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A Soldier's Story (1984)

| Crime, Drama, Mystery | 2 November 1984 (USA)
A Soldier's Story Poster
An African American officer investigates a murder in a racially charged situation in World War II.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (play)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

27 photos | 12 news articles »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Captain Davenport
...
Sergeant Waters
...
Private Wilkie
...
Corporal Cobb
...
Private Smalls
...
Captain Taylor
Larry Riley ...
C.J. Memphis
...
Corporal Ellis
...
...
Private Henson
...
Big Mary
...
Lieutenant Byrd
...
Captain Wilcox
...
Sergeant Washington
...
Colonel Nivens
See full cast »
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Storyline

A black soldier is killed while returning to his base in the deep south. The white people of the area are suspected at first. A tough black army attorney is brought in to find out the truth. We find out a bit more about the dead soldier in flashbacks - and that he was unpopular. Will the attorney find the killer ? Written by Colin Tinto <[email protected]>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

soldier | flashback | military lawyer | captain | african american | See All (107) »

Taglines:

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.

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | War

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

2 November 1984 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

La historia de un soldado  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$22,100,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Denzel Washington was not Oscar nominated for this film - and had never been - had prior to this movie been mostly known at the time for co-starring with George Segal in the racial comedy Carbon Copy (1981). However, Washington would go on to get Oscar nominated six times (as of May 2013), winning two Academy Awards, and in total has received more Oscar nominations, than what this film received, which was three. See more »

Goofs

When Howard Rollins' character questions the two white officers in the O Club pool hall, there are pictures from H. Charles McBarron's "The Army in Action" series; specifically noticeable is "First at Vicksburg". Although the series could be found on virtually every Army post, and could be ordered through government printing services, it was not available until after World War II. "First at Vicksburg" was not painted until 1955. See more »

Quotes

C.J. Memphis: Any man ain't sure where he belong, gotta' be in a whole lotta pain.
See more »

Connections

Featured in The Core of the Apple: Blacks in the Media and Performing Arts (1986) See more »

Soundtracks

Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)
Written by Leroy Brown, Charlie Tobias and Sam H. Stept
Performed by The Andrews Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.
See more »

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User Reviews

A gripping military drama
12 July 2003 | by (Bernardsville, NJ) – See all my reviews

A Soldier's Story, (1984) is the story of an Army sergeant who is

found murdered in cold blood. Whodunnit? The choices are many

in this engrossing, complex morality play which is set in the

backdrop of the segregated Army of WWII. (Only 60 years ago!)

This is truly a black eye on the military if there ever was one.

Several future stars are featured here including Oscar winner

Denzel Washington, David Alan Grier, and the excellent Howard

Rollins Jr. who stars as an Army Capt. and lawyer sent from

Washington to unravel this mysterious killing. The movie really

belongs to Adolph Ceasar as the murdered sergeant , however. A

WWI veteran and medal winner he constantly affirms the the ability

of the black soldier in a segregated Army as professional, efficient

and courageous, but who fails to stand for any "weaknesses" he

sees in his men, many of whom are naieve country boys, whose

ways he believes are keeping black men subjugated in Uncle

Sam's Army. One chiling scene not to be missed is Ceasar's

solliliquy in the bar with his staff sergeant, in which he describes

an incident in France in WWI. An excellent movie which should be

viewed as part of recent US history. Highly recommended.

15 of 18 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?
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