"A Patch of Blue" is a poignantly emotional and inspiring movie at the same time. While watching for the first time the other day, I tried placing myself back to 1965 when the picture was released to get a sense of racial relations in the country at the time. Living in New York, those relations weren't as stressful as they still remained in the South, but still enough to cause some unease with audiences I imagine. The young Selina D'Arcey (Elizabeth Hartman), blind from the age of five, is befriended by a middle aged black man while strolling through the park and noticing that she needed some help. Their relationship evolves to the point where Selina mistakenly (in my opinion) believes she's fallen in love with Gordon Ralfe (Sidney Poitier). Gordon is noble in his effort to help Selina persevere beyond her white trash family background, even as his brother Mark (Ivan Dixon) attempts to dissuade him.
More than anything, I feel the picture makes a credible case for being intentionally blind to the color of another person's skin. In Selina's case, she couldn't help it, and in the absence of any other distinguishing characteristics, could not tell that Gordon was a black man. It's always been my belief that if people from an early enough age were left to their own devices, would grow to be tolerant of other races, ethnicities and religions if not influenced by older members of their family and community already inured to prejudice and bigotry. I know, wishful thinking on my part, but all you have to do is consider, as in Selina's case, how she managed to enjoy having a nine year old playmate who was black when she was the same age. Only to have that interrupted by a bigoted, hateful mother who cared only about herself and the opinions of her similarly indoctrinated associates.
Sidney Poitier established quite the early career for himself with defining roles in such disparate films as "The Defiant Ones" (1958), "Lilies of the Field' (1963), "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967). Each of these pictures tackled the subject of racism and black and white relationships in a wide range of circumstances, all to critical acclaim. Having just seen "A Patch of Blue", I can readily add this film to that enviable list of pictures I'd recommend viewing.
More than anything, I feel the picture makes a credible case for being intentionally blind to the color of another person's skin. In Selina's case, she couldn't help it, and in the absence of any other distinguishing characteristics, could not tell that Gordon was a black man. It's always been my belief that if people from an early enough age were left to their own devices, would grow to be tolerant of other races, ethnicities and religions if not influenced by older members of their family and community already inured to prejudice and bigotry. I know, wishful thinking on my part, but all you have to do is consider, as in Selina's case, how she managed to enjoy having a nine year old playmate who was black when she was the same age. Only to have that interrupted by a bigoted, hateful mother who cared only about herself and the opinions of her similarly indoctrinated associates.
Sidney Poitier established quite the early career for himself with defining roles in such disparate films as "The Defiant Ones" (1958), "Lilies of the Field' (1963), "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967). Each of these pictures tackled the subject of racism and black and white relationships in a wide range of circumstances, all to critical acclaim. Having just seen "A Patch of Blue", I can readily add this film to that enviable list of pictures I'd recommend viewing.