One
of the great heroes of ragtime-early jazz music was bandleader James Reese Europe, who as a commissioned Lieutenant in the New York National Guard led his
military band in performances and the 369th Infantry, known as the
“Harlem Hellfighters” in combat. Educating the public on Europe’s life, music,
and legacy is one of our pet projects. Despite their music and service, the
Fighting 369th is not as well-remembered as the 10th
Cavalry Regiment, better known as the “Buffalo Soldiers,” who deserve all their
recognition. They served in combat during the American-Indian, the Johnson
County, the Spanish-American, and Philippine-American Wars, and very definitely
World War I. A somewhat prejudiced white officer will learn to appreciate his
Buffalo Soldiers comrades in screenwriter-director Steven Luke’s The Great War, which opens this Friday
in New York.
Armistice
is imminent, but for geopolitical reasons, the troops in the trenches are
supposed to fight to gain every last inch of ground before it goes into effect.
Gen. “Black Jack” Pershing is not happy about it, but he has his orders, just
like the soldiers under him. However, when he learns the 10th
Cavalry’s heroic push has left them stranded behind enemy lines, he sends
orders down the chain-of-command to dispatch a platoon to escort them to
safety.
Captain
William Rivers is less than thrilled about his assignment. Even though his best
friend was the Buffalo Soldiers’ progressive late Captain, he still harbors
rather unenlightened racial notions. Some of his men are even worse. However,
orders are orders. Grudgingly, he starts to respect Private John Cain, the
messenger from the 10th temporarily attached to his platoon. He also
feels mixed feelings of guilt and respect for the mystery Buffalo Soldier who
gave him the slapping he needed when temporarily paralyzed by “shellshock.”
Great War could be cynically
dubbed “Saving the Buffalo Soldiers,” or “Glory Fifty Years Later,” but it is
important to note the African American soldiers will have ample opportunity to
fight like Hell during the third act. In fact, Luke does a pretty credible job
giving the soldiers of the 10th independent agency and largely
avoiding the pitfalls of “white savior narratives,” to use the nauseatingly
woke term. His real talent seems to be staging scenes of warfighting on a
limited budget, especially the rousing climatic battle.
Still,
characterization is not exactly Luke’s strongest suit. He is largely falling
back on stock characters, except for CPT. Rivers, who is certainly a messily
complicated figure, with a very significant development arc. The quiet
conviction of Bates Wilder’s lead performance serves the role well. While Pvt. Cain is a pretty straightforwardly
heroic soldier, Hiram A. Murray plays him with intensity and screen charisma
that truly pops off the screen. Ron Perlman shows unusual restraint as the
weary Pershing, but Billy Zane hardly had any reason to show up to play Col.
Jack Morrison, except to provide another recognizable name for the film’s
credits.
