Sapphire (1959)
Brit stalwarts Nigel Patrick and Michael Craig are investigating the murder of a beautiful young woman whose body was found brutally stabbed on Hampstead Heath. As the investigation deepens it turns out the girl in question, Sapphire, was leading a double life as her light coloured skin allowed her to pass as being white when in fact she was black.
BAFTA winning film Sapphire is a triumph of British film making. Not only is it a gripping crime thriller it's also a journey into another time, another time which seems not quaint as most British films of the time are, not quaint, just wrong. As much as anything the film is an examination of racial prejudice and comes over as hard hitting and thought provoking. The racist attitudes from more or less everyone in the film except Nigel Patrick are a sad sign of the climate of 50's Britain following the first wave of commonwealth immigrants to these shores. It's not just the white community who hold prejudices, the black's encountered have no trust in British justice and openly allow their hatred out during the police manhunt. However at the heart of the matter is a story of how racial prejudice tears one seemingly loving family apart, even to the point of murder.
Sapphire also shines behind the camera. The script is tight and the dialogue well written. The location work is also excellent showcasing a London slowly rebuilding itself following the second World War, slowly rebuilding but still socially rotten in places.
Sapphire is highly recommended.
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