I wrote this in another post...but Sgt. Waters may very well be the most interesting black character ever put on film. The depth of the man is astonishing and if you ask 50 black people, you might get a split on how they view him. When I was younger, it was easy to write him off as a self hating Uncle Tom. And I think there were remnants of that in there by design. But it's SO CLEAR that there's much more to him than that. If anything, I think he cares TOO MUCH about his people...to the point of losing perspective of how different black people can be. When you consider it's based in WWII (the early 1940's), it makes a lot of sense. This is before Dr. King, hell this is before Jackie Robinson. Robert Townsend's character mentions Joe Louis' knockout of Max Schmeling...that literally may have been the stateside highlight of black people en masse in the United States at that time. I say stateside because Jesse Owens completely obliterated Adolf Hitler's notions of white supremacy in the 1936 Olympics, but that was in Germany. So, we're still segregated and there's still the vestiges of second class citizenship in the U.S., both north and south. So from Sgt. Waters' point of view, the only way to be on the level of white people is to beat them at their own game. You don't have any margin for error. Remember, this was an era when blacks were still being lynched for God's sake. So you have to be sharp, smart, hard working, and disciplined. That's why he rides those men...it's his way not to build them up, but to separate the ones he doesn't think fit this worldview of advancement. Remember, HE LIKES Peterson (Denzel Washington). They fight, but he respects his intelligence and toughness. CJ on the other hand, comes off as the simple, sambo, Geechie stereotype. Everything wrong with the PERCEPTION of black people in Sgt. Waters' eyes. That's really what it was about. He didn't really have a personal problem with CJ...the conversation he has with him in the prison kinda confirms that. It was just...business. The business of black advancement. And to get where he saw black people going, it had to be done with those values I spoke of and his Waters' eyes, CJ just didn't cut the muster. You wanna know how I come to this conclusion? It's in the end of the movie. He's drunk because he feels guilty about his responsibility in CJ hanging himself. He knows he drove him to do it. Fascinating considering he tells Wilkie about the man they killed in France that was willing to be "King of the Monkeys". And after all of those efforts to be seen as an example, to take his place with those white men he secretly despised, he comes to the stark reality that in his words, "They still hate you!" The irony is that Peterson and Waters come from two sides of the same coin, which really was the underlying theme of the movie. Hate in any form can be justified, but it is never productive. Waters hatred of the idea/perception simple, non race lifting black people...and Peterson's hatred of 'Uncle Tom' type men like Waters. Both were WRONG...and yet, both still persist today.
DAMN Man, you hit that nail right on it's head. Shit, that is a real good observation on the mind set during that time and era, some people don't take the time to research SHIT and go off on the the notion of what somebody else said. You made a lot of good points my man, WELL DONE...
Great breakdown and analysis of perspective based on BOTH... 1) The era and timeframe the movie was set in ( seperate water fountains, only one real generation after slavery, at least a half generation B4 the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam, MLK-Malcolm X-JFK, these were the children of slaves judging 'lost' grandchildren if slaves... Reminds me of the Butler how Whitaker's character's perspective and world view couldn't help but be different from his 'trouble-making-time-wasting "lost" son But he lived long enough to see his son has a hero, a patriot and joined him 2) As the OP stated though...being able to pick up the depth of the character and how his generational experience may have molded him many times means the consumer ( the reader/watcher) themselves have to be mature/cultured enough to 'get' it or ish flies over one's head. Again I didn't even want to see the Butler but it came on, on Father's Day my young adult son and I got caught up in 'what's this' from rhe opening scene...is that David Banner 'the rapper'...and couldn't stop watching Anyway the point is if you ask Forrest Whitaker's character ( the Dad aka The Butler) about his son, among other things the answer and thought pattern would definitely have to do with WHEN you asked him... How much life had he seen up into the time in which you asked the question...same thing here, I too am in my 40's ( late) and seeing thus movie and one like the Butler are seen in a different lense than they could have ever been seen 20-25 years ago So yeah as a no life experience kid you might see Sage ( as I did at one time) some kinda way, that's different than a more well-rounded person taking into account more context Some ppl like Denzel's character or The Butler's son have the luxury of being one-track driven because ppl before them laid the groundwork and passed the baton to a different type runner, not necessarily better just different Just like in sports, sometimes 'styles' and timing "make" some folks a God-like hero vs another baller that just never got 'da 💘 but was the ish, if looked back upon with sage eyes and perspective ( Dr. J...anybody?) We have to remember, by tge time we get to the 5th flow of experience and perspective...many haven't made it past the 2nd and sadly a lot never will....
You need to read the background of this play. He is a villain, he became what he hated a bigot. Unlike the white folk, his people dealt with him. He had a false sense of power. Smfh
This wasn't in the script, which was pretty tight to which I mean the writing was brilliant, I sometimes wonder before they put the knife to that soldier's throat what if the whites put a knife to his throat to get him to do it? It's a big what if since the Sarge is suggesting the soldier was paid, but it could have been a situation where he got the carrot and the stick, so they were killing someone who was put in a position where he was given no choice and then killed off by those who should have been his friends. Just wondering, perhaps too much.
@@schizoidboy Not sure how old you are but there were plenty of black people back then that truly believed white people were superior. Starting with Booker T. Washington. There are still plenty of black people today who "act a fool" for the enjoyment of white people. Starting with Kevin Hart.
@@schizoidboy No one can make you wear a tail and be paraded around to shame your entire race. Death before dishonor is a real thing. I think you need to watch the monologue again. I think you are missing the overall context, historical context, more than likely aren’t familiar with the dynamics of what Adolph Caesar is talking about. Also, the whole part about “Moonshine” asking what he did wrong before his throat was slit negates your whole hypothetical theory as to the possibility of what could justify “Moonshines” behavior. I really think that whole scene flew about 30,000 ft right over your head.
@xanderluv But i've realized that don't matter now, All that matters is All the folks That are giving him his props today 👏, And it never changes the fact that he was a legendary actor!
Totally agree. I love it when an actor can deliver a key clue of a mystery through a single line. We (the audience) know whatever is going to come next is going to be important.
……..and he literally influenced him (planted ill seeds in his mind) to hate him like *he hated him……even though he had no valid reason to do so. The downfall of most folk in general……………..regardless of their “race.”
@junglekutz5625 No, he had a valid reason to hate CJ and he explained it. What he didn't have was a legit reason to make life hard on him. He could have tried to have a sit-down wit him and explain what his views.
HE DESPISED HIM! That line is delivered so well.......this might be one of the powerful scenes in the entire movie.......this and the fight scene between Sarge and Petersen
"You got to be like them, but the rules are FIXED!" "..but it doesn't make any difference. They still hate you!" That scene revealed so many complexities of being Black in a white world.
YES!!! I always thought this was one of the best scenes in the movie. The entire mood changed and you could see the disgust and hate in Sergeant's eyes!!! Academy Award worthy scene.
Sgt Waters went to a dark place when started telling that story. For the most part he seems like a very benign character with well meaning intentions but at the end of the story it ends up with him slitting someone's throat. Adolph was a great actor damn shame he died so young.
Waters was justified in doing so, because one negro has no self respect and would demean himself for money and hold back all negros. This was in WW1. So water's and most likely other black soldiers who are wanting respect murdered him. Waters always saw CJ as a fool. Sure not on the level of a guy who would wear a fake tail and eat bananas and act like a monkey but he saw cj as the weak link in the chain.
The way the background falls away when Sarge tells the story. Brilliant cinematography. Like you are descending past the veil and into the deep abyss of Sarge’s hatred and motivation. Also, the addition of “Mademoiselle from Armentieres” at the beginning of the story is brilliant.
Everything Sarge mentioned is ACTUALLY true what them White men told the FRENCH women. We had a neighbor that served over seas during that time and he said that the french women were following them TRYING to see if the really had tails.But the reality is the french women LOVED black men and after the war ended, a lot of black soldiers stayed over there , the french women treated them like KINGS my neighbor told me and my bro.
my daddy told me we have to turn our backs on his kind Wilkie, close our ranks to the chitterlinks ( chitlins), Collard greens, cornbread style... lol oh shit!
When the scene went dark and quiet, and the camera closed in on Waters you can just feel the anger he was feeling with the "made him eat bananas in front of those Frenchys", powerful scene
And the cruel irony to this is what happened to Black GIs that earned those honors when they came back "home." The shame of a nation to treat soldiers that way.
@@davidcombs3617 Oh you mean like how quite a few were killed or beaten and a huge number of them were denied benefits? "What have you got to LOSE?" --Donald Trump (the guy that'll take it all once he finds out)
@@davidcombs3617 I've been trying to make a Red Summer documentary happen for over a decade. One of the two or three most important, most deeply hidden parts of this country's complicated history.
Taken right out of stage play direction. Not many movies use the technique. The depend on camera cuts and camera angles. Stage plays do it because everything is done right in front of the audience.
It’s amazing how when I became an adult I got a complete understanding of Sgt Waters now I don’t agree about how he went about things but he was definitely on point!
@@R-Chillz Just be lucky he didn't go psycho like Gomer Pyle in _Full Metal Jacket._ But yes that fool soldier disgraced his rank, his squad, and his race. A honor killing, to be sure.
A'Don Allen III "..it was a crazy kinda hate...you could just feeeel it." Art Evans is one of our country's finest character actors. Check him out in 'The Mighty Quinn', 'Trespass', 'Die Hard 2' and 'Jo Jo Dancer....'
Bet Spielberg must've the watched this film over and over until he finally got it in his mind to bring 'The Color Purple' to the big screen a year later. Wouldn't be surprised to find out if he had specifically requested Adolph Caesar for the supporting cast after putting down a career-defining performance in 'A Soldier's Story'. And yeah, that was one heck of a black cast! You can even tell Denzel as young as he was back then was gonna end up goin' places not long after this film... ;-)
Adolf Caesar played the hell out of this scene. Very powerful, tense & emotional scene. It just grabs your attention to his story. I saw this movie at the local movie theater. Too bad it was beaten out by Amadeus in the Academy Awards for Best Motion Picture. It' one hell of a movie.
Just as long as we recognize the movie for what it was! Doesn't matter what the Academy thinks..... This is 1of the few few movies that I can watch over and over again!
That guy was also the voice of many trailers in the 70s and early 80s before his death as he did Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Creepshow, Sleepaway Camp, Nightmare (1981), Bloodsucking Freaks, Blacula, The Dark Crystal, Nightmare on Elm Street and so much more. Adolph Caesar, the most legendary trailer voice this side of Percy Rodriguez and more.
“And when we slit his throat, do you know that fool asked us what he had done wrong?” “And I don’t intent for our race to be cheated out it’s place of honour and respect in this war because of fools like C.J.” Adolph Caesar’s acting and delivery is impeccable. One of the greatest scenes of all time, in my opinion.
Wow! Great cinematography, camera usage, and sound editing! Notice how the focus seamlessly transitions to their mirror images as Sgt. Waters recounts the Cafe Napoleon story, then back to the actual actors at the story's conclusion. Also notice how CJ's singing fades out and the French accordion comes in when he says that they were in France. And notice how all music and noise is cancelled and only Sgt. Waters' voice is heard when he begins to describe the behavior of "Moonshine, King of the Monkeys" and the punishment they dealt to him ... All this is brilliant
Adolph Caesar dominated this role. One of the most powerful performances I ever seen on film to this day. I was really young when I first saw this and didnt appreciate it til I got older.
THEY DONT MAKE BLACK MOVIES LIKE THIS ANYMORE. THIS MOVIE CAME OUT IN 1984. ONE OF MY FAVORITE BLACK MOVIES. GOOD ACTORS,EXCELLENT PERFORMERS. SOMEBODY SHOULD Have GOTTEN AN AWARD FOR THE EXCELLENT MOVIE.!!!!
3:53 its at this exact moment, he snaps out of it and comes back to reality. He was reliving the moment, ready to kill again. Watch the eyes blink. This is stellar acting. I wish we'd seen more mainstream from Adolph Caesar. The Color Purple is the only other film I remember him in as a child.
This speech is powerful. “He’s the kind of boy that seems innocent Wilkey . Got everybody on the post thinking he’s a strong black buck. White boys envy his strength… His speed.. the power in his Swing” my favorite line in this movie
It took me years and watching Tim Scott and coondace Owens and others to truly appreciate what sgt. Waters said. I don't think none of them ever saw this movie. I didn't agree with everything he did but I understood.
Watching this scene took me back to those horrible days when grandma would line us all up and force us each to drink a tablespoon of castor oil if anything was "going around." If one of us was sick, we all had to get in line and down that nasty tablespoon. You're right. Nowadays, we have the likes of Byron, Tim, and Candace in our ranks. They are the reason we have to stand up and watch this scene all over again all the way up in 2024🤢.
I always felt sorry for Wilkie. He was a family man, lost his stripes, and ended up arrested as an accessory to a serious crime for doing nothing more than hiding that gun under CJ's bed.
Notice nothing has changed there. When a black man does the crime he'll pay and pay and pay and most whites and a lot of blacks think that's the way it should be.
Wilkie lost his stripes because of his own foolishness by being drunk on guard duty. He wasn't thinking about his family at all just his own indulgence. He was just a yes man who didn't have a spine. He went along to get along. No respect for a man like that at all.
@zzzzzzzzzzzk yes it is. Like Sarge told him when he took his stripes the punishment for being drunk on duty during war time is death. Sarge actually did him a solid.
I saw this movie as a kid and liked it even then. As a kid I couldn’t understand why Water’s hated CJ so much. As an adult I understand Sgt. Water’s point of view. I appreciate the performances from all of the actors; this is one of the best films of all time!
1:39 Remember watching this film back in film school. This was the scene that stuck with the most, such a well written film. I gotta rewatch this movie.
On all sides. Not a wasted performance in the entire movie. Though if I'd choose one it would be Robert Townsend. Not bad but everyone else in the movie was superior to him (acting wise).
Sarge wasn't completely wrong but he went about it the wrong way. Our people need to be woken up and with that being said he should have took CJ under his wing to teach him better. Destroy CJ? This is killing your own people instead wake him up!
Yes, they can when they show some potential and capitalize on it. Instead, we're busy judging or comparing them against ourselves to make us feel less inferior. And the whole aim isn't to expect other people to reach the mountaintop; only to rise up from their backgrounds and become better versions of themselves. We've just given up.
What an incredible scene. While I'm an old White dude, this gave me a tiny glimpse into the Black experience in America that I had never even thought of. Powerful acting and writing. Makes me tear up no matter how many times I see it.
Very Strong point, And Right. Thats how I see todays" gangster hip hop" crowd they don't see it but they are an embarrassment to our legacy of a strong Respectable people. C.J.s
One them Geechees sarge is looking down on, Bumpy Johnson, had the intelligence to be a lawyer, wanted to be one but back only so many got the chance. Waters would never have layed a glove on Johnson without a fight.
But he didn't have to get CJ in trouble. CJ may have played the fool, but there's a difference between a good natured fool and a malicious fool, and what Waters did was horribly eugenical.
Black Pride needs to Be Brought Back. A lot of these Foolish Acts In the Black Community Today Would Be Severely Diminished if Strong Black MEN Were Involved.
Sorry but the sort of Pride the powers that be want in black men these days are the stunning and brave kind with mascara and a dress. And they have the means to do it through black women. Overwhelmingly democrat and will bargain or browbeat anyone into that agenda or else they face social and financial exile.
There will always be dummies and folk that just don't want to get involved. To be honest, they aren't the problem. More Black people are going to college than ever before, and racism hasn't gone away. Black excellence will not stop anti-blackness. Black love and black pride can only give so much respite
This movie is underrated and dismissed by most. The acting in this film was powerful. The storytelling put you right there, feeling every emotion. Gotta watch it again
As a Mexican-American I cringe every time I see a Hispanic dude with a shaved head, covered in tattoos, wearing a wife beater shirt with shorts and ankle length socks. Unfortunately, that's the image most people have of us. Not a problem. I do my own thing. Can't control other people nor do I want to.
8 ปีที่แล้ว +30
but why do u cringe? because u know it scares whitey and you are doing your darndest to make whitey accept you?
JRFrancisco20088 but it's crazy that you saying being Mexican American you cringe...I'm Mexican as well...I know plenty of Mexicans that look like that and dress like that...or do you not know of the Mexican cartels and gangs???
JRFrancisco20088 Ok, but not every spanish person is the same I am Puerto Rican we shave are head bald too. Hey don't depict Mexicans as gangster. We all do the same shit!
The late Howard E. Rollins was set to be the man after Poitier's retirement in the 70s, with his startling performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the movie Ragtime (Oscar nomination) and before Denzel's super stardom kicked in with Cry Freedom (first Oscar nomination).
One of my best friends and myself had a ""BIG" argument over this. I had and still "HATE" SGT Waters for what he did to CJ. The irony of all this was CJ was the "only" person who cared about SGT Waters but SGT Waters destroyed him. Then SGT Waters admired Peterson and Peterson destroyed him.
the real irony to me is that waters was exactly what he hated in cj. both different characteristics; cj could be accused of ignorance, hell, its what he knew, it was his environment, and it was the 1930s/40s. the exact things he hated about cj, he also had such characteristics, waters was a low life , and he was really the disgrace to the race, not cj. peterson did waters a favor by killing him
That was one of the most beautifully directed scenes I've ever seen. Perfectly compliments the story; which gets your full attention so well you hardly even realize every little change.
@williamwooten6156 ....Oh Nah, He was angry about it But because he understood the Dynamic he Knew that OUR own people Needed to be policed First. We have to stop looking like Fools Before we are going to be Taken Seriously.
When I was a boy watching this I thought Waters was the villian. As an adult I realize he was the hero. There are no two ways when dealing with certain people. You either demand your respect through your actions or be seen as the fool through your actions.
I wrote this in another post...but Sgt. Waters may very well be the most interesting black character ever put on film. The depth of the man is astonishing and if you ask 50 black people, you might get a split on how they view him. When I was younger, it was easy to write him off as a self hating Uncle Tom. And I think there were remnants of that in there by design. But it's SO CLEAR that there's much more to him than that. If anything, I think he cares TOO MUCH about his people...to the point of losing perspective of how different black people can be.
When you consider it's based in WWII (the early 1940's), it makes a lot of sense. This is before Dr. King, hell this is before Jackie Robinson. Robert Townsend's character mentions Joe Louis' knockout of Max Schmeling...that literally may have been the stateside highlight of black people en masse in the United States at that time. I say stateside because Jesse Owens completely obliterated Adolf Hitler's notions of white supremacy in the 1936 Olympics, but that was in Germany.
So, we're still segregated and there's still the vestiges of second class citizenship in the U.S., both north and south. So from Sgt. Waters' point of view, the only way to be on the level of white people is to beat them at their own game. You don't have any margin for error. Remember, this was an era when blacks were still being lynched for God's sake. So you have to be sharp, smart, hard working, and disciplined. That's why he rides those men...it's his way not to build them up, but to separate the ones he doesn't think fit this worldview of advancement. Remember, HE LIKES Peterson (Denzel Washington). They fight, but he respects his intelligence and toughness.
CJ on the other hand, comes off as the simple, sambo, Geechie stereotype. Everything wrong with the PERCEPTION of black people in Sgt. Waters' eyes. That's really what it was about. He didn't really have a personal problem with CJ...the conversation he has with him in the prison kinda confirms that. It was just...business. The business of black advancement. And to get where he saw black people going, it had to be done with those values I spoke of and his Waters' eyes, CJ just didn't cut the muster.
You wanna know how I come to this conclusion? It's in the end of the movie. He's drunk because he feels guilty about his responsibility in CJ hanging himself. He knows he drove him to do it. Fascinating considering he tells Wilkie about the man they killed in France that was willing to be "King of the Monkeys". And after all of those efforts to be seen as an example, to take his place with those white men he secretly despised, he comes to the stark reality that in his words, "They still hate you!"
The irony is that Peterson and Waters come from two sides of the same coin, which really was the underlying theme of the movie. Hate in any form can be justified, but it is never productive. Waters hatred of the idea/perception simple, non race lifting black people...and Peterson's hatred of 'Uncle Tom' type men like Waters. Both were WRONG...and yet, both still persist today.
This scene alone makes the movie great.
Manu Ginobilis Bald Spot MSG Watera wasn't wrong and the great Adolph Caesar played him perfectly.
DAMN Man, you hit that nail right on it's head. Shit, that is a real good observation on the mind set during that time and era, some people don't take the time to research SHIT and go off on the the notion of what somebody else said. You made a lot of good points my man, WELL DONE...
Great breakdown and analysis of perspective based on BOTH...
1) The era and timeframe the movie was set in ( seperate water fountains, only one real generation after slavery, at least a half generation B4 the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam, MLK-Malcolm X-JFK, these were the children of slaves judging 'lost' grandchildren if slaves...
Reminds me of the Butler how Whitaker's character's perspective and world view couldn't help but be different from his 'trouble-making-time-wasting "lost" son
But he lived long enough to see his son has a hero, a patriot and joined him
2) As the OP stated though...being able to pick up the depth of the character and how his generational experience may have molded him many times means the consumer ( the reader/watcher) themselves have to be mature/cultured enough to 'get' it or ish flies over one's head.
Again I didn't even want to see the Butler but it came on, on Father's Day my young adult son and I got caught up in 'what's this' from rhe opening scene...is that David Banner 'the rapper'...and couldn't stop watching
Anyway the point is if you ask Forrest Whitaker's character ( the Dad aka The Butler) about his son, among other things the answer and thought pattern would definitely have to do with WHEN you asked him...
How much life had he seen up into the time in which you asked the question...same thing here, I too am in my 40's ( late) and seeing thus movie and one like the Butler are seen in a different lense than they could have ever been seen 20-25 years ago
So yeah as a no life experience kid you might see Sage ( as I did at one time) some kinda way, that's different than a more well-rounded person taking into account more context
Some ppl like Denzel's character or The Butler's son have the luxury of being one-track driven because ppl before them laid the groundwork and passed the baton to a different type runner, not necessarily better just different
Just like in sports, sometimes 'styles' and timing "make" some folks a God-like hero vs another baller that just never got 'da 💘 but was the ish, if looked back upon with sage eyes and perspective ( Dr. J...anybody?)
We have to remember, by tge time we get to the 5th flow of experience and perspective...many haven't made it past the 2nd and sadly a lot never will....
Well said! And, I agree.
Quite possibly the greatest performance in a supporting role I've ever seen. Adolf Caesar was legendary....
He's a trailer narrator too and does TV ads in the 70s and 80s before his death!
I wholeheartedly agree to the nth degree!!!🙏👍😎
Keep in mind this was a theatrical play before it was a movie. Adolph Caesar was a stage actor. Great performances with GREAT writing
Loved him as Mister’s father in the original Color Purple
_”The dead has arisen”_
Gets me every time
He played a good role as a janitor (secretly a voodoo preist) on Tales From The Darkside
He said: when WE slit his throat.
Sarge wasn't the only one fighting for the respect.
You need to read the background of this play. He is a villain, he became what he hated a bigot. Unlike the white folk, his people dealt with him. He had a false sense of power. Smfh
@@EkleazThank you. I bet this post is from a Trump supporter. 😂😂😂
No better than a redneck Biden supporter.😂😂
@@geezykennedy5517
He BELIEVES he wasn't the only one.
I bet he was.
@@geezykennedy5517
☝️🤓👍 Idiot Alert!
The way everything fades away as he's getting into his story is a fantastic touch.
Agreed.
One of the best monologues you’ll ever see in a movie.
Extremely intense.
Whats this movie named?
@@chacotaco3607 A Solider's Story.
Agreed ..
His message resonates even more today.
RIP Adolph Caesar and Howard Rollins., two of the greatest actors to grace both stage and screen. Without them, there would be no Denzel as a star.
Truth!! I affirm that as a former acting teacher at National Black Theater . Rollins was an amazing actor, and , so was Adolph !
You can't leave out Sydney Portier
💯
Rollins was my guy in The Heat of the Night
@@rickcollins5943He wasn't in this movie...he is strictly speaking of the cast of this movie
"And when we slit his throat..you know that fool asked us what he had done wrong." Damn.
All the Fools still don't understand
This wasn't in the script, which was pretty tight to which I mean the writing was brilliant, I sometimes wonder before they put the knife to that soldier's throat what if the whites put a knife to his throat to get him to do it? It's a big what if since the Sarge is suggesting the soldier was paid, but it could have been a situation where he got the carrot and the stick, so they were killing someone who was put in a position where he was given no choice and then killed off by those who should have been his friends. Just wondering, perhaps too much.
@@schizoidboy
Not sure how old you are but there were plenty of black people back then that truly believed white people were superior.
Starting with Booker T. Washington.
There are still plenty of black people today who "act a fool" for the enjoyment of white people.
Starting with Kevin Hart.
@@schizoidboy No one can make you wear a tail and be paraded around to shame your entire race. Death before dishonor is a real thing. I think you need to watch the monologue again. I think you are missing the overall context, historical context, more than likely aren’t familiar with the dynamics of what Adolph Caesar is talking about. Also, the whole part about “Moonshine” asking what he did wrong before his throat was slit negates your whole hypothetical theory as to the possibility of what could justify “Moonshines” behavior. I really think that whole scene flew about 30,000 ft right over your head.
@@schizoidboyit’s implied he did it out of hate and rage.
Adolph was a Master actor! Excellent!
THE BEST
@@xanderluv He died too soon....
@@biomedlib He should have won the oscar that year
xanderluv that's right. He was robbed.
@xanderluv But i've realized that don't matter now, All that matters is All the folks That are giving him his props today 👏, And it never changes the fact that he was a legendary actor!
That mirror shot with the lights fading out is brilliant filmmaking. And Adolph Caesar--such a powerful actor who should have been in more films.
What you said.
Yessss!
Yes! 🕊
I believe he received an oscar nomination - best supporting actor for his work in this film.
A black guy being named Adolph Caesar is absolutely hilarious.
"He DESPISED HIM..."
- perfect delivery
I think his performance is underrated.
Totally agree. I love it when an actor can deliver a key clue of a mystery through a single line. We (the audience) know whatever is going to come next is going to be important.
Incredible delivery. I felt it.
……..and he literally influenced him (planted ill seeds in his mind) to hate him like *he hated him……even though he had no valid reason to do so. The downfall of most folk in general……………..regardless of their “race.”
@junglekutz5625
No, he had a valid reason to hate CJ and he explained it.
What he didn't have was a legit reason to make life hard on him.
He could have tried to have a sit-down wit him and explain what his views.
HE DESPISED HIM! That line is delivered so well.......this might be one of the powerful scenes in the entire movie.......this and the fight scene between Sarge and Petersen
That incident was the impetous to his attitude .
It was meant 😅
He feels this way for real
My favorite line
"Well, where are you from ................... England?"
" And when we cut his throat, he had the nerve to ask what he done?.. Powerful.
Bass reemer I have always said that. They have gone through so much to hide our history and make themselves "appear" superior.
@Jo Jo "Black Face" in years books revealed today.....
That was deep
@Jo Jo u missed the part when they paid him to dress up..he sold out
@Jo Jo no they slit the right throat
Howard Rollins is an underrated actor in fact this is the best casting I've ever seen
Mitchell Grosvenor 2 of these cast member Rollins& CJ died of aids
This movie was the passing of the torch from Howard E. Rollins to Denzel Washington. Howard E. Rollins was ahead of his time.
I agree but he passed away many years ago, ""was" an underrated actor"
"...Which one of you idiots is Cobbs...?!!"
He passed away on December 8th, 1996 from lymphoma
"CJ, the BLACK race can't afford you no more" that was the most powerful line🎉 out of that classic film for me.
I see a lot of male and female CJ’s these days that want to claim they are the essence of blackness. A very sad way to be
YESSS SIRRRRR !!!!
HE MADE A REAL GOOD POINT I JUST DIDN'T AGREE WITH THE EXAMPLE HE USED CJ..
CJ WAS AN INNOCENT LITTLE LAMB WHO KNEW NO BETTER..
I say that SAME thing to so many "colored" entertainers alive today.
I sho' do.
"You got to be like them, but the rules are FIXED!"
"..but it doesn't make any difference. They still hate you!"
That scene revealed so many complexities of being Black in a white world.
"I didn't kill much," is just as powerful.
A Soldier Story.....One of the greatest movies of all times....
Thanks for saying the name of the movie
@@tracydukeplumpRight I was searching for awhile
about to watch it again today now..its been a while:)
Ok cool. I was sitting here feeling dumb as hell.
He was robbed of an academy award.
He definitely was.
Yes he was
No Argument Here
History repeats
You're goddamed right he was robbed of an academy award and l refuse to calm down.
howard Rollins could act his butt off r.i.p.
From Frame 3:19 to 4:00 watch how the they fade out the background to get you focus on the story and emotion. Brilliant!
I thought I was only one to pick that up with the background fading away when Waters began speaking. Excellent scene!
YES. The atmosphere feels almost as if you are watching a play onstage.
I think it was a play first
Yes, it was. Written by Charles Fuller
YES!!! I always thought this was one of the best scenes in the movie. The entire mood changed and you could see the disgust and hate in Sergeant's eyes!!! Academy Award worthy scene.
Sgt Waters went to a dark place when started telling that story. For the most part he seems like a very benign character with well meaning intentions but at the end of the story it ends up with him slitting someone's throat. Adolph was a great actor damn shame he died so young.
It was like he did it the day before…and Wilkie’s face afterwards was like “😳 What the….?!”
Waters was justified in doing so, because one negro has no self respect and would demean himself for money and hold back all negros. This was in WW1. So water's and most likely other black soldiers who are wanting respect murdered him. Waters always saw CJ as a fool. Sure not on the level of a guy who would wear a fake tail and eat bananas and act like a monkey but he saw cj as the weak link in the chain.
With clowns like Sexy Red, Ice Spice and P Diddy; I can see where Waters was coming from.
💯
Damn right,ABSOLUTELY💯
Thank you!
Facts .
You got it is sad that 99% of the socalled black people dont
The way the background falls away when Sarge tells the story. Brilliant cinematography. Like you are descending past the veil and into the deep abyss of Sarge’s hatred and motivation. Also, the addition of “Mademoiselle from Armentieres” at the beginning of the story is brilliant.
Stan Lathan was a genius with that
I miss that part.
Everything Sarge mentioned is ACTUALLY true what them White men told the FRENCH women. We had a neighbor that served over seas during that time and he said that the french women were following them TRYING to see if the really had tails.But the reality is the french women LOVED black men and after the war ended, a lot of black soldiers stayed over there , the french women treated them like KINGS my neighbor told me and my bro.
my daddy told me we have to turn our backs on his kind Wilkie, close our ranks to the chitterlinks ( chitlins), Collard greens, cornbread style... lol oh shit!
27sincity Lmfao
He was so correct
We cracked up in the movie when Sgt. Waters made the cornbread style statement 😂😂😂
Get out that slave mentality.. that's a great sacrifice
ChitterlinGs
Oh how the White boys danced that nite...
When the scene went dark and quiet, and the camera closed in on Waters you can just feel the anger he was feeling with the "made him eat bananas in front of those Frenchys", powerful scene
Called him moonshine, king of the monkeys.
I IMAGINED being in there and watching , and i asked MYSELF , what would I have done ??
Such an underrated movie to this day that still 100% relevant to present day times.
Name of movie?
You are absolutely right!
@@tracydukeplump A Soldiers Story
Adolph Caeser should have been given the Oscar.
I wouldn't have had a problem, but Haing Ngor in The Killing Fields was just as incredible. He wasn't even an actor
@@manuginobilisbaldspot424 Anytime we try to celebrate a great black anything, there’s always one who has to add their two cents. Unbelievable
@@Mrs_SBIVexactly
@@Mrs_SBIV You are so right. Black achievement is always downplayed or undermined
@@manuginobilisbaldspot424How About No
One of the greatest acting scenes I’ve ever seen
We're men. Soldiers. And I don't intend for our race to be cheated of its place of honor and respect in this war because of fools like C.J.
So proud to be a Soldier, Brother.
And the cruel irony to this is what happened to Black GIs that earned those honors when they came back "home." The shame of a nation to treat soldiers that way.
@@davidcombs3617 Oh you mean like how quite a few were killed or beaten and a huge number of them were denied benefits? "What have you got to LOSE?" --Donald Trump (the guy that'll take it all once he finds out)
@@MTXSHO9732vV8SHOI was referring to Red Summer, yes.
@@davidcombs3617 I've been trying to make a Red Summer documentary happen for over a decade. One of the two or three most important, most deeply hidden parts of this country's complicated history.
You won't see many scenes filmed better than this one. The music. The cinematography. The storytelling. The music. The fades. Perfection.
Taken right out of stage play direction. Not many movies use the technique. The depend on camera cuts and camera angles.
Stage plays do it because everything is done right in front of the audience.
@@gregorylagrange beautifully done.
Facts?
It’s amazing how when I became an adult I got a complete understanding of Sgt Waters now I don’t agree about how he went about things but he was definitely on point!
I know exactly what you mean.
Especially now.
@@R-Chillz Just be lucky he didn't go psycho like Gomer Pyle in _Full Metal Jacket._ But yes that fool soldier disgraced his rank, his squad, and his race. A honor killing, to be sure.
Same here.
How was Sargent Waters on point?
@@lloydtucker7205*He wasn't, except for when he died. His last words were, " They still hate you."*
This is one of many of the great scenes in this movie. Wilkie is very underrated as well as Sarge. One of the best casted Black Films ever.
A'Don Allen III "..it was a crazy kinda hate...you could just feeeel it."
Art Evans is one of our country's finest character actors. Check him out in 'The Mighty Quinn', 'Trespass', 'Die Hard 2' and 'Jo Jo Dancer....'
@@garyaugustus1009 This movie got screwed for so many Awards. Rollins, Ceasar, Denzel, Art Evans, CJ, all could've been nominated for Oscars
Bet Spielberg must've the watched this film over and over until he finally got it in his mind to bring 'The Color Purple' to the big screen a year later. Wouldn't be surprised to find out if he had specifically requested Adolph Caesar for the supporting cast after putting down a career-defining performance in 'A Soldier's Story'. And yeah, that was one heck of a black cast! You can even tell Denzel as young as he was back then was gonna end up goin' places not long after this film...
;-)
Adolf Caesar played the hell out of this scene. Very powerful, tense & emotional scene. It just grabs your attention to his story. I saw this movie at the local movie theater. Too bad it was beaten out by Amadeus in the Academy Awards for Best Motion Picture. It' one hell of a movie.
Just as long as we recognize the movie for what it was! Doesn't matter what the Academy thinks..... This is 1of the few few movies that I can watch over and over again!
That guy was also the voice of many trailers in the 70s and early 80s before his death as he did Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Creepshow, Sleepaway Camp, Nightmare (1981), Bloodsucking Freaks, Blacula, The Dark Crystal, Nightmare on Elm Street and so much more. Adolph Caesar, the most legendary trailer voice this side of Percy Rodriguez and more.
Wow! Helluva Career. Salute fellow Thespian
"He liked Peterson. Pete fought back, Sarge admired that. He was planning to promote Pete ".
“And when we slit his throat, do you know that fool asked us what he had done wrong?”
“And I don’t intent for our race to be cheated out it’s place of honour and respect in this war because of fools like C.J.”
Adolph Caesar’s acting and delivery is impeccable. One of the greatest scenes of all time, in my opinion.
every black dude needs to watch this movie and discuss with a young man they love son nephew stepson etc
Tara Moore sisters can also do their part also...
Tara Moore agree.
Saw the movie many times. Looking for the DVD.
What's the movie? Haven't found title through comments I've came across yet
@@macp349 A Soldier's Story
i kind of understand what SGT Walters is saying though..
The Sgt. Waters character was a wise visionary ahead of his time. He told the truth
Bravo🎉
No. He was blinded by hate and shame. He bullied those weaker than himself, while...
@@Popeii1 As he got older dominated in a white man system in army but King of the monkeys had to go (WW 1 backstory )
@Popeii1 His ideology was on point just his actions were wrong.
@@airfrance4365 That it's desirable for a society to abandon some of it's members? Who gets to pick?
Wow! Great cinematography, camera usage, and sound editing!
Notice how the focus seamlessly transitions to their mirror images as Sgt. Waters recounts the Cafe Napoleon story, then back to the actual actors at the story's conclusion.
Also notice how CJ's singing fades out and the French accordion comes in when he says that they were in France.
And notice how all music and noise is cancelled and only Sgt. Waters' voice is heard when he begins to describe the behavior of "Moonshine, King of the Monkeys" and the punishment they dealt to him ...
All this is brilliant
Adolph Caesar dominated this role. One of the most powerful performances I ever seen on film to this day. I was really young when I first saw this and didnt appreciate it til I got older.
Watched this for the first time last night, I was blown away by the acting, and story. Great movie
MSG Walters was a very complex character, at times I actually understood his thinking.
Agreed 💯 I feel the same way. I'm glad you said at times. Because Waters wasn't no damn good. And some people are just like that 💯
THEY DONT MAKE BLACK MOVIES LIKE THIS ANYMORE. THIS MOVIE CAME OUT IN 1984. ONE OF MY FAVORITE BLACK MOVIES. GOOD ACTORS,EXCELLENT PERFORMERS. SOMEBODY SHOULD Have GOTTEN AN AWARD FOR THE EXCELLENT MOVIE.!!!!
Because they now make movies to feed into stereotypes and make black people a one size fits all persona.
@@dl30wpb You’re right about you said. That needs to stop. I don’t watch stereotype movies that make black peoples look like fools.!!!!!
All about the LGBTQ Agenda now
It’s also unique because this is the only legal thriller I’ve ever seen where all the major characters are black and have a lot of depth.
What’s the name of, I’d like to watch it
3:53 its at this exact moment, he snaps out of it and comes back to reality. He was reliving the moment, ready to kill again. Watch the eyes blink. This is stellar acting. I wish we'd seen more mainstream from Adolph Caesar. The Color Purple is the only other film I remember him in as a child.
This speech is powerful. “He’s the kind of boy that seems innocent Wilkey . Got everybody on the post thinking he’s a strong black buck. White boys envy his strength… His speed.. the power in his Swing” my favorite line in this movie
Man the way Adolph delivers the lines in this scene is extraordinary...shit had me ready to snatch his ass through the screen back in the day.
Caesar had a growl.
Art Evans aka Wilkie played his role very well also!
It took me years and watching Tim Scott and coondace Owens and others to truly appreciate what sgt.
Waters said. I don't think none of them ever saw this movie. I didn't agree with everything he did but I understood.
Watching this scene took me back to those horrible days when grandma would line us all up and force us each to drink a tablespoon of castor oil if anything was "going around." If one of us was sick, we all had to get in line and down that nasty tablespoon. You're right. Nowadays, we have the likes of Byron, Tim, and Candace in our ranks. They are the reason we have to stand up and watch this scene all over again all the way up in 2024🤢.
Didn't understand Sarge when this came out, I understand him now.
Howard Rollins: SIDDOWN!!!!!
#CLASSIC
I always felt sorry for Wilkie. He was a family man, lost his stripes, and ended up arrested as an accessory to a serious crime for doing nothing more than hiding that gun under CJ's bed.
Notice nothing has changed there. When a black man does the crime he'll pay and pay and pay and most whites and a lot of blacks think that's the way it should be.
Wilkie lost his stripes because of his own foolishness by being drunk on guard duty. He wasn't thinking about his family at all just his own indulgence. He was just a yes man who didn't have a spine. He went along to get along. No respect for a man like that at all.
@@PeteMcCorveyWell is a man being stripped of his stripes really an appropriate punishment for drinking on duty?
@zzzzzzzzzzzk yes it is. Like Sarge told him when he took his stripes the punishment for being drunk on duty during war time is death. Sarge actually did him a solid.
@@PeteMcCorvey And what do you think would happen to the Sarge if he was caught drunk if he wasn't murdered?
One of my favorite movies.. So many lessons learned
I saw this movie as a kid and liked it even then. As a kid I couldn’t understand why Water’s hated CJ so much. As an adult I understand Sgt. Water’s point of view. I appreciate the performances from all of the actors; this is one of the best films of all time!
One of the greatest movies ever produced.
Such a great movie. Still relevant today.
One of the greatest movie dramas ever !
"And when we slit his throat.."???
I certainly don't remember that part. Damn, Sgt had a point.
Waters and the boys slit that niggas throat....DAMN.
It was something he did during ww1 . He brought up cafe napolean when he first met cj when the movie first showed cj.
Hell yes he had a point!!!
This is a wonderful movie with one of the best caste.
1:39 Remember watching this film back in film school. This was the scene that stuck with the most, such a well written film. I gotta rewatch this movie.
Phew damn thats stronger than any american cinema these days
Some seriously talented actors right here!
On all sides. Not a wasted performance in the entire movie. Though if I'd choose one it would be Robert Townsend. Not bad but everyone else in the movie was superior to him (acting wise).
Best scene of the whole movie. Powerful. Dramatic. Intense.
ElfHighMage....Art Evans, one of our most talented and underrated character actors.. He was also excellent in "The Mighty Quinn"..
One of the best movies ever! Alot of great actors! A real classic!
Aunty Pattie serving up drinks at the bar! Looking like the Philly diva she is🥰👑 brilliant scene
He was the first villan u was afraid of in a movie. Now i think hes a hero.
Sarge wasn't completely wrong but he went about it the wrong way. Our people need to be woken up and with that being said he should have took CJ under his wing to teach him better. Destroy CJ? This is killing your own people instead wake him up!
That was ALL sarge had to do, was to take him under his wing and teach him to be better than what he saw of him.
@@R-Chillz Some people can't be helped. Not everyone can go to mountaintop, there's just not enough room.
The Sarge was blinded by his own pride and warped views that he couldn't see CJ as anything other than an ignorant, shiftless n*****.
To paraphrase "Dr. Umar Johnson" "we can't save all of them"
Yes, they can when they show some potential and capitalize on it. Instead, we're busy judging or comparing them against ourselves to make us feel less inferior. And the whole aim isn't to expect other people to reach the mountaintop; only to rise up from their backgrounds and become better versions of themselves. We've just given up.
I remember watching this when it first dropped!...still have this on VHS .CLASSIC!
What an incredible scene. While I'm an old White dude, this gave me a tiny glimpse into the Black experience in America that I had never even thought of. Powerful acting and writing. Makes me tear up no matter how many times I see it.
"The day of the Geechee is over!!"
- Master Sergeant Waters
Very Strong point, And Right. Thats how I see todays" gangster hip hop" crowd they don't see it but they are an embarrassment to our legacy of a strong Respectable people. C.J.s
@@theodorebenton5928Bingo
The day of the geechee is gone and you going with it
One them Geechees sarge is looking down on, Bumpy Johnson, had the intelligence to be a lawyer, wanted to be one but back only so many got the chance. Waters would never have layed a glove on Johnson without a fight.
Martin said that when he was trying to out of a traffic ticket too 😅
Adolph Caesar’s monologue is so applicable to 2024.
A lot of truth in what he said.
To many shines running around.
I fucking love this movie so much
What's the title
@@kwesiaidoo6467 A Soldier's Story
Why was Willky arrested?
@@MegatronTheGod c’mon, lying to a superior officer on a murder investigation, planting evidence on a fellow soldier.
I fully understand what Sgt. Waters was talking about. In 2019, we are still fighting this in our community.
I almost said the exact same thing.
But he didn't have to get CJ in trouble. CJ may have played the fool, but there's a difference between a good natured fool and a malicious fool, and what Waters did was horribly eugenical.
Today's black ciliberity, fraternity and sororities.
@@shakeemdiggz2354 You must have dropped line......LOL
@@Madbandit77*CJ was not a fool. Waters was. That's the point that a lot of you are missing.*
Coming out in 1984 , we saw this great movie, over and over again !!! The plot lines, acting , costume design from the 40’s was spot on !!!
Black Pride needs to Be Brought Back. A lot of these Foolish Acts In the Black Community Today Would Be Severely Diminished if Strong Black MEN Were Involved.
Facts!
Sorry but the sort of Pride the powers that be want in black men these days are the stunning and brave kind with mascara and a dress. And they have the means to do it through black women. Overwhelmingly democrat and will bargain or browbeat anyone into that agenda or else they face social and financial exile.
What are your sentiments towards Kamala Harris bringing Meagan thee Stallion on stage at her rally making it like a political twerkfest.
Yessss, starting with the use of the ‘N’ word!
It’s despicable.
There will always be dummies and folk that just don't want to get involved. To be honest, they aren't the problem. More Black people are going to college than ever before, and racism hasn't gone away. Black excellence will not stop anti-blackness. Black love and black pride can only give so much respite
This should have a million views. A lot of brother's out there need to wake up!
I remember as a kid what sgt waters said was so powerful to me...I 100 percent agree with him then and I 100 percent agree with him now!
Adolph Caesar's voice was a treasure
This movie is underrated and dismissed by most. The acting in this film was powerful. The storytelling put you right there, feeling every emotion. Gotta watch it again
Grier, Townsend, Washington, Rollins,Caesar who knew?
As a Mexican-American I cringe every time I see a Hispanic dude with a shaved head, covered in tattoos, wearing a wife beater shirt with shorts and ankle length socks. Unfortunately, that's the image most people have of us. Not a problem. I do my own thing. Can't control other people nor do I want to.
but why do u cringe? because u know it scares whitey and you are doing your darndest to make whitey accept you?
JRFrancisco20088 I know what you mean. We have have to play our cards.
JRFrancisco20088 now imagine how us blacks feel when we are portrayed the way we usually are
JRFrancisco20088 but it's crazy that you saying being Mexican American you cringe...I'm Mexican as well...I know plenty of Mexicans that look like that and dress like that...or do you not know of the Mexican cartels and gangs???
JRFrancisco20088 Ok, but not every spanish person is the same I am Puerto Rican we shave are head bald too. Hey don't depict Mexicans as gangster. We all do the same shit!
I fucks with Sgt Waters heavy!
That story by Waters was crazy. I can feel the pain in that story.
I wish there was a way to send this to every Black who put on a show at the inauguration and that Pastor too.
These clips drove me to watch this movie this weekend for the first time in 40 years. Wow! What a great picture! You won't be disappointed.
The late Howard E. Rollins was set to be the man after Poitier's retirement in the 70s, with his startling performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the movie Ragtime (Oscar nomination) and before Denzel's super stardom kicked in with Cry Freedom (first Oscar nomination).
He died young but, also bad, his career was already stifled by drug problems.
Facts, alot of people watching this clip are to young to know this, i was in my early 20s when this great movie came out
One of my best friends and myself had a ""BIG" argument over this. I had and still "HATE" SGT Waters for what he did to CJ. The irony of all this was CJ was the "only" person who cared about SGT Waters but SGT Waters destroyed him. Then SGT Waters admired Peterson and Peterson destroyed him.
Terrell Epps Excellent Point!!! 👍🏽
the real irony to me is that waters was exactly what he hated in cj. both different characteristics; cj could be accused of ignorance, hell, its what he knew, it was his environment, and it was the 1930s/40s. the exact things he hated about cj, he also had such characteristics, waters was a low life , and he was really the disgrace to the race, not cj. peterson did waters a favor by killing him
@@el84oro Thank you.
Sgt had the right idea. We don't need guys like CJ.
@@rayhanes1347 You miss the point entirely.
I remember seeing this in the theater. Very disturbing. And excellent performances by every single actor.
That was one of the most beautifully directed scenes I've ever seen. Perfectly compliments the story; which gets your full attention so well you hardly even realize every little change.
A soldier story…didn’t appreciate this movie till I got older. Classic.
I can't lie,when I was younger I hated Waters character, but now that I'm older I agree with every dam thing he said.
#FACTS!!!!!!!!!!
Waters is a complex character
His anger isn't fixated upon the power structure that benefits from racism but instead his own brothers
@@williamwooten6156 you rite but the words he said about some of us it true even to this day
Yes it is
@williamwooten6156 ....Oh Nah, He was angry about it But because he understood the Dynamic he Knew that OUR own people Needed to be policed First. We have to stop looking like Fools Before we are going to be Taken Seriously.
When I was a boy watching this I thought Waters was the villian. As an adult I realize he was the hero. There are no two ways when dealing with certain people. You either demand your respect through your actions or be seen as the fool through your actions.
He did not have to kill cj
_If ever there was a living Blueprint for the Art of becoming a great Actor; _*_Adolf Caesar_*_ is that Blueprint._
Epic scene the lights down during monologue the actual message in the monologue the lights back up and the reactions of Waters right hand man ❤
Landmark movie. Important story. Should be part of any curriculum in American and Black History. Awesome performances!
so many quotable lines jammed into one scene, classic.
very classic
"...Anything you DON'T wanna do, the colored troops'll do fo' you.. "
one of the most hurtful movies I've ever watched
The acting and cast in this movie was amazing ✊🏿🇱🇾
Such an underrated movie. One of my favorite. With a great cast.
One of the best movies ever! There’s very few movies that I can watch multiple times and I always see something new and this is one of them.