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A Soldier's Story
- 199 statements
- 38 feature instances
- 7 referencing feature instances
| A Soldier's Story | type |
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A Soldier's Story | |
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ASoldiersStory | |
| A Soldier's Story | comment |
A 1984 wartime drama/mystery film directed by Norman Jewison, A Soldier's Story was adapted by screenwriter Charles Fuller from his own Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 off-Broadway play A Soldier's Play, which was also a loose Setting Update of Billy Budd. The film stars Howard E. Rollins Jr. and Adolph Caesar, with a supporting cast that includes Denzel Washington, Dennis Lipscomb, Art Evans, Larry Riley, and David Alan Grier; Caesar, Washington, and Riley had all originated their roles in the play. Jazz great Herbie Hancock composed the film's score.The setting is the segregated black U.S. Army base of Fort Neal, Louisiana in 1944, during World War II. Master Sergeant Vernon Waters (Caesar) has been murdered by an unknown shooter. Captain Richard Davenport (Rollins) is sent in from the JAG Corps to investigate the killing. At first, the Ku Klux Klan or racist white soldiers are suspected of the crime. Through his investigation, Davenport discovers the truth that racism indeed played a part, but not in the way he was expecting... | |
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Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_1439161f | type |
Heroic BSoD | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_1439161f | comment |
Heroic BSoD: Davenport when he realizes the tragedy of the case and how racism had driven C.J. to suicide, turned Waters into a hateful wretch, and turned Peterson into a murderer. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_1f799027 | type |
Obstructive Bureaucrat | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_1f799027 | comment |
Obstructive Bureaucrat: Colonel Nivens is revealed to have kept crucial details from both Davenport and Taylor, due to not wanting to rile things up, and doesn't wan Davenport to investigate too much (especially if his investigation leads him to a white man) for the same reason. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_25524784 | type |
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_25524784 | comment |
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Peterson calls Waters out early on for his Drill Sergeant Nasty treatment of the men, and Waters agrees to a "fair" fight with the other Colored troops to watch. Waters proceeds to cheat during the fight and pummels Peterson into unconsciousness. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_319e4a2f | type |
Even Evil Has Standards | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_319e4a2f | comment |
Even Evil Has Standards: Sgt. Waters may have been a cruel man who framed C.J. But he never intended for the young man to take his own life. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_319e4a2f | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_4127eb1 | type |
Shut Up, Hannibal! | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_4127eb1 | comment |
Shut Up, Hannibal!: Davenport gives this to Peterson when the latter states that Waters deserved to die. Prompting Davenport to angrily ask what gave Peterson the right to judge who is Black or who isn't. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_4604fd4d | type |
Worthy Opponent | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_4604fd4d | comment |
Worthy Opponent: Turns out that Waters respected Peterson for standing up to him, and despite giving him a beatdown had planned on promoting him. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_47fea76b | type |
Butt-Monkey | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_47fea76b | comment |
Wilkie is this plus the resident Butt-Monkey. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_49fb5ccb | type |
Combat Pragmatist | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_49fb5ccb | comment |
Combat Pragmatist: Sgt. Waters gets the upper-hand in his fist-fight with Peterson by throwing dirt in his eyes. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_49fb5ccb | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_4dc88e20 | type |
Stop Being Stereotypical | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_4dc88e20 | comment |
Stop Being Stereotypical: Sgt. Waters' reason for hating his men. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_4dc88e20 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_4e7c4536 | type |
Wham Line | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_4e7c4536 | comment |
Wham Line: In the Cold Open. Wilkie on what Waters thought of C.J. During the interrogation of Lt. Byrd. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_4e7c4536 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_50b05d30 | type |
Disproportionate Retribution | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_50b05d30 | comment |
Disproportionate Retribution: It turns out that Sgt. Waters set up C.J. because he thought C.J. was being a stereotypical "Geechee". He even reveals to C.J. that he has done this before to others under his command. While the black soldier in Paris accepting payment to dress up and behave like a monkey was an ignorant choice on his part that reflected poorly on the other black soldiers, Sgt. Waters and some fellow soldiers decide to punish him by slitting his throat. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_50b05d30 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_52488c54 | type |
Drowning My Sorrows | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_52488c54 | comment |
Drowning My Sorrows: Sgt. Waters after driving C.J. to suicide. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_52488c54 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_5a0e88d8 | type |
Bring It | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_5a0e88d8 | comment |
Bring It: "You wanna hit ole Sgt. Waters?" | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_5a0e88d8 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_5bb56da | type |
Justified | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_5bb56da | comment |
Davenport is on the receiving end of this by some of the White officers, first with Captain Taylor who didn't like an outsider taking over his investigation and later with the officers suspected in Waters' death. Justified given the racist time period. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_5bb56da | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_6375f746 | type |
Drill Sergeant Nasty | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_6375f746 | comment |
Drill Sergeant Nasty: Sgt. Waters. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_6375f746 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_6b2b3b59 | type |
The Reveal | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_6b2b3b59 | comment |
The Reveal: Sgt. Waters was killed by one of his own men. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_6d332aea | type |
Driven to Suicide | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_6d332aea | comment |
Driven to Suicide: C.J. Memphis. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_7464705c | type |
Arc Words | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_7464705c | comment |
Arc Words: Sgt. Waters' last words, "They still hate you!" | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_7b6e47a5 | type |
Armor-Piercing Question | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_7b6e47a5 | comment |
Armor-Piercing Question: "Who gave you the right to judge? To decide who is fit to be a Negro... and who is not?" | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_7b6e47a5 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_7cf2f728 | type |
Boomerang Bigot | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_7cf2f728 | comment |
Boomerang Bigot: Deconstructed with Sgt. Waters. He spent his life emulating the racist whites around him. He realizes the futility of it just as he's about to be killed. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_8b568cb7 | type |
Posthumous Character | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_8b568cb7 | comment |
Posthumous Character: Sgt. Waters is already dead by the movie's beginning. So is C.J. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_8ed5c6e4 | type |
Asshole Victim | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_8ed5c6e4 | comment |
Asshole Victim: The film opens with Sgt. Waters' death, and there is initial shock, horror and concern at the event. As the story unfolds and his character is revealed, it shifts into this trope. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_90b330ab | type |
No-Respect Guy | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_90b330ab | comment |
No-Respect Guy: Davenport is on the receiving end of this by some of the White officers, first with Captain Taylor who didn't like an outsider taking over his investigation and later with the officers suspected in Waters' death. Justified given the racist time period. Wilkie is this plus the resident Butt-Monkey. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_957e5fc2 | type |
Villainous Breakdown | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_957e5fc2 | comment |
Villainous Breakdown: Waters is seen drunk in the aftermath of C.J.'s suicide, and when he is about to get killed by Peterson he descends into a rant about how he'd done terrible things to establish respect for black people, even through alienating his own race, and it was All for Nothing in the end.. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_ae3d6438 | type |
Deadpan Snarker | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_ae3d6438 | comment |
Deadpan Snarker: Davenport is more of the dry variety of sarcasm. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_b4a6ae4c | type |
Everyone Has Standards | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_b4a6ae4c | comment |
Everyone Has Standards: Captain Wilcox stood by while Waters got shoved around by his friend and subjected to racial slurs (although he doesn't use any himself) and seems uncomfortable being questioned by a black man, but insists that he's a doctor, and that he didn't kill Waters, and takes his oath as a doctor seriously. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_b4a6ae4c | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_b5785433 | type |
ColdOpen | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_b5785433 | comment |
In the Cold Open. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: Sgt. Waters hates "geechies". | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_bdd26742 | type |
Tragic Bigot | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_bdd26742 | comment |
Tragic Bigot: It's strongly hinted that Sgt. Waters' father is the reason for his hatred towards the black men he deems stereotypical. The moment before he is shot by Peterson, Waters is plain weeping out his frustration. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_c3648b87 | type |
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_c3648b87 | comment |
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Davenport is forced to work with Captain Taylor, the White officer in charge of Waters' platoon and initially in charge of the investigation. Taylor is dismissive of Davenport because Taylor suspects two White officers, one of them a known racist, of Waters' death and because Taylor knows a Black officer in the 1940s could never bring charges against them. Subverted in that when presented with evidence and testimony by the two officers, Taylor wants to arrest them, while Davenport is only looking for justice. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_c5249b29 | type |
Nice Guy | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_c5249b29 | comment |
Nice Guy: C.J. was one of the nicest, kindest, and most sociable soldiers under Sgt. Waters. Which made Waters' set up of C.J. even more detestable. | |
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A Soldier's Story / int_c5249b29 | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_cbdd9a55 | type |
We ARE Struggling Together | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_cbdd9a55 | comment |
Racism not only elevates Whites over the Blacks, it drives Blacks as the second-class citizens to fight among themselves over who's really Black or not. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_d129e13e | type |
"Eureka!" Moment | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_d129e13e | comment |
"Eureka!" Moment: When Davenport learns that no one but MP patrols were issued .45 ammunition. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_e07d3d72 | type |
Uncle Tomfoolery | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_e07d3d72 | comment |
Uncle Tomfoolery: Waters despises this trope. He even tells a story of how he and some of his mates killed a black guy in France during World War I because he allowed whites to dress him like a monkey and live out every racist stereotype. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_eb8ec7c8 | type |
Jerkass | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_eb8ec7c8 | comment |
Jerkass: Sgt. Waters was a strict general who didn't hesitate to insult his men. | |
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| A Soldier's Story / int_ee9877ea | type |
Too Good for This Sinful Earth | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_ee9877ea | comment |
Too Good for This Sinful Earth: C.J. | |
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The Dog Bites Back | |
| A Soldier's Story / int_fb3576b2 | comment |
The Dog Bites Back: Why Sgt. Waters was killed. | |
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A Soldier's Story |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| A Soldier's Story | hasFeature |
African-American Media / int_e309035d | |
| A Soldier's Story | hasFeature |
Boomerang Bigot / int_e309035d | |
| A Soldier's Story | hasFeature |
Motive Rant / int_e309035d | |
| A Soldier's Story | hasFeature |
Playing Up the Stereotype / int_e309035d | |
| A Soldier's Story | hasFeature |
Stop Being Stereotypical / int_e309035d | |
| A Soldier's Story | hasFeature |
The '40s / int_e309035d | |
| A Soldier's Story | hasFeature |
The Film of the Play / int_e309035d |
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Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.