Tuesday, 19 November 2013

John Ford goes to court

Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Directed by John Ford this film stars Woody Stroode, Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Towers and Willis Bouchey. In the 1880s an African American cavalry sergeant stands trial with his story told through flash backs.

This is a fairly simple story of racial prejudice that while it might not have the depth and scale of Ford's The Searchers (1956) it is still a good anti racism piece. While the plot maybe constructed in a slightly unrealistic order of revelation it works pretty well and does not stretch believability too much. As with any John Ford western there are some excellent shots of Monument Valley during the flash back sequences and this film is completely watchable.


4/5

No comments:

Post a Comment