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RIP, Sidney Poitier.

Hardbopjazz

By Hardbopjazz
in Artists

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Al in NYC Newbie

Al in NYC

Posted
Posted
  On 1/7/2022 at 4:34 PM, mikeweil said:

R.I.P.

He was a pioneer for African-American actors, for sure. This is my favourite:

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First movie I thought of when I heard of his death.  Just saw it again recently on TCM and it's not bad at all, although it's more a romance than anything else (and you can pretty clearly see the romance between Paul and Joanne), and clunks a bit in spots around the jazz parts of the story despite Louis Armstrong's interesting character and the Ellington soundtrack.  Nice role for the late Diahann Carroll here, and her romance/debate with Poitier around living black in the US and France really seems the best part of the movie today.

Big Beat Steve Experienced

Big Beat Steve

Posted
Posted
  On 1/7/2022 at 10:00 PM, Al in NYC said:

First movie I thought of when I heard of his death.  Just saw it again recently on TCM and it's not bad at all, although it's more a romance than anything else (and you can pretty clearly see the romance between Paul and Joanne), and clunks a bit in spots around the jazz parts of the story despite Louis Armstrong's interesting character and the Ellington soundtrack.  Nice role for the late Diahann Carroll here, and her romance/debate with Poitier around living black in the US and France really seems the best part of the movie today.

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Same here about "Paris Blues". As I remember reading in a series of articles of jazz in the movies that ran in the early 60s, "Jazz Hot" severely blasted the movie for the stereotypes it perpetuated, but probably France (and Paris, in particular) was well ahead of what would have been possible and feasible in a movie for a U.S. audience back at that time.
At any rate, in those of his movies that I remember it always seemed to me that Sidney Poitier always tried to push the boundaries as far he could within the constraints that just were there, like it or not.

mikeweil Veteran

mikeweil

Posted
Posted
  On 1/8/2022 at 3:22 PM, Big Beat Steve said:

..... but probably France (and Paris, in particular) was well ahead of what would have been possible and feasible in a movie for a U.S. audience back at that time.
At any rate, in those of his movies that I remember it always seemed to me that Sidney Poitier always tried to push the boundaries as far he could within the constraints that just were there, like it or not.

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I can't see such a film being made in the USA at that time.

JSngry Grand Master

JSngry

Posted
Posted
  On 1/8/2022 at 5:03 PM, mikeweil said:

I can't see such a film being made in the USA at that time.

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Well. no, not when you can use Paris as a backdrop for a story that takes place in, uh, Paris.

It was otherwise an American movie all the way, United Artists the studio, Sam Shaw producer, Martin Ritt director.

Al in NYC Newbie

Al in NYC

Posted
Posted
  On 1/8/2022 at 12:55 AM, sgcim said:

RIP, to one of the greatest actors who ever lived. I still cry at the end of, "To Sir With Love" when Lulu sings the title song. He was also great in "A Patch of Blue"...

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The score of which inspired this very fine album.  One of the very very rare sideman appearances by Sun Ra.

Dickersonpatchlp.jpg

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