Buck and the Preacher

Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte forged one of the greatest and most daring artistic collaborations of the 1970s with the former’s directorial debut—the first major Hollywood Western from a Black director—produced with Belafonte, and starring the duo as the titular characters. Poitier is the trail guide Buck, who comes across a grifting man of the cloth (played with lovable volatility by Belafonte). Together they develop an uneasy partnership helping freed slaves head out West while fending off ex-Confederate soldiers stalking their route. A gorgeously shot, whip-smart Western with a razor-sharp contemporary edge, featuring the brilliantly cast Ruby Dee and Cameron Mitchell in supporting roles, Buck and the Preacher entertains on many levels, audaciously blending humor with menacing thrills, and drawing undeniable parallels between the aftermaths of the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement.