A Patch Of Blue

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: December 10, 1965

DVD Release Date: February 4, 2003

Plot 411: A blind girl meets a black man who helps to open her eyes to the world.

Review: Sidney Poitier is great in this film. He plays Gordon, an educated black man who meets a very naive and ignorant blind white girl named Selina (Elizabeth Hartman). At first he befriends her because he feels she just needs a little help. It sounds very much like pity to me, but I also think he just has a kind heart. This relationship soon develops and grows deeper. They fall in love, but Gordon refrains because of the racial climate they live in. Shelley Winters plays Selina's evil mother. She can't even write herself off as an 'evil step-mother.' She's a horrible person and treats her daughter like a slave. The two of them live with her father (Wallace Ford) Ole Pa. Both are serious drunkards, abusive and negligent in their care for Selina. They shelter her from the world for fear that she may actually leave. It's they who need her and not the other way around. Despite their behavior, I think they may really care for Selina (especially Ole Pa) but are caught up in a cycle of abuse and abusive actions. Their ignorance is also another reason for the way they live their despicable lives. A ton of themes run wild through this film - racism, classism, abuse (psychological, physical, verbal, sexual and alcohol) and education. While this is mostly a grim reminder of what life can be like at times, it also gives the viewer hope that things can be different and that change can happen with time and a lot of work.

Watch It: For what I think of as Sidney Poitier's portrayal of the perfect man - strong, moral, handsome, kind, educated, gentle, non-judgmental and more.

Skip It: If a character drama will put you to sleep. There's not much in the way of action in this film.