''Sapphire'' is a 1959 British

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

. It focuses on racism in London toward immigrants from the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

, and explores the "underlying insecurities and fears of ordinary people" about those of another race. The film was directed by

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, Fl ...

, and stars Nigel Patrick, Earl Cameron and

Yvonne Mitchell Yvonne Mitchell (born Yvonne Frances Joseph; 7 July 1915 – 24 March 1979) was an English actress and author. After beginning her acting career in theatre, Mitchell progressed to films in the late 1940s. Her roles include Julia in the 1954 BBC ...

. It received the

BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until 1 ...

and screenwriter Janet Green won a 1960

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

for Best Foreign Film Screenplay. It was considered a progressive film for its time. Earl Cameron, who plays the part of Sapphire's brother,Screenonlin
Sapphire (1959)
/ref> also appears in ''

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 rom ...

'' (1961), another British film dealing with racial issues.

Plot

Some children playing on

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 ...

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 the woman's handkerchief, monogrammed with an "S," and eventually discover that her name was Sapphire Robbins ( Yvonne Buckingham), a music student. Her brother ( Earl Cameron), a doctor working in

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 We ...

, is notified. Her fiance, an architecture student named David Harris ( Paul Massie), claims to have been in

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 bec ...

at the time of the murder. An autopsy reveals that Sapphire had been three months pregnant. The police are surprised when Dr. Robbins arrives, and they learn that he is black. He and his sister were mixed race, but Sapphire was able to "

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits *Mountain pass, a lower place in a mounta ...

" as white. Robbins is professional in his bearing and proud, sceptical that the police will actually try to solve his sister's murder. Investigating Sapphire's life and acquaintances, the officers find that she frequented nightclubs with black clienteles, leading them to look for another possible boyfriend. Learoyd is quick to jump to racist assumptions about the victim's behaviour, but Hazard is nonjudgemental and sometimes counters his assistant's biased views. Interviews with other possible witnesses or connections to the case reveal a range of racist attitudes in the white population. When the officers question members of David's family they learn that Sapphire had revealed her family background to David, and had informed his parents and adult sister Mildred (

) about the pregnancy. David's father (

Bernard Miles Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE (27 September 190714 June 1991) was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre that opened in the City of London since the 17th ce ...

) had reluctantly agreed to David and Sapphire marrying despite his own racist views, and the family's concern about their social standing, as well as the knowledge that David would probably have to forfeit a scholarship to study in Rome. Visiting the Tulip Club, a nightclub favoured by affluent young blacks, Hazard and Learoyd learn that Sapphire was resented by some of her contemporaries, but that she often went there with a young man named Johnnie Fiddle ( Harry Baird). After a chase Johnnie is caught and brought in by the police. A knife and a bloody shirt are discovered in his room, but Johnnie claims that these were from a fight he had with another man at the Tulip Club, Horace Big Cigar ( Robert Adams). In the meantime, however, David is seen acting suspiciously near the murder scene on Hampstead Heath and it is discovered that he had returned from Cambridge earlier than he claimed on the day of the murder. Hoping to prod further revelations from those closest to the murder, Hazard brings Dr Robbins to the Harrises' home, prompting angry reactions from the family. The most violent reaction comes from David's sister Mildred, who responds with disgust when Robbins picks up one of her daughter's toys. Mildred finally confesses to her hatred of Sapphire and to the murder. With the case wrapped up Hazard acknowledges the larger social evils underlying the case, telling Learoyd that they, "didn't solve anything ... We just picked up the pieces."

Cast

* Nigel Patrick as Superintendent Robert Hazard *

as Mildred Farr * Michael Craig as Inspector Phil Learoyd * Paul Massie as David Harris *

as Ted Harris * Olga Lindo as Mrs Harris * Earl Cameron as Dr Robbins * Gordon Heath as Paul Slade *

Jocelyn Britton Jocelyn is a surname and first name. It is a unisex (male/female) name. Variants include Jocelin, Jocelyne, Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joscelin, Josceline, Joscelyn, Joscelynn, Joscelynne, Joseline, Joselyn, Joselyne, Joslin, Joslyn, Josselin, Josselyn, ...

as Patsy * Harry Baird as Johnnie Fiddle * Orlando Martins as Barman * Rupert Davies as PC Jack Ferris *

Freda Bamford Freda may refer to: * Frida (given name), also spelled ''Freda'' * Freda (surname) *List of original characters in The Lord of the Rings film series#Éothain and Freda, Freda (character) from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy * Ford Freda, a motor ...

as Sergeant Cook * Robert Adams as Horace Big Cigar * Yvonne Buckingham as Sapphire Robbins * Vanda Hudson as Blonde Girl at Tulip's Club (uncredited) * Philip Lowrie as Student (uncredited) *

Boscoe Holder Boscoe Holder (16 July 1921 – 21 April 2007), born Arthur Aldwyn Holder in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, was Trinidad and Tobago's leading contemporary painter, who also had a celebrated international career spanning six decades as a designer and ...

as Dancer in Nightclub (uncredited) *

Basil Dignam Basil Dignam (24 October 1905 – 31 January 1979) was an English character actor. Basil Dignam was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Before the acting, he tried many jobs, from a company clerk to a journalist. He acted on film and ...

as Dr Burgess (uncredited) * Fenella Fielding as Lingerie Shop Manageress (uncredited) * Lloyd Reckord as Pianist in the International Club (uncredited) *

Peter Vaughan Peter Vaughan (born Peter Ewart Ohm; 4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016) was an English character actor known for many supporting roles in British film and television productions. He also acted extensively on the stage. He is perhaps best known ...

as Detective Whitehead (uncredited) * Victor Brooks as Police Sergeant (uncredited) *

Desmond Llewelyn Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn (; 12 September 1914GRO Register of Births: DEC 1914 11a 490 NEWPORT M. – Desmond W. Llewelyn, mmn = Wilkinson – 19 December 1999GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 2000 A70E 247 EASTBOURNE – Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn, D ...

as Policeman (uncredited) *

Barbara Steele Barbara Steele (born 29 December 1937) is an English film actress known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. She has been referred to as the "Queen of All Scream Queens" and "Britain's first lady of horror". She played th ...

as Student in café (uncredited) * Dolores Mantez as Student at the International Club (uncredited) * Richard Vernon as Detective on Hampstead Heath (uncredited)

Reception

Critical reception

Nina Hibbin, writing about the film on its initial UK release in the ''

Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...

'', commented: "You can't fight the colour bar merely by telling people it exists. You have to attack it, with passion and conviction. Commit yourself up to the hilt. Otherwise you're in danger of fanning the flames." At the time of the film's US release, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer

A.H. Weiler Abraham H. Weiler (December 10, 1908 – January 22, 2002) was an American writer and critic best known for being a film critic and motion picture editor for '' The New York Times''. He also served a term as chairman of the New York Film Critic ...

wrote that while it is "not entirely in a class by itself, the combination of murder mystery and racial issues puts it several interesting cuts above standard movie melodrama". The reviewer for the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Lo ...

website writes: "Dearden is not immune to prevailing prejudices, equating a young woman living alone in London with promiscuity, and seeing an enthusiasm for jazz as evidence of dubious character. The film is littered with casual, unchallenged racism".

Box office

The film reportedly made a profit of over £100,000 by 1961.

Paperback novelisation

In April 1959, Panther Books of London issued a screenplay novelisation by prolific mystery and thriller novelist E.G. Cousins.

References

External links

* * * A. H. Weiler
"The Screen: 'Sapphire'; British Crime Story Opens at Sutton"
(review), ''The New York Times'', 3 November 1959. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sapphire 1959 films 1959 crime drama films 1950s mystery drama films British crime drama films British mystery drama films Best British Film BAFTA Award winners Edgar Award-winning works Films about racism in the United Kingdom Films directed by Basil Dearden Films set in London Films shot at Pinewood Studios Racism in the United Kingdom 1950s English-language films 1950s British films category:Cultural depictions of Metropolitan Police officers