Many, including myself, consider Sidney Poitier one of the finest actors of the 20th century. It seems fitting then, that on January 27, 2008 Warner Brothers release The Sidney Poitier Collection, a four film set that gives Poitier fans a chance to own one of the actors flawed but socially conscious works, his directorial debut, a well known film and a largely forgotten gem.
At first glance, casual Poitier fans may be tempted to skip over this collection because of the lack of well know titles. The truth is, Poitier made many of his biggest box office successes for United Artists or Columbia Pictures (In the Heat of the Night, A Raisin in the Sun, Lilies of the Field, The Defiant Ones, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, To Sir, With Love, etc.). However, the films in this collection deserve a place in any Sidney Poitier fans DVD collection because they show the actor’s tremendous range and willingness to tackle difficult subjects in his films. As a side note, prior to this release, most of the films in this set were difficult (if not impossible) to find on DVD.
Edge of the City (1957)
Edge of the City is without a doubt, the gem of this collection. The film that marked the directorial debut of Martin Ritt (Hud, Norma Rae), Edge of the City is gripping story of friendship of racism, that still resonates, even fifty-two years after the film was originally released. Co-starring John Cassavettes, the film opens with his character, Axel North (née Nordmann), coming into New York City with little money and looking for a job; at the rail yard, he drops the name of a guy in San Francisco and that’s enough to get him a gig on the docks. Knowing Axel is A.W.O.L. from the army, the crooked foreman Charlie Malick (Jack Warden), puts the screws to him. Further, he is infuriated when Axel strikes up a friendship with Tommy “T.T.” Tyler (Poitier), the only black foreman on the yard.
Tommy really serves as a role model for the younger man. He is married and his wife (Ruby Dee) is educated. She introduces Axel to an educated young woman (Kathleen Maguire). As the two men grow closer, Charlie begins to find the strength to stand up for himself and accept people at face value. The acting here is strong all around– Cassavetes’ method acting plays well against Poitier’s upright performance, and Jack Warden rounds it out with smarmy menace. While the ending may borrow a bit too much from On the Waterfront, the message it sends about the power of friendship regardless of race, can’t be overlooked.
Something of Value (1957)
Based on the book of the same name, Something of Value dramatizes the the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. Writer-director Richard Brooks stays faithful to the novel in his telling of the story. Sidney Poitier plays Kenyan Kimani Wa Karanja and Rock Hudson is gentleman farmer Peter Mckenzie. As children, the two men had been the best of friends but found themselves drifting apart as they grew into adulthood. Kimani, tired of being treated like a second class citizen, travels to the wild lands and joins a group of rebels seeking to rid Africa of European settlers. Predictably, Peter and the other white colonialists are at odds with the rebel’s position. Though the conflict and uprising is glossed over, when compared to today’s standards, what remains still packs a punch. Despite his desire for equality, Kimani still feels conflict over fight white colonialists, he once called friend. The few brutal scenes of massacre are surprisingly potent considering the film’s age and Poitier and Juano Hernandez (as one of the rebel leaders) are very good in deeply layered roles.
The colonialist’s side of the story is less compelling. Peter is bland and devoid of the moral conflicts that torture Kimani. Peter is determined not to let the situation stand. He joins the defense force in hopes of helping Kimani get out alive. Peter’s fiancée, Holly (Dana Wynter), is a role more obligatory than enriching–she looks pretty but hardly has a thought in that pretty head. And Michael Pate plays Joe Matson, whose very role comes with the subtitle “Vengeful White Settler.” We know too little of him to make him an effective villain, so instead he’s just a nasty cardboard cutout. Wendy Hiller has a few good scenes as a grieving widow trying to retain her dignity, but she’s mostly forgotten when off screen.
Though it would have been nice to see Rock Hudson’s character struggle more with his conscience, Something of Value stands as a reminder that children are born hating they are taught to hate.
A Patch of Blue (1965)
A Patch of Blue is the most widely recognized title in this set. Elizabeth Hartman stars as Selina, a blind 18-year-old girl living with an oppressive, abusive bigot of a mother named Rose-Ann (Shelley Winters) and her drunken grandfather (Wallace Ford). Selina’s life is confined to the crummy apartment she lives in, never given the education or experience to enter the outside world in her condition. But when she’s allowed to spend a day in the park by herself (slaving over necklace threading, no less), she makes the acquaintance of Gordon Ralfe (Poitier). Selina and Gordon begin a tentative friendship that gradually blossom into more.
Selina has no idea that Gordon is African-American. Her only encounter with anyone of a different race was a young girl who lived in her building whom Roseanne forbad her to play with, though it was never explained to her why. Thus, amongst the many things that are beyond her, Selina has no concept of race or racism. On the other hand, Gordon is all to aware of the judgmental glances the two receive when they’re together. Knowing the issues a romantic relationship may cause, Gordon does his best to keep his feelings at bay. Selina, thrilled to have someone care for her, falls head over heels in love rather quickly.
Adapted from a novel by Elizabeth Kata, the film was written and directed by Guy Green (Jacqueline Susann’s Once Is Not Enough), who manages to balance melodrama with a healthy dose of realism. Selina’s sad existence is full squalor and danger and Green does his best to show the closeness between Selina and Gordon, given the difficult production standards at the time. Scenes of Poitier and Hartman kissing were excised from the film when it was shown in movie theaters in the South. These scenes are intact in the DVD version.
In the end, Gordon makes the choice that is best for Selina. While A Patch of Blue is first and foremost a film about race, Green seems to also be sending a broader message about society’s lack of compassion. Why hadn’t anyone extended a helping hand to this girl years before? The contrast between the world outside the apartment and inside is nearly Dickensian, creating a sharp divide between Selina’s destructive family relationship and the gentility of Gordon’s care. Perhaps like Gordon, we need to look around us more often and extend a hand to others.
A Warm December (1973)
I wish I could be more positive about Sidney Poitier’s directorial effort, A Warm December but it’s a very disappointing film. Poitier plays Matt Younger, a widowed doctor who moonlights as a motorcycle racer who is spending some time in London with his daughter Stefanie (Yvette Curtis). While in London, he meets the mysterious Catherine (Esther Anderson), who uses him as a cover, when men following her get to close; what seems like a tale of espionage takes on a different turn after the two fall in love and Matt discovers she has sickle cell anemia. Once that discovery is made, A Warm December turns into a bad knockoff of 1970’s Love Story.
Poitier’s direction is lacking any real style and for an actor, it’s surprising how little eye he seems to have for his cast’s performances. Anderson is bland as a love interest, almost completely lacking any mystery or charisma. The whole project plays more like a made-for-television movie than a major motion picture.
Despite the misfire of A Warm December, the other three films in The Sidney Poitier Collection deserve repeated viewings. Even though this set doesn’t contain many of Poitier’s best known films, it provides yet another example of why this man is a gift to cinema; few men have the talent or versatility to play the range of roles he has or the ability to take what is otherwise a mediocre film and make it required viewing.
The four movies in The Sidney Poitier Collection have varying aspect ratios and technical specifications but they all have a solid base level to ensure decent DVD production. Though not magnificent, the digital transfers are solid and improve as the age of the featured film decreases.
Edge of the City was shot at 1.37:1 ratio, and the anamorphic transfer features a clean black-and-white picture with only a small amount of damage. Some of the brighter scenes appear a little washed-out, with too much gray, but overall, there is a fairly decent tonal balance through most of the movie. Something of Value, has a slightly sharper picture and it maintains a consistent look throughout. It was shot at a wider 1.85:1. I should also note that despite the packaging stating that Something of Value is in color, the movie is in its original black-and-white.
The 2.35:1 print of A Patch of Blue continues the improvement, with very little evidence of film damage and a much better looking gray balance.
A Warm December is the only film in color. Made in 1973, it has the somewhat muted, unnatural color palette of the time, as well as the expected graininess in the film stock. There were some slight tracers evident at times, but as with all the moves in the set, interlacing is not a problem.
All of the features have a monaural mix of their original English soundtrack, as well as a French dub and subtitles in both languages (except A Warm December, which has the French subs but not the French audio). They are clear and simply rendered, which is all they demand.
A Patch of Blue has an additional Spanish subtitle track.
The level of extras varies from DVD to DVD, though all four of them come with their original theatrical trailers. In the case of Edge of the City, A Warm December, and Something of Value, the trailers are the only extras.
A Patch of Blue gets a handful of extras, most of them text based: a special section on the accomplishments of Sidney Poitier, credits for other members of the cast and crew, and a list of awards the movie received. A stills gallery is also included.
Writer/director Guy Green has recorded an audio commentary for A Patch of Blue. He gives great details about the production (including on-set anecdotes), talking about the development of the story and how things varied from the original book and why. He also talks about some of the reactions to the film and dealing with censors.
Below is a scene from A Patch of Blue:
