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| One of Sidney's greatest; one of film history's greatest. Photo Courtesy of http://www.tcm.com |
One would probably think that after forty-seven years, this film wouldn't be as powerful as it once was. Yet, it is. Though it is much more common to see interracial couples today, it is still, to some, abhorrent and something that should not be allowed. Even if that wasn't the case, however, this almost entirely forgotten film today would still be powerful. It's power would be the beauty in which the film has a plethora of, the message that true love is indeed blind.
I first saw this film about three years ago, which is about a year before I got into the classics heavily. I was down at my father's, searching for something to watch, when I came across this. It hadn't yet come on, but I saw what it was about, and it immediately had me. I just had to watch it.
And so I did. It was my misfortune, however, that it began to storm during about the time I reached the middle of the film, and as storms are apt to do, I lost the signal, and was unable to finish it. God, I was miserable. I had to finish watching it. I had to know what happened. I kept hoping that the storm would quit even if it was just long enough for me to see the last five minutes. I was not so lucky. As soon as the storm ended, and I found that the film was over, I quickly went to youtube. You can find anything on there, and I was hoping that I would be so lucky as to find it. I did.
This film was my introduction to Sidney Poitier. Oh, I knew who he was, I had seen him once or twice before, but this was my first full length Sidney Poitier film, and I immediately liked him. I liked his soft voice, his easy way on screen, his laugh, and I loved how he was so kind to the girl, Selina D'Arcey, played by the tragic Elizabeth Hartman.
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| Selina and Gordon Photo Courtesy of http://www.community.flixster.com |
As much beauty as there is in A Patch of Blue there is also an equal amount of pain, hatred. Shelley Winters, who played Elizabeth Hartman's mother, Rose-Ann, is one of the most despicable human beings ever to be portrayed on screen. The most harrowing part of it all is that as you watch her, you know, if not at the forefront of your mind, in the back of your mind that people such as Rose-Ann actually exist in the world, now more than ever before. Shelley Winters is quoted of saying that she hated playing Rose-Ann. Winters herself wasn't a racist, and so it was hard for her to play such a woman as Rose-Ann, who in all blatant honesty, is nothing more than white trash. Winters would go on to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rose-Ann D'Arcey.
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| Rose-Ann finds out about Gordon. Photo Courtesy of http://community.flixster.com/ |
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| "Kiss me, Gordon . . ." Photo Courtesy of http://www.community.flixster.com |
A Patch of Blue is the first film to show a kiss between a black man and a white woman. Every time I watch this scene, I can't help but go, "Aww . . ." because, really, is one of the most tender, sweetest scenes of all film history. I think the reason why this is made so is because Selina, Hartman's character, is the one to initiate the kiss. Sidney doesn't move until the kiss is over and they are just embracing. The camera pans over Hartman's shoulder and gives a close up of Sidney's face . . . and everything that his character had been growing to feel is there on his face. It's beautiful.
When I finally was able to watch the whole film, and I got to the ending, I wanted to cry. It didn't end the way I expected it to end, and I was disappointed, but then later, when I had time to think, I realized that it was the perfect ending to a perfect film. I'm not going to give the ending away, but I will tell you that it is one that will give you hope.
I would recommend this film to anybody and everybody. It's timeless. It's beautiful. It's meaningful. It's heart-rendering. It's a film that you will remember, and it is one that you will want to see again. It's one that you will want to share with that someone that means something to you.
If you haven't already guessed by now, I give A Patch of Blue a 4/4 overall score. I've made it one of my Sidney Essentials, I'd recommend that you make it one of your essentials period.
3 comments:
A Patch of Blue is an incredible film and deserves to be widely seen. The relationship between Winters and Hartman reminds me of a similar dysfunctional pairing of mother and daughter in Precious. It's horrible. A Patch of Blue shows the importance of helping and not being blind to someone else because of their skin colour or disability.
I saw "A Patch of Blue" at a drive in theature in 1965. I was 17 years old. It is simply one of the best movies every made! After fifty years of movies, "A Patch of Blue" is still toward the top of my top ten list of must see, must experience, must share with others! You won't regret buying this movie and if you do, you will watch it over and over again. It is one of the most touching love stories but more than that it is a story of loving someone unselfishly. If you don't cry in this movie you have no heart. There are moments of grief, torment, sadness, and despair. There are also moments of hope, joy, newness, freshness, love, and caring like no other film I have ever seen.
This is one of the most poignantly moving films I've ever seen. "A Patch of Blue" (1965). Sidney Poitier and the 21 year-old Elizabeth Hartman.
Very sadly, Elizabeth's life ended in suicide, June 10, 1987. She had suffered from severe depression for many years. She became a virtual recluse from 1982 to 1987 in a little efficiency apartment where she lived in Pittsburgh. On the afternoon of June 10, 1987 her depression became unbearable and she jumped from a window on the fifth floor where she lived. She died that same day from the fall. She was only 43.
Elizabeth was brilliant in her role as the blind young woman, Selina, in "A Patch of Blue." She was not overshadowed at all by the artistic greatness of Sidney Poitier. Can you imagine being 21 and in a role opposite the 38 year-old Sidney Poitier in his prime? Elizabeth did it - and she was great.
When Elizabeth died, Sidney expressed his great sorrow and affirmed her as a great artist and a sweet and gentle person. Sidney is still with us at this writing. He's 93 at this writing (11-22-202)and still as erudite and articulate as ever.
I highly recommend that you watch this film sometime if you've never seen it. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming by turns and ends on a very hopeful note. I've never seen a film that expresses the tenderness of compassion and love as deeply as "A Patch of Blue." It beings tears of poignancy and compassion to my eyes every time I watch it (I own the DVD and Blu Ray discs of it).
Indeed, everything about "A Patch of Blue" is superb, including the sublime musical score by the great Jerry Goldsmith.
In fact, Goldsmith outdid himself on this one, in my opinion. It's a small orchestra and perfectly suited to the story. The delicacy of his scoring and its deep poignancy made all the difference for this film. You know how it is: A musical score can make or break a film. Goldsmith's is a close to perfect as anything I've ever heard in the movies.
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