Sapphire (Dearden, 1959): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 8.20pm
This groundbreaking police procedural story exploring the cause of the murder of a young woman in 1950s London is part of the Earl Cameron season at BFI Southbank. A panel discussion follows this screening, when historians
and writers will attempt to unpick both the context of the story,
issues such as ‘passing’ and the film’s problematic portrayal of race. There's another screening on August 28th. Full details here.
Chicago Reader review:
Basil Dearden's neglected 1959 British thriller is about
an attractive young music student who's found dead and who, it's
discovered by police inspectors Nigel Patrick and Michael Craig, had
been passing for white. A detective story that reveals something of
London's black community in the late 50s.
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Here (and above) is an extract.
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