Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
by Lee Grant
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Denzel Washington, James Earl Jones, Sidney PoitierDirector: Lee Grant
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 60 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-02-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Winstar
Movie Reviews of Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
Movie Review: Sidney Poitier Truly Is "One Bright Light"...
Summary: 5 Stars
"Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light" is the life story of one of the best actors of our time from his childhood on Cat Island in the Bahamas to a fearful experience with the KKK to having spent freezing nights in snow storms atop a building in New York where he "lived" for a time to failing auditions before becoming one of the best actors of our time to helping to "overthrow" a government whose governance was not conducive to the betterment of life for citizens it governed and the establishment of a new and better government for the people of the Bahamas to his becoming a husband and father and living to watch changes he helped to bring about taking root in our world.
Sidney Poitier is a man who made his mark on the world and on the world of acting through personal sacrifice and by standing firmly on principle. He ensured that he spoke out on social issues that concerned him and he ensured that, as an actor, the roles he played were meaningful and thought provoking. He brought about changes in scripts so that they were written with realism rather than based on stereotypical roles seen in films that came before him in which African-Americans were portrayed unrealistically. And, he accepted groundbreaking roles in films. One of these being "A Patch Of Blue," one of the best Sidney Poitier films ever made. It co-starred a wonderful actress, Elizabeth Hartman, who, with Sidney portrayed the first interracial kiss between a Black man and a White woman on the big screen. The film demonstrated that love and humanity have no racial boundaries.
"Buck and The Preacher" which Sidney Poitier directed and in which he played the title role also starred his friend and fellow civil rights activist, the multi-talented Harry Belafonte. The film told the story of a group of former slaves whose desire it was to move out west to build lives for themselves as free people and the obstacles they faced in doing so. Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte worked hard to ensure that the details depicted in the film were true to history. It turned out to be one of the best films ever made, in my opinion.
The movie, "In The Heat Of The Night" demonstrated the racism and racial profiling faced by Black people in the old south. One of the most talked about scenes in this film involved a White landowner who, during a conversation with Sidney Poitier's character, Virgil Tibbs, slaps Tibbs. Tibbs reacts by slapping the White landowner back. The White landowner says something to the effect that "there was a time when I could have had you shot for that." Lee Grant who made "Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light" also starred in "In the Heat of the Night" with Sidney.
"To Sir With Love" is another of my favorite Poitier films as are "The Love of Ivy," "Lilies of the Field" for which Sidney Poitier won an Academy Award in the Best Actor category for his wonderful portrayal of Homer Smith; "A Raisin In The Sun," "The Defiant One" with Tony Curtis, and "No Way Out" with Richard Widmark, to name a few.
"Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light" is a beautifully made documentary about one of the most talented actors of our time who also helped to bring about positive social change, Sidney Poitier. It is poignant and funny and memorable. This documentary and Sidney's autobiography, "The Measure of A Man," are two must haves. I highly recommend them both.
Summary of Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
Screen legend Sidney Poitier is profiled in this insightful documentary directed by Lee Grant, who costarred with Poitier in In the Heat of the Night. As an acclaimed actor, civil rights activist, and humanitarian, Poitier has occupied a special place in America, a nation he came to as a teenage immigrant from a small island in the Bahamas. In thoughtful interview segments, Poitier recalls his early life in the Caribbean, the obstacles of racism and extreme poverty he faced in America, and his burning desire to succeed as an actor. Poitier's contribution to film is documented with clips from his early work, and tribute is paid to his vital role as a pioneer who paved the way for black actors to take on roles that were not merely racial stereotypes. Included are clips of Poitier in The Blackboard Jungle, The Defiant Ones, A Raisin in the Sun, and in a segment focusing on his later work, his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in a television production. Poitier is shown accepting his historic Oscar for Lilies of the Field and at a press conference politely but firmly informing questioners that they shouldn't only ask him "about the Negroness of my life." Interviews with Quincy Jones, James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington, and director Stanley Kramer round out a very sensitive and highly entertaining look at Poitier the actor and the man. --Robert J. McNamaraThe first black American to receive an Academy Award? for "Best Actor," Sidney Poitier forever altered the racial perceptions held by both motion picture audiences and Hollywood executives. American Masters' retrospective explores the life and career of t
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