A Patch of Blue

Selina D'Arcey is blind, yet she sees the world anew through the eyes of kindly Gordon Ralfe (Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier). An awkward Cinderella raised by a bigoted, abusive mother, Selina is white. She does not know that the man helping her learn to dial a pay phone or find the restroom is black. Elizabeth Hartman's luminous screen debut as Selina earned her a Golden Globe Award as Most Promising Newcomer. On the veteran side as Selina's blowsy, bitter mother, Shelley Winters won her second Oscar. As directed by Guy Green (Oscar-winning cinematographer for Great Expectations, 1947), the performances are timeless in A Patch of Blue. So is this fine film's heart-soaring impact.