RIP: Norman Jewison

Canadian film director Norman Jewison died earlier this week. He had a lengthy career in film going back to the 1960s. Most of his eulogies rightly talk about his film In the Heat of the Night. I know that there are many who loved his movie Jesus Christ Superstar. In my family, we grew up watching his Fiddler on the Roof. I'm also personally fond of his movies the Cincinnati Kid and ...And Justice for All.

But if I can be permitted to indulge in recommending only one film from his library, then it has to be A Soldier's Story, which he filmed in 1984. It was an adaptation of Charles Fuller's 1981 play A Soldier's Play and featured three key performers from the original cast - Adolph Caesar as a sergeant who is murdered near his camp during World War II, prompting an investigation; Larry Riley as a soldier whom the sergeant especially disliked; and a young Denzel Washington as one of the soldiers who stood up to the sergeant.

I've never seen a performance of the play so I can't say how well A Soldier's Story functions as an adaptation, but it made a strong impression on me when I first saw it. It was around 2002 that I saw the movie broadcast on History Television. It was introduced by host Ann Medina, who singled it out as one of Jewison's finest films. Although a historical drama, it wasn't based on a true story - but it sure didn't hurt History Television to be able to put on a Jewison film and claim credit for Canadian content.

The film is a bit of a murder mystery, as the killer of the sergeant is found through a lengthy series of scenes in which a black officer interviews the men who served under the deceased sergeant. A series of flashbacks reveal how intensely the sergeant despised his own men and the reciprocal hatred it inspired in them. Throughout, Adolph Caesar's performance is mesmerizing; there's a particular flashback in which his character engages in a lengthy monologue about an incident from World War I. The calm, matter-of-fact way the sergeant admits to lynching a fellow soldier for embarrassing him. The scene conjured up is so stark, it's horrifying - and it's all through Caesar's delivery.

A Soldier's Story is not (you will have guessed) a very happy movie... but also not a very angry movie. It's a very sad film, a tragedy. It will leave you feeling a little bit haunted by what you've scene - and for that reason, it's my pick as Jewison's best movie.

So, check out A Soldier's Story when you're able - and rest in peace, Mr. Jewison.