Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Set in 1866, a 9th Cavalry officer (Woody Strode) of an all black unit is accused of the rape and murder of a white girl and killing her father. At his court martial trial, in flashback, we learn of the events leading up to his trial. Directed by John Ford, this powerful indictment of racism still hasn't received its due. Coming off Sirk's searing look at racism in IMITATION OF LIFE the year before, Ford's film seems ahead of its time. Strode's Rutledge realizes the systemic racism of the law as it exists will hang him. As a freed slave, he knows that freedom is in name only as the color of his skin will never give him the freedom of a white man. Not surprisingly, the film was a box office failure. This was the one film that allowed Strode to show his mettle as an actor. Partially shot in Ford's beloved Monument Valley, cinematographer Bert Glennon (HOUSE OF WAX) gives the movie a glossy sheen. Alas, Ford once again pads out the film unnecessarily with unneeded humor (like the poker game) or Billie Burke as a ditzy Cavalry wife which detract from the film's intensity. With Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Towers, Juano Hernandez, Rafer Johnson and Toby Michaels.