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Sapphire (film)
''Sapphire'' is a 1959 British crime drama film. It focuses on racism in London toward immigrants from the West Indies, and explores the "underlying insecurities and fears of ordinary people" about those of another race. The film was directed by Basil Dearden, and stars Nigel Patrick, Earl Cameron and Yvonne Mitchell. It received the BAFTA Award for Best Film and screenwriter Janet Green won a 1960 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Foreign Film Screenplay. It was considered a progressive film for its time. Earl Cameron, who plays the part of Sapphire's brother,ScreenonlinSapphire (1959)/ref> also appears in ''Flame in the Streets'' (1961), another British film dealing with racial issues. Plot Some children playing on Hampstead Heath in London come across the body of a young light-skinned woman who has been stabbed to death. Police Superintendent Robert Hazard (Nigel Patrick) and his assistant, Inspector Phil Learoyd ( Michael Craig), follow the lead of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden (born Basil Clive Dear; 1 January 1911 – 23 March 1971) was an English film director. Early life and career Dearden was born at 5, Woodfield Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex to Charles James Dear, a steel manufacturer, and his wife, Florence Tripp. Basil Dean Dearden graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean. He later changed his own name to Dearden to avoid confusion with his mentor. He wrote ''This Man Is News'' (1938), a hugely popular quota quickie and wrote and directed a film for TV ''Under Suspicion'' (1939). He was assistant director on ''Penny Paradise'' (1938), produced by Dean and directed by Carol Reed, and two George Formby comedies directed by Anthony Kimmins: ''George Takes the Air'' (1938), produced by Dean, and '' Come on George!'' (1939). Dearden was promoted to associate producer on two more George Formby films, which he also co-wrote: ''To Hell with Hitler'' (1940) aka ''Let George Do It'' and ''Spare a Coppe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earl Cameron (actor)
Earlston Jewitt Cameron, CBE (8 August 19173 July 2020), known as Earl Cameron, was a Bermudian actor who lived and worked in the United Kingdom. After appearing on London's West End stage, he became one of the first black stars in the British film industry. With his appearance in 1951's '' Pool of London'', Cameron became one of the first black actors to take up a starring role in a British film after Paul Robeson, Nina Mae McKinney and Elisabeth Welch in the 1930s.Imogen Blake"Pioneering actor Earl Cameron, 98: 'Showbusiness was just a means to an end'" ''Ham & High'', 7 April 2016. According to ''Screenonline'', "Earl Cameron brought a breath of fresh air to the British film industry's stuffy depictions of race relations. Often cast as a sensitive outsider, Cameron gave his characters a grace and moral authority that often surpassed the films' compromised liberal agendas." He starred alongside Sean Connery in '' Thunderball'' (1965). He made appearances in many 1960s Brit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gordon Heath
Gordon Heath (September 20, 1918 – August 27, 1991) was an American actor and musician who narrated the animated feature film ''Animal Farm'' (1954) and appeared in the title role of ''The Emperor Jones'' (1953) and ''Othello'' (1955), both live BBC telecasts, respectively directed by Alvin Rakoff and Tony Richardson. Biography Heath was born in New York City, his parents' only child. His father Cyril Gordon Heath had emigrated from Barbados to the US, where he met and married Hattie Hooper. Gordon Heath showed an early talent for both music and art, but opted to pursue an acting career, working on stage and radio. Joining the New York radio station WMCA in 1945 he became the first black staff announcer employed by a major US radio station. In 1945 he appeared on Broadway to great success in the play ''Deep Are the Roots'', written by Arnaud d'Usseau and James Gow, directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Barbara Bel Geddes. The play ran for 447 performances, and when it was subs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olga Lindo
Olga Lindo (13 July 1899 – 7 May 1968) was an English actress. She was the daughter of Frank Lindo, a well-known actor, manager and author. She made her stage debut at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 26 December 1913. She later joined her father's touring company in a range of roles. For Basil Dean she appeared in ''R.U.R'' in 1923, and in 1925 she gave what ''The Times'' described as a formidable performance as Sadie Thompson in Maugham's ''Rain'' at the Garrick Theatre. She toured in South Africa in 1930 and 1934 in a variety of parts. Her repertoire ranged from the classics to farce. In 1935 she played Abigail Hill in Norman Ginsbury's historical work ''Viceroy Sarah''. She also acted in films. Partial filmography * '' The Shadow Between'' (1931) - Nell Baker * ''Royal Cavalcade'' (1935) - Tourist * ''The Case of Gabriel Perry'' (1935) - Mrs. Perry * '' Dark World'' (1935) - Eleanor * ''The Last Journey'' (1936) - Mrs. Holt * '' A Romance in Flanders'' (1937) - Madame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Adams (actor)
Robert Adams (1902 – 1965) was a British Guyanese actor of stage and screen. He was the founder and director of the Negro Repertory Arts Theatre, one of the first professional black theatre companies in Britain, and became Britain's first black television actor when he appeared in '' Theatre Parade: Scenes From Hassan'' on BBC TV in 1937. He was also the first Black actor to play a Shakespearian role on television (the Prince of Morocco in ''The Merchant of Venice''), in 1947.Sarita Malik''Representing Black Britain: Black and Asian Images on Television'' Sage, 2002; "The early phase of drama with a black presence", p. 135, and note 2. Education and early career (Wilfred) Robert Adams, The William Roberts Society. the son of a boat builder, was born in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Baird (actor)
Harry Baird (12 May 193113 February 2005) was a Guyanese-born British actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, appearing in more than 36 films throughout his career. He is best remembered as the bus driver in the final scene of ''The Italian Job''. Life and career Baird was born in Georgetown, British Guiana, and educated in Canada and Britain. He was 17 years old when he joined his brother in London and, driven by an early interest in the cinema, began training at the YMCA. David McGillivray"Harry Baird" (obituary) ''The Guardian'', 17 March 2005. He made his first film appearance in 1955 as a boxer called Jamaica in Carol Reed's '' A Kid for Two Farthings''. A year later, he appeared in the play '' Kismet'' at the Stoll Theatre in London, and had a role in Jean Genet's '' The Blacks'' in 1961 at the Royal Court Theatre. Baird subsequently appeared mostly in film and television, though other stage work included ''A Wreath for Udomo'' (Lyric Hammersmith, 1961) and ''Ogodivelef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passing (racial Identity)
Racial passing occurs when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived ("passes") as a member of another. Historically, the term has been used primarily in the United States to describe a black or brown person or of multiracial ancestry who assimilated into the white majority to escape the legal and social conventions of racial segregation and discrimination. In the United States Passing for white Although anti-miscegenation laws outlawing racial intermarriage existed in America as early as 1664, there were no laws preventing or prosecuting the rape of enslaved girls and women. Rape of slaves was legal and encouraged during slavery to increase slave population. For generations, enslaved black mothers bore mixed-race children who were deemed "mulattos", "quadroons", "octoroons", or "hexadecaroons" based on their percentage of "black blood". Although these mixed-race people were often half white or more, institutions of hypodescent and the 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge became an important trading centre during the Roman and Viking ages, and there is archaeological evidence of settlement in the area as early as the Bronze Age. The first town charters were granted in the 12th century, although modern city status was not officially conferred until 1951. The city is most famous as the home of the University of Cambridge, which was founded in 1209 and consistently ranks among the best universities in the world. The buildings of the university include King's College Chapel, Cavendish Laboratory, and the Cambridge University Library, one of the largest legal deposit libraries in the world. The city's skyline is dominated by several college buildings, along with the spire of the Our Lady and the English Martyrs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West Midlands metropolitan county, and approximately 4.3 million in the wider metropolitan area. It is the largest UK metropolitan area outside of London. Birmingham is known as the second city of the United Kingdom. Located in the West Midlands region of England, approximately from London, Birmingham is considered to be the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands. Distinctively, Birmingham only has small rivers flowing through it, mainly the River Tame and its tributaries River Rea and River Cole – one of the closest main rivers is the Severn, approximately west of the city centre. Historically a market town in Warwickshire in the medieval period, Birmingham grew during the 18th century during the Midla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yvonne Buckingham
Yvonne Buckingham is an English actress who appeared in a number of minor or background roles on episodes of British television series or in British films. She played the title role, though only briefly appearing as the deceased victim, in the 1959 film ''Sapphire'', but did appear in the lead role as Christine Keeler (who was not allowed to play herself) in the critically panned 1963 film '' The Christine Keeler Story''. Career 1950s In an early role, Buckingham played the part of a saloon girl in the Jack Lee direct film ''Robbery Under Arms''. In 1958, she played Mario's girlfriend in the comedy ''Next to No Time''. In 1959, Buckingham played the eponymous role in the film ''Sapphire'' about a young woman found murdered on Hampstead Heath, but she did not have a speaking part and appears only briefly, as a dead body and in photographs. 1960s In 1962, she had a minor background role as “pretty girl” in the Neo Noir film, ''The Frightened City''. In 1963, Buckingham pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling and hilly, embracing ponds, recent and ancient woodlands, a lido, playgrounds, and a training track, and it adjoins the former stately home of Kenwood House and its estate. The south-east part of the heath is Parliament Hill, from which the view over London is protected by law. Running along its eastern perimeter is a chain of ponds – including three open-air public swimming pools – which were originally reservoirs for drinking water from the River Fleet. The heath is a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, and part of Kenwood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Lakeside concerts are held there in summer. The heath is managed by the City of London Corporation, and lies mostl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flame In The Streets
''Flame in the Streets'' is a 1961 film directed by Roy Ward Baker and based on the 1958 play '' Hot Summer Night'' by Ted Willis. It opened at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 22 June 1961. The film depicts an interracial romance in post-war Britain, and a street brawl taking place during Guy Fawkes Night (5 November). The film was made in CinemaScope. Synopsis Racial tensions manifest themselves at home, work and on the streets during Bonfire Night, with prejudice and violence directed against the burgeoning West Indian community of post-war Britain. Trade union leader Jacko Palmer fights for the rights of a black worker but struggles with the news that his own daughter, Kathie, is planning to marry a West Indian, much against his own logic and the hysterical prejudice of his wife Nell. Cast * John Mills as Jacko Palmer * Sylvia Syms as Kathie Palmer * Brenda De Banzie as Nell Palmer * Earl Cameron as Gabriel Gomez * Johnny Sekka as Peter Lincoln * Ann Lynn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
