Something the Lord Made (2004)

A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

Peter Silverman, Robert Caswell

Stars:

Alan Rickman, Yasiin Bey, Kyra Sedgwick

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 17 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Rickman	...	Dr. Alfred Blalock
Yasiin Bey	...	Vivien Thomas (as Mos Def)
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Mary Blalock
Gabrielle Union	...	Clara Thomas
Merritt Wever	...	Mrs. Saxon
Clayton LeBouef	...	Harold Thomas
Charles S. Dutton	...	William Thomas (as Charles Dutton)
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Dr. Helen Taussig
Cliff McMullen	...	Lodel Williams
Luray Cooper	...	Charles Manlove
Irene Ziegler	...	Frances Grebel
John Emmanuel	...	Man at park
Harold J. Abell Sr.	...	Man #1
Michael E. Russell	...	Bank Officer
Henri Edmonds	...	Mary Thomas

Storyline

Alfred Blalock (1899-1964), a cardiologist (therefore, self-confident to the point of arrogance), leaves Vanderbilt for Johns Hopkins taking with him his lab technician, Vivien Thomas (1910-1985). Thomas, an African-American without a college degree, is a gifted mechanic and tool-maker with hands splendidly adept at surgery. In 1941, Blalock and Thomas take on the challenge of blue babies and invent bypass surgery. After trials on dogs, their first patient is baby Eileen, sure to die without the surgery. In defiance of custom and Jim Crow, Blalock brings Thomas into the surgery to advise him, but when Life Magazine and kudos come, Thomas is excluded. Will he receive his due?

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Plot Keywords:

heart surgery | blue baby syndrome | surgery | baby | heart | 

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Taglines:

A breakthrough that changed the face of medicine. A unique partnership that broke the rules.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to a Johns Hopkins Medical Archives website about Blalock, Thomas, Taussig, and the Blue Baby surgeries, Eileen Saxon, the infant depicted in the movie as the first to undergo the procedure, became cyanotic again several months later. She died after another attempt at the surgery. Her experience helped the surgical team determine that the procedure worked best on patients who were over 3 years old.

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Goofs

When Reader's Digest publishes a photograph of the first operation, one participant is identified as Dr. Michael DeBakey. Although he was a professor at Tulane, he was on leave as a consultant to the Surgeon General in Washington.

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Quotes

Alfred Blalock: You can begin the incision.
Vivien Thomas: I'm not ready for that.
Alfred Blalock: If I say you're ready, you're ready.
[Long pause]
Alfred Blalock: I'll mark out the line. And you cut along it. Just like you did for your old Daddy.

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Connections

Featured in The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Written by Hugh Prince (as Hughie Prince) and Don Raye
Performed by The Andrews Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Among the Most Inspirational Movies Ever Made

This is absolutely one of the most inspirational movies I've ever seen. The story line was great - The life and times of one of the greatest surgeons the United States has ever produced (Alfred Blalock), played by Alan Rickman, along with his lab assistant Vivien Thomas, played by Mos Def. The acting was superb. If anyone has studied medical history, we are perhaps more familiar with the work of Denton Cooley and William Longmire. Both have spots in this movie, as students of Dr. Blalock. I highly recommend this movie. It is very much a surprise how the lives of these two men - Blalock and Thomas could have been overlooked for so long. Because of their work with "Blue Babies", they both have achieved immortality. The rating of "R" stems only from the sometimes strong (but very real) language.

Details

Official Sites:

HBO [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Something the Lord Made

Filming Locations:

Johns Hopkins 'Homewood' Campus, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Nina Saxon Film Design

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1