Sergeant rutledge, a western courtroom drama about a black army officer accused of rape and murder, feels progressive. The two above images from the movie illustrate this approach. Sergeant rutledge 1960 at the lone pine film festival one of the films i most enjoyed at last falls lone pine film festival was sergeant rutledge 1960, directed by john ford. An elegant flashback structure unveils rutledges story in this, the finest single film showcase for strode, one of the few actors the cantankerous ford was known. Lieutenant tom cantrell is sent to defend sergeant braxton rutledge, a black cavalry soldier, on a charge of rape and murder. An astonishing film not only for its sheer visual and narrative. Respected black cavalry sergeant brax rutledge stands courtmartial for raping. Sergeant rutledge certainly deserves more attention.
Sergeant rutledge is a film directed by john ford with woody strode, jeffrey hunter, constance towers, billie burke, year. Sergeant rutledge is a decent film and certainly a wellmeaning one, but its repeatedly undermined by the awkward introduction of humor, seemingly for no other reason than to keep things light, and the intrusion of a completely unnecessary romance. Sergeant rutledge us 1960 the case for global film. John fords apology western sergeant rutledge starring. We saw this film on friday evening of the festival. In 1866, new fighting units are formed within the u. A young officer fights desperately to save a black sergeant, on trial for murder and. Cantrell jeffrey hunter defends rutledge as witnesses give. Ford cast strode in the title role because they were good friends.
Ive set my dvr and hope to see sergeant rutledge looking better than ever. Sergeant rutledge literalki rutledge sarjentua, euskal herrian sarjentu beltza izenburuaz ezaguna 1960ko john ford estatubatuar zinema zuzendariaren western filma bat da. Sergeant rutledge john ford has gone down as one of the greatest directors ever in film history. It was filmed in monument valley and in a court room. Beginning with a rousing song about captain buffalo, sergeant rutledge, like fords 1939 epic stagecoach, sets the plot in arizona near the scenic monument valley in a town with a bunch of petty, old biddies. Army fort in the arizona territory in 1881, an officer is murdered and his beautiful young daughter is beaten, raped and strangled. He would go on to appear in three more of fords late films followed by other major westerns famously in the opening sequence of sergio leones once upon a time in the west 1968. The tale opens as 9thcavalry sergeant rutledge is tried for raping his commanding.
Jeffrey hunter and woody strode starred in john fords sergeant rutledge 1960, about a black cavalry officer facing courtmartial. The tale opens as 9thcavalry sergeant rutledge is tried for raping his. Sergeant rutledge is een amerikaanse western uit 1960 onder regie van john ford. Jack miller enjoys the films of howard hawks, jacques tourneur and john ford. Sergeant rutledge manufactured on demand on tcm shop.
Theres a scene late in the film of woody strode playing 1st sergeant braxton rutledge standing vigilantly, broadshouldered and proud, on a small hill along the edge of camp in the aftermath of an indian ambush. Blaxploitation pride sergeant rutledge 1960 facebook. Sergeant rutledge may not end up being your favorite film by john ford, and thats okay. This is a story of how a black soldier in the face of danger from the indians can be so easily mistaken as a. But he also was described once as a tough, twofisted, harddrinking irish sonofabitch who was known to treat actors on his films horribly, by bullying, yelling and even mocking them. Forden western filma asko bezala hau ere utah estatuko monument valley haranean filmatu zen. It acknowledges the issue of race like most westerns never have and the entire plot hinges upon it. Army lawyer tom cantrell jeffrey hunter defends the accused, africanamerican sergeant braxton rutledge woody strode, a soldier who had once been under his command. Sergeant rutledge monument valley in the movies pictures. Western, crime, sergeant rutledge 1960 garden of evil 1954 western starring gary cooper, full movie, english full free western movies duration. This very tall and athletic man with a quite threatening face played in quite a lot of hollywood films, albeit mostly in second roles. Another reason to love it is that there arent many films that are about the buffalo soldiers of the old west, and this is a john ford film that tells a story about them and does it well. It feels like a dialogue about civil rights that happens to include a fair share of horseriding, sixshooting action as well.
This 1960 release is unusual in several ways but primarily because it puts woody strode as. Sergeant rutledge 1960, a film by john ford theiapolis. Sergeant rutledge is a 1960 american technicolor western crime film starring jeffrey hunter, woody strode and billie burke. Sergeant rutledge 1960 movies, tv, celebs, and more.
I see tcm is showing the 1951 film the jackie robinson story just ahead of it, with jackie playing himself, naturally. In the 1880s, africanamerican cavalry sergeant braxton rutledge woody strode was brought up for courtmartial, accused of murdering his co and raping and killing the mans daughter. Many of the features of sergeant rutledge are the familiar tropes of john fords westerns. Though often pigeonholed as one of fords late trio of guiltily amendsmaking movies to blacks here. Watch sergeant rutledge starring jeffrey hunter in this western on directv. Jeffrey hunters character refers early on in the film to the jorgensen ranch. Sergeant rutledge is a 1960 criminal western film directed by john ford, which tells the story of an africanamerican cavalry sergeant who is investigated and courtmartialed for a crime he did. Woody strodes interpretation of brax rutledge is complex, honest and fierce, precisely what makes fords film cut so deep. Sergeant rutledge is available on dvd in the united states through warner brothers.
John fords sergeant rutledge tells the story of a black man, 1st sgt. Even if on the poster of the film his name was put only in the fourth position, the real star of this film is the black actor woody strode 19141994, who plays sergeant rutledge. Creating an african american hero in 1960 is quite remarkable and is culturally important, but maybe its the way the movie is filmed that hinders it. Sergeant york is a 1941 american biographical film about the life of alvin york, one of the mostdecorated american soldiers of world war i. Circumstantial evidence suggests a first sergeant in a black cavalry regiment has raped and murdered a white girl then killed his commanding officer. Not surprisingly, sergeant rutledge fared miserably at the box office.
The collection contains five films, the informer mary of scotland the lost patrol cheyenne autumn sergeant rutledge. Dabney, are found dead in their quarters at fort linton in the arizona territory. But it is, without a doubt, a film that has maintained. Sergeant rutledge is a john ford western court room drama war movie. John ford directed this distinguished movie, the first mainstream western to feature an africanamerican hero. Cavalry who was up before a courtmartial for the rape and murder of a white girl, major dabneys daughter, lucy. Sergeant rutledge give john ford a troop of cavalry, some hostile indians, a wisp of story and chances are the director will come galloping home with an exciting film. Starring woody strode, jeffrey hunter, constance towers, billie burke, juano hernandez, willis bouchey, carleton young, judson pratt. Jeffrey hunterwoody strodesergeant rutledgefilm hd. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Richard brody on john fords film sergeant rutledge, about a black soldier who is charged with raping and murdering a white woman.
This is a story of how a black soldier in the face of danger from the indians can be so easily mistaken as a criminal. Jeffrey hunterwoody strodesergeant rutledgefilm hd1080p. In the summer of 1881, a young woman named lucy dabney and her father, maj. In this film, we are set up with the classic stereotype of such fantasies, young, blonde and virginal, and then confronted with the fear and hatred that the accusation against the benighted sergeant rutledge of having committed a brutal rape and murder against such a victim evokes in all of its raw ugliness. The january and february edition of what is a western.
Media in category sergeant rutledge film 1960 the following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. As much as i enjoy his films and as much as i respect the plot and message of this movie, sergeant rutledge, this isnt one of fords best. The story begins in a courtroom and it is told through flashbacks. Iu cinemas series the rashomon effect concluded its run on december 6 with a screening of the original kurosawa film.
Bertan, woody strode eta jeffrey hunter aktoreek antzeztu zuten. It was directed by john ford and shot on location in monument valley, utah. Still, the film has a striking, formal sort of beauty, and with the glorious landscapes of fords. Without a lavish budget and shot in black and white, this film is somewhat. It was filmed in arizonas monument valley, which ford favored for his westerns, and lends to a great atmosphere for the event and time in history in which it takes. Sergeant rutledge was his first film for john ford and one of his first leading roles. Sergeant rutledge does not stop at that, however, and, again, for 1960, fords foresight in laying out a portrait of a soldier whos black, persecuted and heroic all at once on the westerns larger than life canvas is commendable, though his grandson dan ford writes in pappy that ford sensed in this film the ability to make money, so it. A web page featuring information about sergeant rutledge. Again the film teases us a little as cantrell wont say why he was searching rutledges meagre belongings we eventually discover that lucys. The film was based on the diary of sergeant alvin york, as edited by tom skeyhill, and adapted by harry chandlee, abem finkel. Rui sousas rating of the film sergeant rutledge rui sousa ford used what could be a banal story of a courtroom drama to deepen the close relationship between cinema and the perception, the images and prejudices, the honor of the innocent and the power of the military hierarchy. It was directed by howard hawks and was the highestgrossing film of the year. Ford deliberately filmed strode as rutledge as a commanding, dignified and imposing presence, much as he usually presented the image of john wayne onscreen.
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