A Patch of Blue, Something of Value, Edge of the City, and A Warm December combine to make this a remarkable collection of films. With the consummate actor Sidney Poitier in the movies is a bonus. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and won for his performance in Lilies in the Field. Poitier was honored with a special award in 2002 for “extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence.”
A Patch of Blue is a beautiful story of a blind woman who becomes friends with a black man. Their friendship is complicated by her mother who has racist views. Elizabeth Hartman costars with Poitier as the young woman and Shelley Winters plays her domineering mother.
In Something of Value Rock Hudson costars with Poitier as his very close friend. Their friendship comes to a head with the racist uprising in Kenya.
Edge of the City also delves into the issue of racism as Poitier and John Cassavetes star as longshoremen who must face a racist boss, played by Jack Warden.
A Warm December is a bit different than the other films in this collection as it centers on the relationship between an American doctor on vacation in London who falls in love with an African diplomat. The problem is that she is suffering from Sickle Cell Anemia and doesn’t want to get too close to the widower doctor and his daughter because she doesn’t want to subject them to another death, and she knows she is dying. In the December of her life she is able to experience a wonderful love that she never thought she would have. It is a very touching story.
Sidney Poitier Broke Down Barriers in Hollywood
Sidney Poitier broke the racial barriers in Hollywood and these performances show him at his best. Though perhaps one of his most memorable films is Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, these four movies showcase his talent and might be close to his heart as they deal with racial themes. Now 82 years old, Poitier has a long list of credits to show for his enduring career in Hollywood. Not only has he acted, Poitier has directed and produced. He also wrote the story for the subsequent film For Love of Ivy, in which he starred in 1968.
The Sidney Poitier Collection is a collection of four of his less famous films, but ones which are interesting to watch for fans of the actor.
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