A Soldier's Story (1984)

Denzel Washington: Private First Class Peterson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Private First Class Peterson : CJ was sleeping when I came in. It's Waters. Can't y'all see that? You know, I seen 'em before. We had 'em in Alabama. White man give him a small-ass job as a servant and when the boss ain't looking, that old copy-cat nigger act like he the new boss. Shouting, ordering people around. You see, arresting CJ, that'll get Waters another stripe. Next, it'll be you or you. You see, he can't look good unless he's standing on you. Cobb told him CJ was in here all evening. Waters didn't even listen, did he? Turning somebody in. "Well, look what I done, Captain-boss." Only reason he's in the Army is 'cause they know he'll do what they tell him to. I've seen this kind of fool before. Somebody's gonna kill him one of these days.

• Master Sergeant Vernon Waters : And if it wasn't for you Southern niggers, white folks wouldn't think we was all fools.

  Private First Class Peterson : Well, where are you from? England?

• Private First Class Peterson : Sir, are there any suspects?

  Captain Taylor : None.

  Private Henson : Come on, now. Everybody knows it was the Klan.

  Captain Taylor : Were you an eyewitness, soldier?

  Private Henson : They lynched Jefferson the week I got here. Now, two weeks after that it was...

  Captain Taylor : Henson, unless you saw it, you keep your opinions to yourself.

• C.J. Memphis : I hear they're on the verge of gettin' all of us together. The colored, the white. Say they want one army.

  Private First Class Peterson : You can forget that, CJ. White folks ain't never gonna integrate no army.

  C.J. Memphis : I don't know. If they do, I'm gonna be ready for 'em.

  [singing] 

  C.J. Memphis : Get me a bright red zoot suit, And a pair of patent leather shoes, And the woman sittin' at home waitin', For the day we get the news, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Look out, Adolf Hitler, You and Tojo gonna be singin' the blues...

• Private First Class Peterson : You ain't got to come in here calling us names.

  Master Sergeant Vernon Waters : The Nazis call you "Schwarze". You gonna complain to Hitler that he hurt your little feelings?

• Private First Class Peterson : What kind of colored man are you?

  Master Sergeant Vernon Waters : I'm a soldier, Peterson. And the kind of colored man that don't like lazy, shiftless negroes.

• Private First Class Peterson : I seen 'em before. We had 'em in Alabama. White man give him a small-ass job as a servant and when the boss ain't looking that old copy-cat nigger act like he the new boss. Shouting, ordering people around. You see, arresting CJ, that'll get Waters another stripe. Next, it'll be you or you. You see, he can't look good unless he's standing on you.