Buck and the Preacher

Buck and the Preacher

Film Poster
Directed by Sidney Poitier
Produced by Joel Gilckman
Written by Ernest Kinoy
Starring Sidney Poitier
Harry Belafonte
Ruby Dee
Music by Benny Carter
Cinematography Alex Phillips Jr.
Edited by Pembroke J. Herring
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • April 28, 1972 (1972-04-28) (U.S.)
Running time
 102 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Buck and the Preacher is a 1972 Western film starring Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, and Sidney Poitier. Buck (Sydney Poitier) is a trail guide and the Preacher (Harry Belafonte) is a con-man posing as a preacher, together alongside Buck’s wife Ruth (Ruby Dee) fight off the bounty hunters that are coming after freed slaves to return them to their masters in the south. Buck and the Preacher was Poitier’s directing debut after Joe Sargent would relinquish his role. The film focuses on the lesser-known topics of black frontiersmen after the war and sense of black community that perpetuated Black Power.

Plot

Buck and the Preacher opens up with Buck (Sydney Poitier) only trying to help recently freed slaves in their journey to= the West. It proves to be difficult with the villain of the film DeShay pursuing Buck at every corner. Buck would gain help from a con-man posing as a preacher going by The Preacher (Harry Belafonte). Buck, the Preacher Buck ‘s wife Ruth (Ruby Dee) and even the Native Americans would fight to protect the wagon camp against DeShay and his thugs. Buck and his posse defeat DeShay and his gang then ride off into the sunset.

Black Migration West

Buck and the Preacher depicts the black migration to the west after the Civil War, during the Reconstruction Era. The black codes instituted after the Civil War placed many freed slaves back in the same conditions as of they were still slaves. There was much aggression from the south towards blacks as many blamed them for their loss of the Civil War. Acts of violence and terrorism against blacks became a daily occurrence in the south and blacks felt no security. The oppressiveness of the south prompted many slaves to seek other areas to settle down during the Reconstruction Era. The West has presented a sort of freedom from the harshness of the south, a freedom to work and plant for themselves.[[|[1]]]

The film also portrays the South’s reaction to black migration to the west. Bounty hunters were used to capture slaves to return them to their former masters. Freedmen would be forced to work for their former masters if they were returned. DeShay and his gang had to persuade the black camp into returning to the south by terrorizing their lives in the south. Blacks were still limited in their places to live and settle. The West seemed to be the best choice for settlement as it was a newer territory that did not have the influences of the south or the north (which was just as racist but was not as explicit as the south). The bounty hunters in the film made it their sole mission to make the black frontiersmen’s lives hell in the west.  

[[|[1]]] Painter, Nell Irvin (1976). Exodusters: Black Migration to Kansas After Reconstruction. Retrieved: 2016-05-05

Black Power and Blaxploitation

Black Power would arise during the late 1960s towards the end of the Civil Rights Movement. Young black activists grew tired of the ways of peaceful protest and working through the system. Stokley Carmichael would chant the words “We want Black Power!” on national TV at the 1966 march with Martin Luther King Jr. and other major activists. These words would leave their mark as black power would become its own movement. Black power would focus on promoting black communities and protecting them from white exploitation and violence. Black power would create a culture of its own that would inspire music, TV, and film.

Blaxploitation films would come out of Black Power culture, taking over the film industry in the 1970s. Blaxploitation films would take the black power ideals of black community and protection and make them key plot points. Buck and the Preacher would be no different from other Blaxploitation films as Buck would spend the whole movie protecting the black wagon camp from the villainous white gang that was seeking to re-enslave them. 

Violence Against Black Communities

Black communities across the US faced the struggle of violence much of it committed by police. In the film, DeShay and his gang were representative of the police brutality that occurred in black communities during the 1970s. They harassed the camp wagon trying to force them to return to a form of slavery back in the south. Many viewed that the police brutality in their communities was a form of re-enslavement as police sought to control the crime-ridden urban areas. The wagon camp like black urban areas felt constant fear and harassment by authorities those were predominantly white. [[|[1]]]

Protecting the Black Communities

Buck sole purpose in the film is to protect the black wagon camp so they can finally settle in the freer west. This is very symbolic of the Black Power ideal of protecting the black community against the violence when the system fails to act. Buck, the Preacher and Ruth were viewed as outlaws, working outside the system and in unconventional ways (robbing the   to protect the community against the menacing white gang. Buck and his group would be symbolic of the self-defense committees that would form out of the violence committed against black urban areas. Police brutality would take it toll on black communities across the nation during the late 60s and 70s. Many resorted to building creating self-defense committees. The Black Panther for Self Defense that formed out of Oakland, California would have the main goal of protecting black communities from any police incursions that could result in violent outbreaks. The BPP and groups alike would use ways that were viewed as outside the system (following police around with guns to ensure arrest and searches) to combat violence in the black communities. [[|[1]]]

[[|[1]]] Murch, Donna (2011). Living for the City. Retrieved: Retrieved 2016-05-06.

[[|[1]]] Murch, Donna (2011). Living for the City. Retrieved: Retrieved 2016-05-06.

Setting

The film is set in the Kansas Territory immediately following the American Civil War. Late 1860s.

Production

The original director, Joe Sargent, resigned his position of director after the insistent of Harry Belafonte and Poitier himself. Poitier was quoted in Ebony Magazine saying, “I thought the director was not giving us what we wanted and it was certainly too late in production for us to ask Columbia to wait and send us another director.”[[|[1]]] Poitier became in charge of a $2.1 million production in Durango, Mexico. Poitier was heavily involved in the 45-day film production and the 9-week editing process after filming was concluded. Poitier also had the role of producer alongside his co-star Harry Belafonte.[[|[2]]] Poitier and Belafonte had much influence on they wanted the film to come out. Belafonte would even have his own production company Belafonte Enterprise produce the film.

[[|[1]]] Robinson, Louie (1972-11). “Superstar, director, producer eyes future.” Ebony Magazine. Retrieved 2016-3-5.

[[|[2]]] Robinson, Louie (1972-11). “Superstar, director, producer eyes future.” Ebony Magazine. Retrieved 2016-3-5.

Reception

Box office weekend grossed about $5 million or $6 million dollars according to Poitier in an interview.[[|[1]]] The movie just broke even with the production costing $2.1 million dollars. The reviews were pretty favorable; Sharon Scott of the Chicago Defender said the film was “entertaining” “it is a nice modern western, keeping within the bounds of western tradition.”[[|[2]]] In a historical context, Buck and the Preacher was deemed as "the highest degree of significance since Sergeant Rutledge (1961) ..."[1]

[[|[1]]] Noble, Gil and Sydney Poitier (1972). “ENTERTAINMENT, POLITICS, and THE MOVIE BUSINESS: An Interview with Sidney Poitier.” Cinéaste, Vol. 8, No. 3 (1978), pp. 16-23. Retrieved 2016-05-06.

[[|[2]]] Scott, Sharon (1972-03-22). “Buck and the Preacher, an enternaining movie”. Chicago Defender. pp. 12. Retrieved 2016-05-06.

Cast

See also

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Michael K (January 2014). Hoo-Doo Cowboys and Bronze Buckaroos : Conceptions of the African American West. University Press of Mississippi. p. 123. ISBN 9781617039287.

External links

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