Buck et son complice

I just saw this movie for the first time on Turner Classic Movies tonight. I had heard about it, but missed it. It's just another shoot-'em-up horse opera, but this time with a difference. It's one of the only westerns ever made that is a story about black people in the Old West, with black actors in the lead roles. Harry Belafonte is excellent as the Preacher. Sidney Poitier is also very good, and although the story contains the full compliment of standard cowboy movie clichés---shoot-outs, posse chases, bank robberies, whining ricochet sounds, etc.---, it's very entertaining. The vast majority of Hollywood westerns are exclusively white, and feature virtually no black people at all. Indians are almost always featured as pidgin-speaking cigar-store cartoon characters, with white actors usually in the speaking parts. Some idiot composer came up with the pounding tom-toms, descending minor theme music played by trombones and low brass whenever Indians come into the picture. It's unbelievable how ridiculous this music is. Hollywood has a lot to answer for in its racist treatment of minorities throughout its early history, which has never been fully addressed. So it's great to see a western like Buck and The Preacher that is different. As a result, it's a lot better than your average western, even though it milks the same old clichés.

I don't understand how someone could classify this film as a "comedy". It did have it's comedic moments, but no more than any other Western or Drama. Then that false comment ends up on the front page of the IMDb? Weird. This was a first rate Western by any standard. At a time when Hollywood had no interest in making such films. Blaxploitation films and comedies were the rules of the day. Poitier makes a great cowboy and fine director here. I suspect the reason this film is/was not more popular is that there were so few good guys of the White persuasion. The one fair and honest White man was the town Sheriff, who was quickly killed off by another White man for this very reason.

It regards a trail guide and a con preacher join forces to help a wagon train of former slaves who are escaping from cutthroats and seeking to homestead out the West . The civil war was over and by law the slaves were freed . But when the promise of land and freedom was not honored , many ex-slaves journeyed out of the land of bondage in search of new frontiers where they could be free at last . They placed their hopes in the hands of the few black wagonmasters that knew the territories of the west . None of this came easy , for not only did they have to overcome hostile wilderness , but nightriders and bounty hunters were hired by persons unknown to hunt them down and turn them back to the Southern fields . This picture is dedicated to those men , women and children who lie in graves as unmarked as their place in history . This movie deals with a hard , long travel throughout the wilderness of a group of negroes and slaves freed after the end Civil War , being led by an intrepid wagonmaster (Sidney Poitier) along with a roguish preacher (showy acting by Harry Belafonte) wielding a peculiar Holy Bible . And being harassed by marauding white nightriders (led by Cameron Mitchell) all the way down .

Sidney Poitier performed and shot this picture , delivering it all the traditional ingredients of amusement : Riding pursuits , spectacular battles , croosfire , bank assaults , ambushes , fights with Indians , and many other things . While at the same time inserting a thought-provoking issue of accusatory coment on the ill-treatment of the ancient slaves whose graves are as unmarked as their place place in history . It has an interesting subject which is rather reminiscent of John Ford's Wagonmaster played by Ben Johnson in similar role to Poitier . Nice , though , the idea of having Indians riding and coming to rescue of the wagon train besieged by bandits , it is a gem , instead of the ordinary Union cavalry . Harry Belafonte steals the show giving an overacting and Poitier the player seems content to stand back and let the limelight falls on Harry . It is agreeable , enjoyable , and pleasant enough , but somewhat it never quite clicks , despite awesome interpretations from Belafonte and Poitier . Ruby Dee also provides a decent playing , she interprets the attractive spouse of Sidney .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Sidney Poitier . Being his fiilm debut that he took over the job from Joseph Sargent who left the filmmaking . Poitier is a fine actor and filmmaker . Poitier's talent, conscience, integrity, and inherent likability placed him on equal footing with the white stars of the day. He took on directing and producing chores in the Seventies, achieving success in both arenas . Sidney directed a few pictures , and most of them were comedies . As Poitier made : Ghost dad , Fast forward , Hanky panky , Stir Crazy , Piece of action , Let's do again , Uptown Saturday night , and this Buck and the preacher . Rating : 6/10 , passable and aceptable Western movie

After civil war, the free black people headed to west in searching for a free land, Sidney Poitier was in charge to guide this settlers toward to western lands, however a bunch leading by the evil Deshay (Cameron Mitchel) pursued them, try out convincing by force to return to Louisiana, meanwhile appears the preacher (Belafonte) the best character in the movie, an easy going man who hidden behind in a mask of God's man, he is malicious, raunchy and cheater, quite often he speech set phases from the Bible, Buck realizes that the preacher isn't trustful, nevertheless has to live together in such circumstances, these opposing forces are the highlight of the picture, developing a perfect chemistry between two distinct characters, also it has an indelible black humor, a rare movie made at Blaxploitation era, shot at Durango on Mexico displaying a dry and beautiful landscape, enjoyable and highly underrated!!

Resume:

First watch: 1980 / How many: 5 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 8.5

We tend to forget that in 1972, in the heart of the whole "blaxploitation" movement, that the very idea of casting African-Americans in traditional white roles was daring in and of itself. As such, Buck and the Preacher, starring Sidney Poitier (who also directed) and Harry Belafonte in the titular roles must have created quite a stir upon its release. The story is pretty standard for a western--a wagon train heading west, led by a tough-as-nails trail guide, is harassed by outside forces (usually bandits or American Indians), but in this case, the settlers are all freed slaves, and the "outside forces" are hired guns by the south, bend on stopping every black settler group, destroying their supplies (and murdering a few of their people), thus terrorizing them into returning to the plantations. Former military sergeant Buck (Poitier) will have none of that, and the slick-talking con man "Preacher (Belafonte), whose initial intentions may seem questionable, mans up and does the right thing, joining forces with Buck for a typical final showdown. A fun western, to be sure, but if you're looking for deeper social commentary that what has already been described, you won't find it. A traditional western with an African-American cast is daring as it gets in 1972, but don't let that keep you away. The original score by Benny Carter, heavy on the mouth harp and that weird pig-sounding instrument they use on Green Acres, will annoy the hell out of you yet stay with you for days.