My dear mother passed away in July 2023, after living with cancer for over twenty years. I miss her dearly. Sometimes, rewatching movies we both enjoyed is my way of remembering good times. Recently, I thought about A Soldier's Story (1984 film). We watched the movie over and over again and quoted lines to each other. A few months before she died, I invited her to see the live play at a local theater. She was not feeling well, so she suggested I take my brother instead. Like Sinners (2025), A Soldier's Story is set during the era of Jim Crow, segregation of Black people in the United States. Both prominent characters in the films were from Mississippi. However, the villain in A Soldier's Story was not an Irish vampire promising 'Fellowship and Love." Let's discuss.....
Plot
A Soldier's Story is a murder mystery set at an Army base in 1944. Captain Davenport, a Black attorney investigated the murder of Master Sergeant Vernon Waters. Waters, unlike the Smokestack Twins in Sinners, was ashamed of his Black southern peers. His goal was to punish southern Blacks who did not measure up to his vision of how proper Blacks should behave. The movie is suspenseful with twists and turns. After the investigation was complete and the murderers revealed, Captain Davenport cried, and he was not the only one in tears.
"Fellowship and Love*" Sinners (2025)
The human condition is complicated. The desire to belong an innate need. The need for fellowship and love is just as strong as food and water. In reality, anyone can go to a grocery store with money and buy food, but fellowship and love cannot be purchased. Companionship is a strong need, but a lot of people struggle to find it. Why? It is complicated. Mutual attraction is natural, but it is also natural not to be attracted to everybody. It is difficult for some people, for various reasons, to find their tribe.
Master Sargeant Waters was seeking fellowship and love, by getting rid of the Black who he felt hurt hard-working Blacks succeed.
Complicated Villain
Master Sargeant Waters was a victim of his environment. He probably experienced firsthand discrimination. He was proud to see Black succeed and angry when their behavior embarrassed him. Just like Remmick in Sinners, Waters wanted to improve the Black race by using criminal methods. Interestingly, both suffered the same fate.
Classic Film
A Soldier's Story is a historical drama about Blacks struggling to survive the Jim Crow era. After slaving on plantations for years, Jim Crow kept Blacks in unofficial slavery. Even though they were free from slavery, they were not really free because Jim Crow kept them from sharing the same equal liberties as White people. After the war, Blacks were not able to acquire the same GI bill benefits as Whites. We have a long way to go before equality sets in.
A Soldier's Story, based on Charles Fuller's Pulitzer prize winning play, A Soldier's Play, is a classic film because it both entertains and educates. The performances are excellent and the story makes a lasting impression.
Jim Crow is officially over, but discrimination still exists in different forms. Even though we have a long way to go, movies like A Soldier's Story remind us we've come a long way.
Enjoy....
References:
Fellowship and Love-a reference to Sinners (2025), a film by Ryan Coogler