MovieChat Forums > A Soldier's Story (1984) Discussion > Sweaty

Sweaty

posted 16 years ago by chickenblood
4 replies | jump to latest

Did anyone else notice how sweaty everyone was in this film? I had put this down to the uncomfortable humidity in the deep south. Another films springs to mind where characters sport sweat-drenched clothing - A Time to Kill. However, many movies set in Mississippi, Louisiana, etc. do not show people in such a state. Can anyone attest to what is a more accurate depiction of reality in the southern states?

One other thing - all the black soldiers appeared to be very sweaty, whilst the white officers mostly were not. I had assumed this was due to the black soldiers being given the worst work - i.e. long chores in the midday sun. Did anyone else come to the same conclusion, or did I miss something?

"Your mother's in here with us."

[–] cowgoesmoo 16 years ago

I think "sweaty" is more appropriate than "not sweaty". I have cousins in Alabama and Georgia and when I visited in the summer I was drenched. Come to think of, though, they seemed to have far less of a problem with the heat and humidity than I did so maybe living there they get used to it.

Thinking back to older movies set in the South (Inherit the Wind comes to mind), they don't make people look sweaty but they convey the heat in other ways, most notably with props like hand-held fans, having actors remove their jackets as they complain about the head, or serving up ice tea and lemonade.

Thinking back on the movie, I can only come up with a couple situations with sweaty white officer. One of them was Capt Taylor/Capt Davenport discussing the case. Capt Taylor has sweat stains under his arms while Capt Davenport has only his T-shirt on and is still sweating up a storm.

[–] OIF-Retread 10 years ago

There's also a scene where CPT Taylor walks into a room and his entire back his sweat-stained.

[–] chickenblood 11 years ago

Actually, I have been to the Deep South, albeit in February and yes, it was hot. My point was, it is seldom depicted to this extreme in most movies set in similar locations.

"Your mother's in here with us."

[–] 10 years ago

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