A young blind girl (Elizabeth Hartman) finds out the truth about who is really blind in this social drama where color schemes mean nothing to her, even though she was raised by an extremely racist mother. She doesn't know green, only blue as the color of the sky, one of her few memories of when she had vision. Her world with hateful mama Shelley Winters is made a little nicer when a kind black man (Sidney Poitier) befriends her in the park. Portier's worldly young man is the perfect example of a heart as big as all outdoors.
Sometimes certain movies touch you so deeply that memories of them resonate as a childhood into adulthood. This is one of them for me, one of the few adult movies my parents had me watch as a child to teach me the absurdities of racism and what it was really all about. I also remembered, more sweetly, the oddly shaped cannister of pineapple juice Poitier gave to Hartman, as well as the beads she strung together to make a living, and the joy he brought to her by just spending most of his free time with her. I also distinctly remembered the evil character Winters portrayed, a far cry from some of the obnoxious but basically decent characters she had already created. One of the best actresses of the 50's and 60's who bravely unleashed the soul of a woman who should never have been a mother, Winters would remain the epitome of the mother from hell, only equaled recently by Monique in "Precious". She is basically "Mommie Dearest" on acid.
Veteran actor Wallace Ford is excellent in the pathetic role of Winters' drunken father, a man who obviously hates his daughter so much yet has little compassion for the granddaughter who adores him. If Winters wasn't blowzy enough, there's Elisabeth Fraser as her equally nasty friend. Those two women together are a double dose of hatred, a 60's version of Hitler and Mussolini. With 30's veteran stars Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell playing nicer versions of these types of characters, it is very interesting to see the antithesis of them here.
Hartman's explosion out of frustration is a chilling scene, as is the fight scene when Winters sees Poitier and Hartman together. She gets into a fight with Hartman that leads into a throwing match with Ford that has a humorous and ironic conclusion. The public reaction to Winters' confrontation with Poitier in the park is priceless. While I would have preferred that the relationship between Poitier and Hartman be one of understanding devoted friends, I came to accept Hartman's growing love for Poitier (and vice versa) as one they couldn't control.
Sometimes certain movies touch you so deeply that memories of them resonate as a childhood into adulthood. This is one of them for me, one of the few adult movies my parents had me watch as a child to teach me the absurdities of racism and what it was really all about. I also remembered, more sweetly, the oddly shaped cannister of pineapple juice Poitier gave to Hartman, as well as the beads she strung together to make a living, and the joy he brought to her by just spending most of his free time with her. I also distinctly remembered the evil character Winters portrayed, a far cry from some of the obnoxious but basically decent characters she had already created. One of the best actresses of the 50's and 60's who bravely unleashed the soul of a woman who should never have been a mother, Winters would remain the epitome of the mother from hell, only equaled recently by Monique in "Precious". She is basically "Mommie Dearest" on acid.
Veteran actor Wallace Ford is excellent in the pathetic role of Winters' drunken father, a man who obviously hates his daughter so much yet has little compassion for the granddaughter who adores him. If Winters wasn't blowzy enough, there's Elisabeth Fraser as her equally nasty friend. Those two women together are a double dose of hatred, a 60's version of Hitler and Mussolini. With 30's veteran stars Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell playing nicer versions of these types of characters, it is very interesting to see the antithesis of them here.
Hartman's explosion out of frustration is a chilling scene, as is the fight scene when Winters sees Poitier and Hartman together. She gets into a fight with Hartman that leads into a throwing match with Ford that has a humorous and ironic conclusion. The public reaction to Winters' confrontation with Poitier in the park is priceless. While I would have preferred that the relationship between Poitier and Hartman be one of understanding devoted friends, I came to accept Hartman's growing love for Poitier (and vice versa) as one they couldn't control.