Seen
"What are you doing in the dark?"
A Patch of Blue (1965)
Points
for Reflection
Guy Green's A Patch of Blue (1965)
- At what point does the film’s title appear, and why does this scene matter?
- This film tackles a number of historically disadvantaged identity factors, some of which collide in powerful ways. In what ways do these categories overlap and influence one another?
- Who seems more at risk in this film? People of color, the working class, or those with disabilities?
- Does the film imply that Rose-Ann D’Arcey and Sadie, Rose’s friend, have pursued their illegal profession out of necessity, or preference?
- At what points do characters speak directly, if casually, about sight? Do their comments concretize sight’s necessity, or configure it as disposable?
- How does camera work convey Selina’s disorientation at various points?
- Does Selina always ever remain a spectated object of the audience’s stare, or does the film capture her own, vision-impaired perspective of the world?
- During one particularly moving outdoor scene, Selina daydreams that she can see. Is this feasible?
- On what kind of between-scene transitions do the filmmakers rely most often, and what impact does this have on the narrative? Match cuts, jump cuts, slow dissolves, wipes, iris, etc.?
- Literary Naturalism casts humanity’s struggle to survive as a doomed enterprise; its protagonists often fail to thrive, or just survive, due to fate or overwhelming natural or societal circumstances. Is this film “Naturalist” in this sense? Are its heroes doomed?
- Literary Naturalism sometimes spotlights the hard times of tenement life, dramatizing how easily those living near the poverty line can fall into violent, abusive behavior patterns. Whether one classes this film as Naturalist or not, it definitely shares features of that storytelling mode. Is tenement life in this film consistently soul-draining and tragic?
- How does the film’s musical score shape our attitude towards Selina? How does its pacing, volume, and instrumentation change when the film focuses on specific features of Selina’s disability?
- Does Selina enjoy listening to music?
- What kind of education has Selina’s environment provided her?
- Did the role of Selina require a sighted actor, given the shape and substance of the film’s scenes?
- Selina observes that Gordan has a “tall voice.” Do the film's visuals confirm Selina's observation?
- Why does Selina think herself ugly, and does Gordon effectively counter her self-criticism?
- Does Gordon touch Selina too much or too little when interacting with her?
- Does the progression of teaching moments provided Selina by Gordon seem natural and intuitive?
- Does Gordon teach Selina first about physical realities or social realities?
- Do all the lessons given Selina by Gordon have real-world practicality?
- Does Selina ever appear oppressed by Gordon's instruction, or does she remain always eager to learn?
- What attitude does the film implicitly build towards racism by developing the character of its most out-spoken racist?
- Do peripheral, unnamed white characters react to Gordon's friendship with Selina in the same way that Rose-Anne does?
- How does Selina react to the revelation about Gordon's race?
- Does Rose-Anne demonstrate any motherly tendencies towards her daughter?
- Is Selina's effort at revolt successful?
- Of the various factors at play in drawing Gordon towards Selina, which seems the most powerful? Attraction? Pity? Paternalism? Curiosity? Kindness?
- Is the idea of specialized education for the blind treated, in this film, as an ideal or as a deficient option?
- Does this film suggest a positive or negative correlation between socioeconomic class and alcoholism?
- Does the film's ending solidify or complicate attempts to categorize this film as a romance?
A Patch of Blue (1965)
one poster from original film release
Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu
