A Soldier’s Story **** (1984, Howard E Rollins Jr, Adolph Caesar, Art Evans, David Alan Grier, Denzel Washington) – Classic Movie Review 11,169

‘Alone, far from home, and far from justice, he has three days to learn the truth about a murder… and the truth is a story you won’t forget.’

Director Norman Jewison’s 1984 film A Soldier’s Story is a riveting liberal conscience thriller, starring Howard E Rollins Jr as an African-American officer called Captain Davenport, the lawyer sent from Washington to investigate the death of another black soldier while returning to his base in Louisiana in 1944. The white soldiers in the segregated US Army at the post are worried because they are suspected and want the incident whitewashed.

Director Jewison does an astute job of the stage to screen transfer – there is no feeling of strain at the opening out – and gets his message home without lowering the entertainment quota.

Rollins (Oscar nominated for Ragtime) is so fine you wonder why he isn’t better known. Adolph Ceasar is also remarkable in flashbacks as the murdered soldier, Sergeant Waters.

Charles Fuller scrupulously adapts his own Pulitzer-prize play in a model piece of work.

A Soldier’s Story was short of the award-winning recognition it deserved but it was nominated for three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Adolph Caesar) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Charles Fuller). It was also nominated for three similar Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Adolph Caesar) and Best Screenplay – Motion Picture (Charles Fuller).

Also in the cast are Adolph Caesar, Art Evans, David Alan Grier, David Harris, Dennis Lipscomb, Denzel Washington (in his second cinema feature as Private First Class Peterson), Larry Riley, Patti LaBelle, Wings Hauser, Robert Townsend, Scott Paulin, John Hancock, and Trey Wilson.

RIP Howard E. Rollins Jr (1950–1996), who was diagnosed with AIDS-related lymphoma in late 1996 and died six weeks later on 8 December 1996 of complications from the disease at the age of 46.

He was offered $40,000 for his starring role in A Soldier’s Story. He said: ‘This project is being referred to as ‘special, ‘unusual’, ‘different’, but when you cut through the bullshit it’s because it’s a black production. I’m tired of words like ‘prestige’ and ‘dedication’. Sure, we’re dedicated. but for no money.’

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,169

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