Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

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BACKGROUND​

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As one of the first films to address the theme of racism and cast a black man in a leading role, Sergeant Rutledge was a courageous undertaking that can be seen as Ford’s counterpoint to Wayne’s xenophobic The Alamo released the same year.

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The collaboration between Woody Strode, who plays Sergeant Braxton Rutledge, and John Ford, would eventually blossom into a friendship that lasted until the end of Ford’s life. Strode, who was part Cherokee, like so many of Ford’s favorite people, was so deeply honored by his experiences working with Ford in four films that he acted as his voluntary caregiver during the director’s final illness the same way Jughead Carson served as Frank Wead’s guardian angel in The Wings of Eagles. It was a blessing that Ford had someone to look after him and serve as a companion in ways that even his wife and children were not capable of. 

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PLOT SUMMARY

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The story of a Buffalo Soldier is told in flashback as he is tried for the rape and murder of a young girl and the murder of her father who is the commanding officer of the fort. 

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