katyagp Review of The Negro Soldier

The Negro Soldier (1944)

Like most Capra films, I wish the world were like this, but its not

[9/10 · 11 November 2019]

This movie is pretty amazing in one sense. Seeing proud African Americans doing intellectual, demanding, courageous work with pride as scientists, classical musicians, judges and all the jobs required in the military is pretty amazing during a time when African-Americans were seen as servants or represented by whites in blackface in the movies. Seeing the beautiful HBCs and monuments to African-American soldiers shown with pride was wonderful as well. However, just as businessmen are not as nice as Frank Capra would portray them, and politicians are not like Jimmy Stewart, real life is nothing like this for African-Americans during this time, and, despite the narrator's monologue, life was better in Europe and Asia for most African-Americans than at home. However, it is amusing to imagine the way this movie would have been received in the Deep South, and incredibly depressing to know the way these wonderful soldiers would be treated when they returned from their heroic actions.