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Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (1994)

Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (1994), directed by Harry Moses, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Waterston.

02/26/1994 BR Drama, Thriller and TV Movie 1h 35m

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Synopsis

The story of Johnson Whittaker, one of the first African-American cadets admitted to West Point. Tied down and beaten by his fellow cadets

  • Ken KelschCinematography
  • Harry MosesDirector, Producer, Writer
  • Jay FreundEditing
  • Terence BlanchardOriginal music

About the film

Assault at West Point is a 1994 Showtime made-for-cable drama film about Johnson Chesnut Whittaker, one of the first black cadets at West Point, and the trial that followed an assault he suffered in 1880. The film features Samuel L. Jackson, who portrays Richard Greener, a lawyer who defends Whittaker. The movie is based on historian John F. Marszalek's book Court Martial: A Black Man in America.

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Assault at West Point is a 1994 Showtime made-for-cable drama film about Johnson Chesnut Whittaker, one of the first black cadets at West Point, and the trial that followed an assault he suffered in 1880. The film features Samuel L. Jackson, who portrays Richard Greener, a lawyer who defends Whittaker. The movie is based on historian John F. Marszalek's book Court Martial: A Black Man in America.

Plot

Johnson Whittaker, a black cadet at West Point, is attacked by three fellow students. The school administrators court-martial Whittaker in the mistaken belief that he staged his own attack, supposedly to avoid a philosophy exam.

The assault on him by fellow cadets quickly makes its way into the press and gained widespread attention. Richard Greener is the Harvard alumnus lawyer who defends Whittaker at his trial and, since he is also black, has also personally experienced racism. Greener's partner, Daniel Chamberlain, does not share his determination but rather has a different agenda – acquiring fame.

The trial begins and the two lawyers are at odds with one another. The prosecutor, Major Asa Bird Gardiner, cross-examines Whittaker, who manages to evade his tactics. On the day the verdict is to be delivered, the officer whose vote they had hoped would be favorable does not show up in court. The other four officers find Whittaker guilty of assaulting himself so as not to participate in the exam.

The film closes in later years, with Whittaker being interviewed by a reporter. Whittaker tells him that he went on to become a school principal, while Greener is now retired. He also informs the reporter that Chamberlain later went on to defend lynching. "People will sometimes do anything to gather fame", states Whittaker, to which the reporter replies, "I wonder what hidden agenda he was carrying". The film ends with the reporter telephoning the newspaper and telling them to hold the first page; he has a great story.

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson as Richard Greener

Sam Waterston as Daniel Chamberlain

Mason Adams as Henry D. Hyde

Val Avery as General William T. Sherman

Eddie Bracken as Major Charles T. Alexander

Seth Gilliam as Johnson Whittaker

Al Freeman, Jr. as Old Johnson Whittaker

John Glover as Major Asa Bird Gardiner

References

Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker at IMDb

Rottentomatoes.com

Text from Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_at_West_Point:_The_Court-Martial_of_Johnson_Whittaker

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What is Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker about?

Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker: The story of Johnson Whittaker, one of the first African-American cadets admitted to West Point. Tied down and beaten by his fellow cadets

Who directed Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker?

Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker was directed by Harry Moses in 1994.

Who stars in Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker?

The cast of Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker includes Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Waterston, Mason Adams, Val Avery and Eddie Bracken.

How long is Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker?

Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker runs for 95 minutes, or 1h35.

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Scene from Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker