Shelley Winters won an Academy Award for her searing performance in A Patch of Blue. The star, however, is not Winters but
Elizabeth Hartman, cast as Winters' blind, sensitive daughter. A venomous prostitute, Winters treats both Hartman and grandfather
Wallace Ford like dirt. Ford, aware that Winters was responsible for Hartman's blindness, tries to find a way out of the destructive relationship. That way is provided by
Sidney Poitier, who befriends Hartman and tries to open up doors for her previously closed by the selfish Winters. Despite the objections of the bigoted Winters and of Poitier's brother
Ivan Dixon, a bond stronger than physical love is forged between Poitier and Hartman. Brilliantly avoiding gooey sentiment throughout, A Patch of Blue was adapted for the screen by director
Guy Green, from the novel Be Ready with Bells and Drums by Elizabeth Kata. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide