A Patch of Blue (1965)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Beautiful, moving film.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This is a wonderful film, and I won't pretend to fully appreciate all its layers and depths. Mostly, I can tell you it's about real people facing real problems in an imperfect society and world. This is a truly adult film for viewers with mature sensibilities. After watching the film Amiri Baraka's DUTCHMAN for the first time, I thought of this film. This is not in any sense meant to cast Baraka's achievement in a pejorative light, it is simply to suggest an exercise in thinking using the principle of comparison and contrast.Baraka's Dutchman presented characters as concepts in order to explore sociological implications and further indict a racist and sexist culture which forces men and women to conform to roles that do not permit them to realize their full potential. It is thought provoking and causes one to meditate upon a whole range of possibilities and alternatives for the typed characters involved.A PATCH OF BLUE is of a different cast. The characters are three dimensional from the outset, and Sidney Poitier's Gordon Ralfe comes across as a compassionate human being making a fateful encounter with Elizabeth Hartman's blind Selina D'Arcy in order to be the midwife of her deliverance.This film causes you to have a strong moral reaction to the evolving relationship between the two characters and it comes as a revelation that in in its most intimate moments, Sidney Poitier's character does not succumb to the angst often associated with the African American male, but keeps his head and acts soberly and intelligently; doing the best thing for all concerned. Like the novel, NATIVE SON, certain encounters in the film force you to ask yourself what you would do in this or that situation.There is a natural chemistry between Hartman and Poitier. A sort of easygoing being together that so easily suggests they could be a romantic couple or even married. This particularly comes across in the supermarket scene. There is actually a slightly more real sense of bonding between this pair than even when Poitier is involved with Katherine Houghton's character Joanna in GUESS WHOSE COMING TO DINNER. The sympathy factor is certainly a lot stronger. Selina has none of the advantages of a Joanna and is soon about to graduate into a life of prostitution unbeknownst to her. This, after having to endure an abusive relationship with her mother which has blinded her not only physically, but made her unable to see or appreciate the greater benefits of human contact.Shelly Winters gives a performance to rival what she did in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and possibly A PLACE IN THE SUN, but it is Elizabeth Hartman's performance that seems the most naturalistic and affecting. The scene where it rains in the park is beautifully photographed by Cinematographer Robert Burks and is one of the many emotionally disturbing scenes that wrenches your heart.There are many films for which I wish there were a sequel. I would have loved to see Ralph and Selina encounter each other one year later to see how the perspective of their relationship had changed, just as I would have loved to see John and Joanna in Africa helping the people there master simple medical procedures that proved to be life saving and perhaps revolutionary post GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER.One thing I can say about Sidney Poitier. He has always showed the courage to dare to hold African and African American men to a higher standard. I wonder how Al Freeman Jr.'s character Clay would have responded to Selina's advances, or how Poitier's Ralph would have handled Lula?Interesting questions for another time...

have to agree with review by bgh48, this is one total fantasy Cinderella is more believable. this young woman sits in the park alone all day and nothing at all ever happens to her? she doesn't know about the public restroom, so how does she survive? she does..both bodily functions behind a tree? in public? how does she clean up? Her new friend brings her pineapple juice and she guzzles it down? how does she survive all day with nothing to drink? how is it that no law enforcement officer has ever noticed this pathetic creature sitting alone all day? since when do blind people get around by simply waving their hands in front of them? how about getting her a cane or a seeing eye dog? I could go on endlessly...this is an insane fairy tale. It made my cry too...to see something this ridiculous.

What was there about Sidney Poitier. What was it that made him a standout star among Black and White audiences, at a time when almost nobody else achieved that. This film was not among his first, but it was one of those (also, like "Lilies Of The Field" and "To Sir, With Love") that began to establish him as a true movie star, although I would say it took "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" to cement his position among the top tier of actors. And deservedly so. It's very difficult to be critical of his performance here.This was probably Elizabeth Hartman's most honored performance in her short career. It's got to be a challenge to portray a blind person as convincingly as she does here...and without flaw.Shelly Winters has a thankless role here, and I'm not sure quite how to react to it. Some here have said that in this role she is one-dimensional, and that may be true. A little better is Wallace Ford as the grandfather...an alcholic to perfection. And, it's interesting to see Ivan Dixon in something other than "Hogan's Heroes".I can't say that this is one of my favorite films, but it is one that impresses me. Thank God for Sidney Poitier!

This movie is one of my all-time favorites. I first saw it back in the 1960s and have been haunted by it ever since. Just amazingly beautiful story, well acted and directed. Sidney Portier is such an amazing man and actor and this is his best film in my opinion, followed closely by To Sir With Love and Lillies of the Field.Shelley Winters portrayal of the hussy mother deserved an Oscar. She was really mean in this movie. Old Pa was perfectly cast. Elizabeth Hartman simply gave the performance of a lifetime in her role as Selina.The bittersweet story will grip you from beginning to end. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.