover	...	Sgt. Washington Wyatt
Bob Gunton	...	Col. Benjamin Grierson
Keith Jefferson	...	Andrew Boyer
Robert Knott	...	Capt. Oren Draper
Carl Lumbly	...	John Horse
Clifton Powell
Matt Ross	...	Capt. Calhoun
Glynn Turman	...	Sgt. Joshua 'Joyu' Judges Ruth
Michael Warren	...	Cpl. Eddie Tockes
Mykelti Williamson	...	Cpl. William Christy
David Jean Thomas	...	Cpl. Roseman Lloyd

Storyline

Fact based story about the all-black US Cavalry Troop H which protected the Western territories in post Civil War times. The story focuses on the troops attempts to capture an Apache warrior named Vittorio who slaughters the settlers in New Mexico. The film examines the racial tensions that existed between the black soldiers and some of the white soldiers and the truths about the Indian invaders.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona territory | texas ranger | apache territory | chiricahua mountains arizona | drum | 

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Taglines:

From slaves to free men. From free men to soldiers. From soldiers to legends.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Western

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in southeastern Arizona in and near the Chiricahua Mountains National Monument, this was the actual land patrolled, protected and fought in by the famed 10th Cavalry. This all-black unit is celebrated at Ft. Huachuca at the Post Military Museum. Fort Huachuca has been in continuous operations since 1877, one of the oldest U.S. Army forts in existence.

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Goofs

The scene when the soldiers are singing "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" while burying an officer is erroneous. The year the movie depicts is 1880. Thomas Dorsey, known as the "Father of Black Gospel Music" and the composer of the song, was born in 1899, nineteen years later, and he hadn't written the song until 1932.

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Quotes

Sgt. Wyatt: When an enemy praises an enemy, the smart man listens.

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Connections

Referenced in Moesha: Back to Africa (1997)

User Reviews

The way of freedom

"Buffalo Soldiers' is an average western/adventure entry that tell a story about a troop in the U.S. Army after the Civil War exclusively for black soldiers. Based on this historical point, the movie is concerned with some crucial aspects of these arrangements: the bad treatment that was given to the black soldiers by some of the white officials, the evident absurdity of serve in the U.S Army, die for the country and not receive an equal treatment and some other minor stuffs. 'Buffalo Soldiers' tries to do that without lose the sense of adventure and action along the way. Here, the success is just mild. Sometimes, you feel that the dialogs are a bit too dialectical, too political, to be really natural. And the ending is a bit too unreal, maybe, especially when one considers the shape of conscience of the sergeant-major, played by Danny Golver. All considered, that is not a bad movie. But its commitment to discuss aspects like freedom, self-conscience, compassion and respect for the Apache culture, weighed the movie a bit too heavy. Good performances all around, especially Carl Lumbly as the scout named Horse.

Details

Official Sites:

TNT

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bufalo vojnici

Filming Locations:

Cochise Stronghold, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Citadel Entertainment, Trilogy Entertainment Group, Turner Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1