A SOLDIER'S STORY

US, 1984, 101 minutes, Colour.
Howard Rollins, Jr, Adolph Caesar, Denzel Washington, Art Evans, Wings Hauser, Patti La Belle, Robert Townsend, David Alan Grier.
Directed by Norman Jewison.

A Soldier's Story is a fine drama which was nominated for Best Film of 1984 (against Places in the Heart, Amadeus, The Killing Fields, Passage to India). It was directed by Norman Jewison and resembles in theme and sometimes in treatment his Oscar-winning In The Heat of the Night. The film is a murder mystery, adapted from his stage play, A Soldier's Play, by Charles Fuller (also Oscar-nominated).

The central role is taken by Howard Rollins Junior (in a very Sidney Poitier manner - and Rollins took Poitier's role in the TV series of In The Heat of the Night). There is a fine ensemble cast of black actors including Oscar-nominated Adolf Caesar in the central role of Sergeant Waters and Denzel Washington as Peterson. The film captures the atmosphere of the period, 1944, in Arkansas. It explores themes of race prejudice, not only between black and white, but within the black group.

A thoughtful piece of Americana.

1. The impact of the film? Oscar nominations? As a murder mystery, race relationship drama? The films of Norman Jewison?

2. The 1944 settings, Arkansas, the camp and its environment, soldiers' quarters, separation of black and white?

3. The contribution of the musical score, Patti La Belle and her songs, Larry Riley as C.J. and his songs? The music at the end and the final parade and march?

4. The strength of the cast, their ensemble acting?

5. The title and its general reference, to black soldiers and white? Who was the soldier and who is the story? The application to each of the men? To Sergeant Waters? To his killer? To the investigator? The end and the black soldiers at last going to fight in World War Two for America?

6. How effective was the murder mystery: the opening in the club, the introduction to Waters, the close-up of the gun? The nature of the investigation, the giving of testimony, the build-up of the flashbacks? Characters and their perspectives? Davenport putting it together? Suspects, both black and white? The official cover-ups? The truth?

7. Race themes: the clash between black and white in the south, traditional antagonism? The nature of the prejudice, the black being less than the white, the arrogance of the white? The presence of blacks in the American army, their being used for menial work? Separate quarters? Their reaction to Davenport's arrival, support for him? The white officers and their policy, looking after black soldiers? The white officers and their clash with Waters? Their interrogation and disdain of Davenport? The role of the Klan? Tensions? Unity in baseball? Segregation and its consequences? The possibility of investigation together, the possibility of friendships?

8. Race themes amongst the blacks themselves: their hopes for betterment, feeling humiliated in their war service? Davenport as an officer, a lawyer? The end and the comment on black officers in the future? Also friendships between black and white? Peterson and his anger? C.J. and his place? Waters and his devotion to the service, his understanding of elite blacks and trying to get into the world of the white? The influence of his father, World War One and the blacks getting no gains, the clown and his murder in Paris? Waters' demands on the men, the arguments and fights, the clashes with Peterson? Baseball and C.J., despising C.J. as black trash? Demoting Wilkie, using him? The prejudice within the group?

9. Davenport and his arrival, the Sidney Poitier style, the Macarthur dark glasses, Ellis and his reaction, the black soldiers, the white officials, their speaking bluntly and covering themselves? A lawyer and fair? His own prejudices? His interviews with the black soldiers? Building up a picture? Interrogating the whites and their treatment of him, his believing what they said? Taylor and the growing respect, clashes? The finale with Peterson and Smalls? His ambitions, manner, achievement?

10. The white officers: the colonel and his work with black enlisted men, the cover-up? The rules, the short investigation? Taylor, his surprise, not having seen a black man till 13, his help, interviewing the whites, his admiration of C.J. and the baseball team? His friendship with Davenport?

11. Waters, his death, the building up of the picture? Wilkie and his work with Waters, good and bad, his being demoted, his despising of Waters, though having to listen to him, his being used to frame C.J? Peterson and his clash, ideological difficulties, the fight, his standing up to Waters, arguments? C.J. and Waters' treatment of him, seeming friendship, setting him up, provoking him, the violence, striking an officer, going to see him in the cell and pouring out his scorn on him? Driving him to death? His reaction to the baseball, the painting job after the match? Tough, planting the gun? Cobb and his memories of C.J. in the cell, blaming Waters for his death? His drinking, telling the story to Wilkie about Paris? Fighting the whites and their leaving him on the road? The final clash with Peterson and his death?

12. Peterson, Alabama and Hollywood, strong, protesting, his fighting Waters and Waters' dirty tactics, his angers? The protest and the loss of the baseball match? The finale and his killing Waters? The escape with Smalls? Smalls and the accusation, being scared? Davenport's question as to who gave him the right to judge?

13. C.J., his type, singing, pleasant to everyone, skill as a baseball player, his hit? Being framed by Waters? The humiliation? In the cell? His death?
14. Wilkie, his place and relationship with black and white, ignorant, family, fears, planting the gun? Telling the truth?

15. Cobb and the others, their training, the work, the jobs, speaking to Davenport? Friendship with C.J?

16. Ellis, the driving, his observations?

17. The sequences in the bar, the songs, the atmosphere of black music and entertainment?

18. The baseball and the response of the blacks, of Taylor, the whites?

19. The significance of Waters' monologue about his experience in Paris: World War One, the whites telling the French girls that blacks had tails? Their dressing up the black man with a tail, running him around, a reed in his hand, a crown, blanket on his shoulder? Getting him to scream and eat bananas like a monkey? The cutting of his throat by the blacks - and his asking what he had done wrong? His being a Christ figure and considered a clown? C.J. as a similar victim and Christ figure?

20. The finale, the blacks going to war, the joy, the threats to Hitler? The final image of black and white patriotically marching to war?