"Is that all? Dark's nothing to me. I'm always in the dark. "

Title: A Patch of Blue
Director: Guy Green
Producer: Guy Green
Written By: Elizabeth Kata (novel), Guy Green
Starring: Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Hartman, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford
Distributed By: MGM
Year: 1965


I was so glad when I saw that TCM was airing this film once again. I caught this film once before, but missed the first half hour of it. You'd be surprised how important that first half hour can be! Trust me: it's always better to see any film at least twice, but that's a must if you weren't able to catch the film from start to finish the first time around.

The story of A Patch of Blue is a pretty simple one. Elizabeth Hartman plays Selina D'Arcy, a blind 18-year-old who lives with her no-good mother (Shelley Winters) and her drunkard grandfather (Wallace Ford) in a one room apartment that comes with a kitchen and a bathroom. Basically, life in the household isn't something that Selina really holds dear to her heart, rightfully so. Her mother and grandfather do their best to keep her all kept up inside the house. One day, she had her grandfather take her to the park. At the park, she meets the wonderful Gordon Ralfe, played by the even more wonderful Mr. Poitier, and they seem to have this connection to each other, one that neither one can yet describe. They repeatedly meet up with one another and a beautiful friendship blooms, and eventually even more than that. The main issue that is addressed in the film is that Gordon is an African American and Selina has no idea. What unfolds is really beautiful story of two people from different worlds who cannot help but love one another.

I really cherished every scene in this film the second time around, especially since it has been a bit since I last saw a film of Sidney's. As I watched each sequence play out, I was really in love with how genuine every little thing was. It is a fact that Sidney was an actual genuine human being, and his aura shined through every piece of work that he did, but the film had more to offer than just that. For one, the story. It is very nice and simple one, and I don't think that it would have worked so well, had it been done with different actors. It's splendid, the interaction between the characters is what really makes this film what it is. Yes, it is helped by the storyline, but the actors are held completely responsible for all its wonderfulness.

As you should already know, Sidney is always an A+ act, so I'll leave him be this time around. On the other hand, there's Elizabeth Hartman. Her performance is spectacular. I was blown away by how great she was in her role as the blind Selina D'Arcy. Everything about her has this gentle type of quality, and it really adds to her acting abilities. A Patch of Blue was her very first film! She just walked into MGM, and they were hooked enough to cast her right into a major role beside the man himself! She had a few other well-received films that followed this one, but she is best-known for her role as Selina. Even though she didn't go on to get much recognition after this film, I still think it is awesome that she did such a great job with her acting debut. I mean, this film is a film that will last. It has so far, and I have no doubt in my mind that it will continue to. She had a lot of talent. She was nominated for Best Actress for this role, but unfortunately, she didn't take home the golden man.

On the other hand, Shelley Winters did take home the golden man! Winter's role as the nasty mother was most definitely one that she did a good job at, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you that it took me by a real surprise that she got such recognition playing a supporting role to Hartman. Personally, Hartman stole the show. While watching the film and hearing that Shelley Winters won an Oscar, I was supposing that she was Elizabeth Hartman the whole time! Either way, she did do a good job and I like the fact that she won. It gives the film recognition, which helps in getting more and more people to view it every day.

As I told a friend while we were watching the film, just remember that any film starring Poitier is guaranteed to be a film worth watching. That way, you'll one day get around to this one. =]



Good day.



"A Patch of Blue": Elizabeth Hartman Promo