Celebrating Sidney Poitier
Happy Birthday Sidney Poitier! We, here at The Film Rewind, love to observe celebrity birthdays, and couldn’t think of a more influential and talented actor, director, author, and diplomat to celebrate. Poitier was born on February 20th, 1927, and has left such a lasting legacy upon the world of film and television. He has won many awards, including an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field (1963), as well as being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. His film career stands out for the exceptional roles that he has played, and we couldn’t be more excited to share a list of our favorite Sidney Poitier films! Happy Viewing!
The Defiant Ones (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1958)
In this film, Poitier stars alongside Tony Curtis as a pair of chained together convicts, who find themselves (though at odds because of their difference in race) escaping the chain gang together. Throughout their journey the two shift from despising each other to developing a strong friendship. The film ends in a contentious place, with Noah’s (Poitier) self-sacrifice for Joker (Curtis) hearkening back to the ‘loyal black servant’ trope that Hollywood was so fond of for far too long. Nevertheless, Poitier’s acting ability is at one of its strongest points in this early role, with impressively seamless shifts, and developments, in his tone throughout his dialogue with Curtis. - Bailey ⛓
A Raisin in the Sun ( dir. Daniel Petrie, 1961)
This adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play finds Poitier’s Walter Lee Younger in the San Francisco ghetto, sharing a small apartment with his wife (Ruby Dee), son (Stephen Perry), mother (Claudia McNeil), and sister (Diana Sands). A departure from Poitier’s typical saintly film persona, Walter is a self-centered, materialistic, and (justifiably) discontented man eager to break free from his life of poverty to usher himself, and his family, into the upper class. It is refreshing to see Poitier portray a character that is flawed, and who grows throughout the story, as he certainly acts his heart out in this meaty role. Sure, he occasionally overacts in this performance, but when you look at the trajectory of his career into the late ‘60s, with hit after hit picture portraying essentially the same mild-mannered, intellectual, desexualized man, you can’t blame him for wanting to put all he could into this character. - Bailey 🏠
To Sir with Love ( dir. James Clavell, 1967)
I’ve mentioned my love of this film on this blog in the past, and though I have some serious problems with some of its stances (particularly its treatment of women), it would be a lie to say this wasn’t my all-time favorite Poitier role. As manufactured and controversial as the Poitier persona was in the late ‘60s, it’s difficult to resist Poitier’s charm in any role, and for me, this one in particular. Here he portrays Mark Thackeray, an American engineer taking a temporary teaching position at an East End school in London. Poitier is at his most stereotypically Poitier, as he attempts to pass along his excessive levels of intellect, respectability, and class to a group of rowdy working class teens. And, if I can just mention it again, watching Poitier’s awkward dancing at the end of the film is an endless joy. - Bailey 💘
In the Heat of the Night (dir. Norman Jewison, 1967)
“They call me Mister Tibbs!” Few lines have ever been delivered with such force, conviction, and poignance as those so vehemently expressed by Poitier is his portrayal of detective Virgil Tibbs. In the Heat of the Night follows Tibbs, a Philadelphia police officer, who is swept up into the prejudiced underbelly of Sparta, Mississippi, when a body turns up in town, and the bumbling local officers immediately turn on him, being the one stranger in town… Poitier should have been nominated for, and won, an Academy Award for his performance in this film. As it is, the film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, and won 5, including Best Picture, but the Oscar went to Rod Steiger, as Best Actor, for his portrayal of the Sparta police chief, Bill Gillespie… In my mind, all wins for this film are directly linked to Poitier’s superb performance. It is Poitier’s film. - Sarah 👮
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1967)
This film is intriguing for so many reasons. I first watched this movie in a marathon of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy films, as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is the last film the pair made due to Tracy’s death just days after filming was completed. What is even more noteworthy is the story and Poitier’s performance as Dr. John Prentice, centering on the issues surrounding the engagement and impending marriage of an interracial couple in the 1960s. The film won two Academy Awards, one for Best Writing (of an Original Screenplay) and the other went to Katharine Hepburn for Best Actress as the soon-to-be mother-in-law, but one nomination that was severely overlooked was, once again, a nomination for Poitier. With such an excellent ensemble cast, Poitier deserved a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the very least… - Sarah 🍴
Stir Crazy (dir. Sidney Poitier, 1980)
One of only 9 films directed by Poitier, Stir Crazy stands out for the comedic re-pairing of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. This was the second film featuring both comedians following their work in the comedy thriller Silver Streak (1976). Here Skip (Wilder) and Harry (Pryor) are mistaken for bank robbers and sentenced to 125-years in jail. The film presents a comedic mash-up that shouldn’t work, yet somehow does, which could be attributed to Poitier’s directing, and attempts at controlling the chaos that is this film. Not everyone’s comedy-cup-of-tea, but certainly worth a revisit. - Sarah 😄
What are your favorite Sidney Poitier films? What do you think of our selections? Share your thoughts and comments below!
Copyright © 2020 Sarah Crane & Bailey Lizotte
