A Patch of Blue (1965)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Guy Green

Writers:

Elizabeth Kata (novel)
Guy Green (written by)

Release Date:

10 December 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A man...a girl...captives in their own worlds...finding escape in each other...

Plot:

A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man, who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life.

Plot Keywords:

Park | Grandfather | Prostitute | Blind | Tenement

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Sidney Poitier	...	Gordon Ralfe
Shelley Winters	...	Rose-Ann D'Arcey
Elizabeth Hartman	...	Selina D'Arcey
Wallace Ford	...	Ole Pa
Ivan Dixon	...	Mark Ralfe
Elisabeth Fraser	...	Sadie
John Qualen	...	Mr. Faber
Kelly Flynn	...	Yanek Faber
Debi Storm	...	Selina, Age 5
Renata Vanni	...	Mrs. Favaloro
Saverio LoMedico	...	Mr. Favaloro

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #20966) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

Hayley Mills was considered for lead role but was bypassed for unknown Elizabeth Hartman to cut costs.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Throughout the movie, you can see the crew members and the boom mic reflected on Selina's glasses.

Quotes:

Ole' Pa: [shouts] What the hell is the matter here? What are you trying to do to Selina?
Rose-Ann D'Arcey: You stay out of this one, you stupid, old drunk!
[shoves him]
Ole' Pa: Who're you calling stupid? Why, you three-buck broad, you...
Rose-Ann D'Arcey: [smacks him]
Ole' Pa: Okay, you black-hearted bitch...
[removes jacket]
Ole' Pa: If you wanna fight...

Movie Connections:

Edited into Afro Promo (1997)

Not Enough Shelley Winters!

Shelley Winters's platinum-haired, overweight, foul-mouthed Roseanne D'arcy is as much fun to watch as her pouty, midwestern Charlotte Haze in Lolita. As sharp and horrible as a root canal, she marches around the tiny apartment she shares with her daughter and father, ordering Selina about like an indentured servant: "Where's my dinner?" she bellows like a foghorn. Classic. The fight scene between she and her father is not to be missed, as the one-liners fly back and forth like knives. When the neighbors try to intervene, Shelley launches into them like the assault on Normandy, gleefully turning husband against wife.

Sidney Poitier is wonderful as always, as Gordon. As an actor, Poitier can do no wrong; he glides into the room with that curious mixture of animal magnetism and precise diction, sizing up a situation with the efficiency of an accountant. His Gordon Ralfe is realistic and fatherly toward Selina, even as he tries to ignore the underlying romantic tension between Selina and himself.

Elizabeth Hartman's Selina is so fragile that she looks as though she will break any moment. I have a hunch that much of her excellent performance is mined from her real-life depression, if her IMDb biography is accurate.

This is an excellent film, and highly recommended.