"Judge Priest" could've been a wonderful movie except for two things:
1.) Stepin Fetchit
2.) It praised the Confederacy
"Judge Priest" took place in Kentucky in 1890, a time not too far removed from the Civil War and even closer to the end of Reconstruction. Judge William Pitman Priest (Will Rogers) was a "liberal" judge in a small Kentucky town (or county). His liberality was established at the very beginning when he opted not to punish Jeff Poindexter (Stepin Fetchit), a slow, dimwitted Black man* on trial for stealing a chicken.
Until the end, the most dramatic issue was the budding romance between Priest's nephew, Jerome Priest (Tom Brown), and Ellie May Gillespie (Anita Louise).
The movie took a dramatic shift when Bob Gilis (David Landau) was put on trial for stabbing a coward named Flem (Frank Melton). Jerome Priest had to defend him, but that's not the important part. The important part is that a man named Rev. Ashby Brand (Henry B. Walthall) gave a moving testimony about Bob's bravery and character in respect to the Civil War and fighting for the Confederacy. The testimony Brand gave was so serious, detailed, and laudatory that you would've thought he was testifying about a man who helped good triumph over evil.
And that's when I had a stark change in attitude towards this movie. Can a person be brave even if they're fighting for slavery and oppression? Certainly he can, but that doesn't mean we extol it. The way Brand spoke about Confederate soldiers and the Confederacy, it was as if he were talking about soldiers of God. Like no finer men ever walked the Earth. I was tensing up with each passing second as Brand continued his nostalgic retelling of heroism replete with flashback footage and patriotic music playing. He even referred to the Confederate flag as "stars and bars."
Brand's testimony finished to a burst of excited shouting and applause. There was no doubt that Bob was to be acquitted, but IT WASN'T EVEN EVIDENCE!! Brand didn't provide a shred of testimony that could be considered evidence--and especially new evidence to reopen the case as it was. So, never mind the fact that Bob stabbed Flem out of self-defense (which he did), what was most important was that he was a good Confederate soldier!!!???
The movie ended with a grand parade marching down Main Street with Bob in the lead proudly holding the Confederate flag. It was a sight to behold. For some, it was a source of pride. For others, like me, it was a source of revulsion.
I've never seen anything like it. The closest thing I've ever seen to praising the Confederacy was "Dukes of Hazzard" when I was a kid. "Judge Priest" was a requiem for the Confederacy. I've never seen it held in such high esteem. I began to wonder had they thought they won the war or maybe the movie was set in an alternate universe in which the North was fighting for slavery while the South was fighting to free the slaves. With nothing to support the aforementioned scenarios the only conclusion is that they believed they were on the side of right and, more importantly, so did Hollywood.
So, instead of the movie being about a man who was adequately defended because he acted in self-defense, we got a movie about how great the Confederacy was. I simply cannot
*Stepin Fetchit was a stage name and his stage persona was always the same in every movie. He was a slow moving, slow speaking idiot. He never stood up straight, rather he was always slouching. He'd talk slowly with a little bit of a whine and mumble so badly you could barely understand most of what he said. His name became an insult among Black people in the '60s along with Uncle Tom.
1.) Stepin Fetchit
2.) It praised the Confederacy
"Judge Priest" took place in Kentucky in 1890, a time not too far removed from the Civil War and even closer to the end of Reconstruction. Judge William Pitman Priest (Will Rogers) was a "liberal" judge in a small Kentucky town (or county). His liberality was established at the very beginning when he opted not to punish Jeff Poindexter (Stepin Fetchit), a slow, dimwitted Black man* on trial for stealing a chicken.
Until the end, the most dramatic issue was the budding romance between Priest's nephew, Jerome Priest (Tom Brown), and Ellie May Gillespie (Anita Louise).
The movie took a dramatic shift when Bob Gilis (David Landau) was put on trial for stabbing a coward named Flem (Frank Melton). Jerome Priest had to defend him, but that's not the important part. The important part is that a man named Rev. Ashby Brand (Henry B. Walthall) gave a moving testimony about Bob's bravery and character in respect to the Civil War and fighting for the Confederacy. The testimony Brand gave was so serious, detailed, and laudatory that you would've thought he was testifying about a man who helped good triumph over evil.
And that's when I had a stark change in attitude towards this movie. Can a person be brave even if they're fighting for slavery and oppression? Certainly he can, but that doesn't mean we extol it. The way Brand spoke about Confederate soldiers and the Confederacy, it was as if he were talking about soldiers of God. Like no finer men ever walked the Earth. I was tensing up with each passing second as Brand continued his nostalgic retelling of heroism replete with flashback footage and patriotic music playing. He even referred to the Confederate flag as "stars and bars."
Brand's testimony finished to a burst of excited shouting and applause. There was no doubt that Bob was to be acquitted, but IT WASN'T EVEN EVIDENCE!! Brand didn't provide a shred of testimony that could be considered evidence--and especially new evidence to reopen the case as it was. So, never mind the fact that Bob stabbed Flem out of self-defense (which he did), what was most important was that he was a good Confederate soldier!!!???
The movie ended with a grand parade marching down Main Street with Bob in the lead proudly holding the Confederate flag. It was a sight to behold. For some, it was a source of pride. For others, like me, it was a source of revulsion.
I've never seen anything like it. The closest thing I've ever seen to praising the Confederacy was "Dukes of Hazzard" when I was a kid. "Judge Priest" was a requiem for the Confederacy. I've never seen it held in such high esteem. I began to wonder had they thought they won the war or maybe the movie was set in an alternate universe in which the North was fighting for slavery while the South was fighting to free the slaves. With nothing to support the aforementioned scenarios the only conclusion is that they believed they were on the side of right and, more importantly, so did Hollywood.
So, instead of the movie being about a man who was adequately defended because he acted in self-defense, we got a movie about how great the Confederacy was. I simply cannot
*Stepin Fetchit was a stage name and his stage persona was always the same in every movie. He was a slow moving, slow speaking idiot. He never stood up straight, rather he was always slouching. He'd talk slowly with a little bit of a whine and mumble so badly you could barely understand most of what he said. His name became an insult among Black people in the '60s along with Uncle Tom.
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