Sapphire (film)
| Sapphire | |
|---|---|
UK release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Basil Dearden |
| Produced by |
Michael Relph Earl St. John (executive producer) |
| Written by | Janet Green |
| Starring |
Nigel Patrick Yvonne Mitchell Michael Craig Paul Massie Earl Cameron Bernard Miles |
| Music by | Philip Green |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | John D. Guthridge |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Sapphire is a 1959 British crime drama. It focused on racism in London toward immigrants from the West Indies. The film was directed by Basil Dearden, and stars Nigel Patrick, Earl Cameron and Yvonne Mitchell. It received the BAFTA Award for Best Film and screenwriter Janet Green won a 1960 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Foreign Film Screenplay. It was a progressive movie for its time.
Earl Cameron who played the part of Dr Robbins, Sapphire's brother, would appear two years later in another English film dealing with racial issues, the 1961 film Flame in the Streets.
The film is about a pregnant girl found stabbed on Hampstead Heath. Although she appears to be white, her brother (Earl Cameron) arrives at the police station to give evidence and he is black. They thus discover Sapphire and her brother were children of a "White father, a doctor; and a singer, Black." So it becomes evident to the police officers the girl has been passing for white. This film examines the underlying insecurities and fears of ordinary people that exist towards another race.
In April 1959, Panther Books of London issued a screenplay novelization by prolific mystery and thriller novelist E.G. Cousins.
...
Wikipedia