“We wanted black people to see the film and be proud of themselves.”
Screened in tribute to Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)
Sidney Poitier’s directorial debut is a revisionist Western that sees him paired for the first time with equally legendary Harry Belafonte.
Poitier stars as Buck, an ex-Union Army Cavalry sergeant who becomes a scout for freed slaves heading to the Colorado frontier. Tagging along with him are his wife (Ruby Dee in a scene-stealing performance) and a Bible-thumping con artist known as the Preacher (Belafonte). Attacked by racist bounty hunters determined to return the former slaves to a life of sharecropping in Louisiana, Buck and his followers must summon all the courage they have in order to reach their destination and help settle the Wild West.
A refreshing change from many typical Western tropes and a testament to Poitier’s ongoing desire to shake up the Hollywood status quo.
