Buck and the Preacher

The second of two films screening at Kiln Cinema during the production run of Retrograde to honour the life and success of the late Sidney Poitier. A Q&A with Kiln Associate Director Amit Sharma, who is directing Retrograde, will precede the film.

Sidney Poitier made his mark not just as an actor, but also as a filmmaker with this Western, his directorial debut. One of director Jordan Peele’s (Get Out, Nope) favourite films, co-starring the magnetic Harry Belafonte, it’s a showcase for Poitier’s talent in front of and behind the camera. Buck (Poitier) is a cowboy ‘wagon master’, charged with shepherding freed slaves to settle land in the Wild West in the aftermath of the American Civil War. A con-artist preacher (Belafonte) initially hopes to sell out Buck to the white cowboys on his trail, but the odd couple soon find themselves teaming up to carve out a ragged freedom for themselves.

An hilarious buddy movie, Buck and the Preacher is also thoughtful about the racial dynamics of the founding of the United States, including its indigenous peoples. Now available in a sparkling new 4K restoration, it’s a testament to Sidney Poitier’s risk-taking and ambition in carving a path in Hollywood.

Cast includes Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee

Directed by Sidney Poitier

Cert 12A