“After playing Hollywood’s first black Western hero in Duel at Diablo (1966), Sidney Poitier blazed new trails when he took over the direction of this 1972 saga of freed slaves fleeing oppression to find a new home in the West. In a year of revisionist Westerns, including Bad Company, Jeremiah Johnson, and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Buck and the Preacher was a standout. In addition to being Poitier’s first directing credit, it marked the first time a black man had directed a Western for a major Hollywood studio.”– Frank Miller, writer and filmmaker.

With a soundtrack composed by jazz legend Benny Carter and featuring performances from Harry Belafonte (who shows a knack for comedy while sporting bad teeth), Ruby Dee, and Sidney Poitier, Buck and the Preacher is an all-time favorite of Vassar College film professor Mia Mask. Join Mask for this special 35mm screening of Poitier’s directorial debut!