What can I say about Sidney Poitier,
he is a great American actor who has had an incredible career in film. I know
what you all are thinking, this sounds like an obituary and Poitier is still
alive. That's only because I admire his work as an actor. He has such a
demanding presence on stage, very authoritative and tall in stature.
Some of my favorite films that
Poitier has been in would include: Blackboard Jungle, The Defiant Ones,
Pressure Point, To Sir, with Love, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and Sneakers.
Today I'll be talking about The
Defiant Ones and Pressure Point. Both of Poitier's movies are about racial
prejudice, but his characters are completely different.
The Defiant Ones co-starring Sidney
Poitier and Tony Curtis came out in 1958. I will give you a brief
synopsis of what the movie is about. According to IMDB, Two escaped convicts
chained together, white and black, must learn to get along in order to elude
capture. This movie is poignant in how two completely different men must rely
on each other to escape the police.
There are some key scenes where
Cullen (Poitier) and Jackson (Curtis) must work together. After crossing a
river the men decide to rest for the night. During this time Jackson talks
about being Charlie Potatoes and the big dreams he has for himself. In the
course of their conversations, Jackson repeatedly calls Cullen "Boy"
which aggravates him. Cullen is still angry after being called a derogatory
name, which Jackson replies, “I didn't make up no names." Cullen says,
"No, you breathe it in when you're born, and you spit it out from then
on." I admire Poitier's character, he doesn't let anything go by and
speaks out against the injustices he sees and faces as a black man.
Another pivotal scene is when it's
raining and both men must work together to get out of a deep mud hole. Together
they manage to climb up the mud hole with all odds against them.
After escaping the rain, Cullen and
Jackson sneak into a small town. They wait till night time so they can separate
themselves from the chain. While they wait, both men tell stories of their
lives and Jackson says, "You're a maker or a taker. Me, I'm a taker."
That pretty much sums up Jackson's entire life. He thinks the world owes him
something. My point is only proven when they get caught by the townspeople and
Jackson says, "You can't go lynchin' me. I'm a white man!" Jackson
has a strange idea of entitlement just because he's white.
Cullen
and Jackson live to see another day, when an escaped convict lets them loose
early in the morning. They both start heading north again, and a boy with a
shotgun stops them. Soon enough Cullen and Jackson overtake them and head to
his house for food and to get out of those chains.
While
waiting for a chisel, Jackson gets sick and Cullen stays with him. The boys’
mother cares for Jackson and starts to fall in love with him. After Jackson gets
better, the mother sets Cullen up on a wild goose chase. After learning how the
woman set Cullen up, Jackson gets mad at the woman and shoves her out of the
way. Before Jackson leaves, the boy fires the shotgun at him, and shoots
Jackson in the shoulder.
Both Jackson and Cullen make a run for the train, but Jackson
it too weak to make it. They both stop and reflect on their journey together.
Jokingly, Jackson says, “You gonna make somebody a fine old lady one day.” It
is true; Cullen is a very nurturing person which is seen all throughout Jackson
and Cullen’s journey together.
All of these scenes with Jackson and Cullen build on their
friendship and by the end of the movie, they are considered equal. Now I may be
stretching this to prove my own theory, but when Jackson says, “I’m mashed
potatoes now. So are you.” I believe Jackson is saying to Cullen that we’re
even now. After everything they’ve been through together Jackson and Cullen
have become friends.
Lastly, I'm going to talk about
Pressure Point a drama that was released in 1962. Pressure Point is another
favorite film of mine for two reasons. 1. Sidney Poitier plays a psychiatrist
who must treat a Nazi racist. 2. Bobby Darin, predominantly known for singing
takes on a very serious role as a young Hitler wannabe.
This movie starts off with a young
Peter Falk who has a troubled patient that he is having a hard time treating.
So, Poitier the head psychiatrist sits him down and explains
a time when he had a tough case and wanted to quit.
For Poitier, his character is an
authoritative man who has the power over a young convict. There are many
binaries at work in this film. Good and evil, black and white, peace and
hatred, and inferiority and superiority.
Of
all the films Poitier has been in, I do believe this is one of my favorites.
All throughout the movie, you can see how the patient is getting to the doctor
and how the patient is loosening the resolve of the doctor. As a doctor, it is
necessary to stay objective and the patient makes that very difficult for the
doctor to keep his bias and hatred for this young Hitler wannabe out of his
conclusions. To me, that is a very difficult task, but one that is necessary if
Poitier’s character is to treat his patient and to continue to be a
psychiatrist.
This
movie demonstrates terrific tolerance and patience on the patient’s idea of
Aryans being the superior race. These two actors work very well together in
demonstrating their hatred for one another, but not letting it completely ruin
them. By the end of the movie, the doctor is able to treat his racist patient
and become the head of psychiatry.
I
also have to hand it to Bobby Darin. He played a disgusting character, and
anyone who can evoke such hatred in someone, to me is considered a great actor.
I've loved Bobby Darin for a while before I knew he could act. He has an
amazing talent, and this dramatic role really showcases what he can do outside
of a recording studio.
Don't
let the weird sci-fish looking trailer stop you from watching this amazing
movie: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1083442713/
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