Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

kijii Sapphire is a British crime drama that I found while looking for "Kitchen Sink films." Though I saw this on Amazon Prime, it had been restored for Criterion (where the commentary track might be interesting). The movie is a good crime drama, but racism is the central issue here. Without the racial element, there would be no story plot or subplot. The story begins when Sapphire's body is found in a park and reported to the police. As we follow London police detectives, uncovering the facts behind who the woman is and why she was killed and moved to the park, we see a myriad of action and reaction shots showing us the way people respond to her and her death since she was a black girl "passing for white." In fact, the variety of ways people—from both black and white communities--respond is almost a study in itself. The idea of a black person "passing for white" was not new since we had seen that in the movie, Pinky (1949), and read about it in Kingsblood Royal, by Sinclair Lewis. But, there are also other elements at work in this movie. How and when did she "pass for white"? How did that change the way she lived and who her friends were? When did the young white man who planned to marry her discover that she was black? When did his family discover this and what was their reaction? This film may seem dated (even humorously campy* now), but to appreciate it, you need to think what the world was like in 1959--both in the UK and the US. This must have seemed revolutionary at a time when desegregation was illegal (in many places) and racial stereotypes were still current in our cultures. In that way, this movie is sort of a time capsule of its time. ________________ *Notice when Sapphire's brother shows up at the police station for the first time. Listen to the jazzy film music at that point--It sounds like the punctuation mark to a Batman cartoon.Also notice how the film refers to her "blackness coming out" whenever she danced or listened to music (with that bongo beat)!!?? What about that sexy underwear that attracts black girls? If she dresses "white" but wears lacy red underwear, does that make her outer dress "white" and her underwear " black": Is she "black" under the dress (as suggested by the assistant policeman in the movie)?

MartinHafer Basil Dearden directed some dandy films--and a set of them are available through Criterion and frankly, all are quite impressive. With films like "Victim", "The League of Gentlemen" and "Sapphire", it's one of the best collections I've seen from this company.The film begins with the discovery of a dead woman in the park. However, this turns out to be anything but a routine case when the police investigate. First, it turns out the lady was pregnant. Second, it turns out that although she appeared quite Caucasian, she was black and posing as a white woman. While this sort of plot might seem pretty routine today, back in 1959 it was absolutely daring--and the sort of picture Hollywood NEVER would have done. I not only appreciate the daring subject matter, but also the amazingly unflinching way it approached racism. In fact, I am not even sure that they could make a movie like this today--given the bluntness of the language--but that is what makes this movie great. Racism IS horrible and the language they use make it seem horrible.The bottom line is that the film is amazingly good. The film is free of clichés and is very well written. I also appreciate the wonderful job Nigel Patrick did in playing the chief inspector--one of the only seemingly sane people in the film! Well worth seeing and amazingly brave. It's not surprising then that the film won the BAFTA (sort of like the British version of the Oscar) for Best Picture.

caribqueen58 I watched this movie when I was a young girl with my mother, as I did Imitation of Life, and Pinky. I have always loved this movie and have tried to find it. if anyone has information please let me know. One of the lines that stuck in my mind as a child is the part when the boy's father I believe (I'm 53 now), was looking for answers and was giving this advice, (paraphrased), Come back later and you'll find her hear, you can always tell the lilypads...put a dime in the jukebox and watch their feet..if it starts moving, then you know she's passing. I never forgot that moment in the film. He was describing the black women who would come to the club and try to pick up men or pass, or just have a good time, but gave themselves away when they heard a beat. In other words Black folks always had to move when they heard a beat. I never looked at it as racist but my mother would fuss at the TV and I knew he'd said something wrong. Please help me find this wonderful masterpiece.

dfisher-carter I saw this movie (for the first time) when cable TV was new to Birmingham, Alabama. It was aired on a channel out of Chicago. Throughout the years, I have tried unsuccessfully to find a copy. Then...about three months ago, I found a collector with a copy in mint-condition. It has been well worth the money I spent. I watch it at least once a week. The cast worked very well together and the soundtrack is still hypnotic. The subject matter is addressed with a level of cinematic respect that makes the viewer sit up and take notice: no cursing and no lewd scenes...just raw and compelling acting. Like a bottle of old wine, Sapphire gets better and better as it ages. I'm hoping that no one will insult those of us who truly love this film by screening a cheesy re-make. That would be an insulting.