The issue that he and most of the world can see but that she can't is that he is a black man, that assistance which many would construe as him trying to take advantage purely because he's black. Angélica uses Letterboxd to share film reviews and lists. The only other thing Selina does is string beads for Mr. Faber to supplement what little income comes into their household. [4] The score has been released three times on CD; in 1991 through Mainstream Records (with the score to David and Lisa by Mark Lawrence), in 1992 through Tsunami Records (with his score to Patton), and an extended version in 1997 through Intrada Records.[5]. Made in 1965 against the backdrop of the growing civil rights movement, the film explores racism while playing on the idea that "love is blind.". A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man, who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life by introducing her to the outside world. They will start their own "business" where Selina might provide yet another source of income. In the meantime, Gordon has contacted a school for the blind, which is ready to take Selina. The situation gets even more complicated as Selina falls in love with him, she perhaps not knowing the difference between romantic love and other types of human connection. Her mother is abusive, and Ole Pa is an alcoholic. My apprehension about films that deal with race or disabilities is completely justified considering Hollywood’s history (and even current status), so A Patch of Blue—a film that explores both race and blindness— made me quite nervous to start. | For the next 13 years she is confined in the tiny Los Angeles apartment that they share with her grandfather. Hartman dealt with both. As such, Selina doesn't even really know that she has a miserable life because of her family. Rose-Ann is abusive toward Selina, who has no reason to doubt whatever abuse is thrown her way from her mother is not the truth, especially the implications that she is not pretty. The image of blue sky suggests freedom. Taglines Ole Pa and Rose-Ann are always griping at each other with Ole Pa only helping Selina when he knows it irks Rose-Ann. Film Summary - A Patch of Blue. If this guy broke into my hospital room and started tap-dancing with bedpans on his feet, I'd call the cops. A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man, who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life. To himself, he's an irrepressible bundle of joy, a zany live wire who brings laughter into the lives of the sick and dying. Selina continues to meet Gordon despite Rose-Ann's fury, who is determined to end the relationship for good. Elizabeth Hartman ("The Fixer") is a warm-hearted impovershed blind girl who falls in love with a black man and refuses to make an issue of their racial differences. Selina has no friends, rarely leaves the apartment, and has never received an education. Summary: "He was a patch of blue in the gray, cloudy sky." … She recounts the time when she was five years old and her father came back unexpectedly from the war to find … When Selina D'Arcey, a blind young white woman, befriends Gordon Ralfe, a black office worker, their budding relationship eventually leads to romance. "The sky's blue, ain't it?" The real standout here is Elizabeth Hartman as Selina, one of the best performances by a young actress, and her Oscar nomination was well-deserved. A Patch of Blue Photos. Summary: A blind girl, Belle French, beads necklaces for Granny as a living. In addition, the film made Poitier a major national film star with excellent business in even southern cities like Houston, Atlanta and Charlotte. Audience Reviews for A Patch of Blue. Directed by Guy Green. According to the DVD audio commentary, it was the decision of director Guy Green that A Patch of Blue be filmed in black and white although color was available. However, once Selina's insensitive and abusive mother, Rose-Ann, finds out about Gordon, she becomes determined to keep the couple apart. Shelley Winters won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, her second win for the award, following her victory in 1959 for The Diary of Anne Frank. At Gordon's house, Selina asks Gordon to marry her, to which Gordon replies that there are many types of love, and she later will realize that their relationship will not work. Director: Guy Green It was the final screen appearance for veteran actor Wallace Ford. A Patch of Blue is a film directed by Guy Green with Elizabeth Hartman, Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford, Ivan Dixon .... Year: 1965. A Patch of Blue is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white, 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the problems that plague their friendship in a racially divided America. In her novel, A Patch of Blue, Elizabeth Kata tells a story of Selina, an eighteen year old blind girl who meets and develops a relationship with Gordon, an older black man. Another in a series of race films starring Sidney Poitier. Be the first to contribute! But she secretly reads her one book that she has in braille. In the world today, some humans are tolerant whereas some are ignorant. Selina tells him that she loves him, and knows that he is black, and that it does not matter to her. They continue to meet in the park every afternoon and he teaches her how to get along in the city. … The two quickly become friends, meeting at the park almost every day. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: The film proved to be the most successful in Poitier's career, which proved a lucrative development considering he agreed to a salary cut in exchange for 10% of the film's gross earnings. A Patch of Blue is a book about a blind girl named Salina whos eyes were burned by acid accidently during a fight between her mother and father. But she secretly reads her one book that she has in braille. everyday is more torture for her not knowing what anything looks like other then a few colors. She tells Gordon about Rose-Ann's plan, and he assures her that she will be leaving for school in a few days. A Patch of Blue is a touching contemporary melodrama, relieved at times by generally effective humor, about a blind white girl, rehabilitated from a dreary home by a Negro. A Patch of Blue (DVD) (DVD) : A blind white woman does not know that the man helping her around is black. Watch A Patch of Blue Online. Director Guy Green did not direct many films, but when he did they could be a wonderful surprise. Original title: A Patch of Blue. [Full Review in Spanish] Full Review Film Summary - A Patch of Blue. Selina D'Arcey is a blind white girl living in a city apartment with her crude and vulgar mother Rose-Ann, who works as a prostitute, and her grandfather Ole Pa. She strings beads to supplement her family's small income and spends most of her time doing chores. In A Patch of Blue, blindness came from the character and lenses, and the remaining ability and “temptation” to see came from the actress’s seeing eyes. -Sleena went blind when she was 5 due to an acid burn (caused by her mother) - she only remembers 4 colors: red, white, blue, and black. In general, environment and the female protagonist’s interaction with it in A Patch of Blue is crucial to the actress’s performance, as well as the viewer’s perception of the film’s realities. Bio: 23 • Writer Favorites are films I’ve recently watched and loved Will she ever see Gordon again? Accidentally blinded by her prostitute mother Rose-Ann at the age of five, Selina D'Arcey spends the next 13 years confined in the tiny Los Angeles apartment that they share with "Ole Pa", Selina's grandfather. Selina convinces her grandfather to take her to the park, where she happens to meet Gordon Ralfe, an educated and soft-spoken black man working night shifts in an office. It was one of the 250 nominated scores for the American Film Institute's top 25 American film scores. The short also shows her visiting the Braille Institute of America to watch blind people being trained to do handwork — similar to the beadwork her character does in the film — and to perform tasks of daily living and self-care, of the sort that Poitier's character teaches Selina to do. Eighteen year old Caucasian Selina D'Arcey lives with her part-time prostitute mother, Rose-Ann D'Arcey, in the one room tenement apartment of Selina's drunkard grandfather, who she calls Ole Pa. Selina has been blind since age five, the result of an accident caused by Rose-Ann. Friendship is defined as "the relationship between friends", or so states the Australian Concise Oxford dictionary. Parents Guide, Shannon Patrick Sullivan , Mark Fleetwood . Plot Keywords Goldsmith's variety of work makes 'A patch of Blue' one of those works that could be labeled as essential within the master's vast trajectory. Gordon helps Selina realize many hopes and dreams, though not without some drawbacks. The novel, A Patch of Blue, by Elizabeth Kata does explore a number of issues. However, some of these individuals can transform into a tolerant person even though he or she were not one before. -presently 18. Made in 1965 against the backdrop of the growing civil rights movement, the film explores racism while playing on the idea that "love is blind." Meanwhile, a bus arrives to pick up Selina for her trip to the school, and both friends say goodbye. The film was adapted by Guy Green from the 1961 book Be Ready with Bells and Drums by the Australian author Elizabeth Kata. Scenes of Poitier and Hartman kissing were excised from the film when it was shown in film theaters in the Southern United States. One afternoon at the local park, Selina meets Gordon Ralfe, a thoughtful young office worker whose kind-hearted treatment of her results in her falling in love with him, unaware that he is black. In “A Patch of Old Snow” and “An Old Man’s Winter Night,” Frost discusses the darker topics of isolation and oblivion, first describing an old man whose only remaining sense of identity is tied to his presence in a house, and then pointing out a once-beautiful patch of snow that is now mistaken for a worthless piece of old newspaper. A Patch of Blue is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white, 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the problems that plague their friendship in a racially divided America. The short, titled A Cinderella Named Elizabeth, focuses on her status as an unknown actress from Youngstown, Ohio, and includes segments from her screen test and associated "personality test", in which the actress is filmed while being herself and answering questions about everyday topics such as her taste in clothing. The soundtrack to A Patch of Blue was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. -knows the color blue from looking out the window for so long. Finding Selina missing from the apartment, Rose-Ann takes Ole Pa to the park and confronts Gordon. Explores how Selina learns to develop racial tolerance through her relationship with Gordon. Robert Burks' stunning B&W-in-Scope cinematography is given a good approximation by the 16:9 enhancement. Accidentally blinded by her mother when she was five, Selina knows very little of the world beyond the dirty walls of her grandfather's tenement apartment. The story is told by Selina D’Arcey, who begins by informing the reader that she knows what the colors blue, red, and black look like, but no other colors. | In addition to the Best Supporting Actress win for Winters, the film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Elizabeth Hartman), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White) (George Davis, Urie McCleary, Henry Grace, Charles S. Thompson), Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) and Best Music (Original Music Score).