A Soldier’s Story (1984)

“Remember, you’re the first colored officer most of these men ever seen. The Army expects you to set an example for the colored troops… and be a credit to your race.” – Colonel Nivens

Number of Times Seen – 2 (13 Oct 2000 and 3 Mar 2015)

Brief Synopsis – In 1944, a black drill instructor is killed on a segregated army base. A black officer is sent to investigate causing much tension among the segregated troops.

My Take on it – Apparently, this was a movie that no one wanted to make because of how it shows racial hatred in the military during WWII. Director Norman Jewison was known for successfully making controversial racial movies, so he truly was the perfect choice to direct this film.

The story, which was originally a play that won multiple awards, is actually a simple whodunit but the fact that there is a much deeper meaning to everything that happens, it works very well.

The cast of black actors were mostly unknown at the time, but many including Denzel Washington are pretty recognizable 40 years later.

Bottom Line – Shows how even in the army during WWII, there was prevalent segregation and hatred among the troops. The story itself is simple, but there is so much more of a deep meaning in everything that goes on. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The film’s title was changed from “A Soldier’s Play” to “A Soldier’s Story” because of the change of format from stage to film and also because of the fact that the movie was considerably opened up from the limited restrictions of the theater medium. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

For a more comprehensive review of this movie, check out Richard’s review over at 70srichard

_______________________________________

Check out my *updated* movie stats here

To see my reviews of Oscar Winning Performances check out this link

To see my reviews of all Oscar Best Picture Winners click here (now complete)

Here is a link to my movie index A-Z