A Patch of Blue
Short description
Selina D'Arcey, a young blind white woman played by Elizabeth Hartman, has never been to school and spends her days keeping house in a run-down apartment for her mother, Rose-Ann, and her grandfather, Ole Pa. An accident caused by her mother took her sight when she was a child, and her home life is bleak and abusive. One day in a park she meets Gordon Ralfe, a Black journalist played by Sidney Poitier, and the two form a friendship that grows into something deeper as he tries to help her build a life of her own, away from the people who have kept her dependent.
Guy Green directed and wrote the screenplay, and produced with Pandro S. Berman. The film was released in December 1965 and came between The Angry Silence and The Magus in Green's filmography. Shelley Winters plays Rose-Ann, with Wallace Ford as Ole Pa and Ivan Dixon as Gordon's brother Mark.
Made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the drama and romance earned about 7 million dollars worldwide. It holds an 8 out of 10 on IMDb from around 10,000 votes and a 7.6 out of 10 on TMDB from a much smaller number of votes, while a critics' rating of 8.4 out of 10 reflects a small set of reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- Shelley Winters (1920-2006) disliked her character Rose-Ann, as she was a civil rights activist and resented having to play a racist.
- When the film was shown in theaters in the American South, scenes of the kiss between Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) and Elizabeth Hartman (1943-1987) were cut, because such a thing (kisses between people of different races) was prohibited in many states.
- Elizabeth Hartman filmed in opaque contact lenses that made her look completely blind, and in which she genuinely could not see.
- Preparing for the role, Elizabeth Hartman visited a school for the blind, where education was conducted using the Braille method.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
