Review of Sergeant Rutledge (1960) by Allan C — 14 Dec 2013
John Ford is my favorite American director, but this one, although good, is a mixed bag. Woody Strode is a US Cavalry soldier accused of murder. The story unfolds in flashbacks at his court martial, with Jeffrey Hunter as his defense lawyer.
Ford pushed Hollywood boundaries by tackling racism towards African Americans in the midst of the civil rights movement, but the film ironically continues the racist Hollywood tradition of portraying Native Americans as inhuman savages.
Ford actually took care to portray Native Americans in a better light than most filmmakers of the time, but it's a portrayal that would hardly be considered progressive by today's standards and feels especially out of place in this film considering the subject matter.
The other aspect of the film that doesn't quite work is the out of place comedy that is sprinkled throughout the film. Still, it's an engaging story and I really did not know how the film was going to end.
Woody Strode is great and probably would have been a much bigger star if he'd been making film 40 years later. It's very cool to see an African American in the lead of a Hollywood film, which is something that rarely happened in this era.
It's also always great to see Ford filming in Monument Valley. Constance Towers and Hank Worden also appear in the film.
This review of Sergeant Rutledge (1960) was written by Allan C on 14 Dec 2013.
Sergeant Rutledge has generally received very positive reviews.
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