Sapphire (UK; Basil Dearden, 1959)

  I'm not usually one to like formulaic filmmaking but I find something comforting in the straightforwardness of the detective story paradigm. While this picture is more of a social issue piece masquarading as a murder mystery, it is still structured as the latter, the victim's true nature slowly rising to the surface as the investigation moves forward, usually by knocking on doors hoping to get lucky and catch a lead. The title referring to the victim's name, the film follows Superintendent Robert Hazard (Nigle Patrick) as he attempts to sort out lies and fabrications in order find the killer of this young, pregnant and seemingly innocent student. Racial motives are soon revealed to be at play when it is learned that Sapphire was a black woman light enough to pass for white, the practice of which led her to be romantically involved with a young white male student (Paul Massie), his bigotted family and prospective career making him the prime suspect for the crime. Faced with racial prejudice at every turn (including his partner), Hazard follows one lead after the other all over London, from the Royal Academy of Music to obscure jazz clubs, hoping to understand the life of this two-faced woman whom nobody seemed to really know. Without bringing all the attention on itself, Dearden's direction is clear and fluid, reminiscent of classical Hollywood directors like Wilder or Hawks in the way his form adapts to the narrative at-hand, evolving as the tension escalates. In this case, the photography gets darker and more expressive when coming closer to the dark side of Sapphire's world, namely the introduction of her former boyfriend/suspect Johnnie Fiddle (Harry Baird) and the ensuing chase. While pretty typical as a detective story, Sapphire is an important picture of its time as it addresses and challenges the prominent racial discrimination that was as rampant across London as the rest of the globe, portraying premature death as the ultimate consequence of unified hate. Incidentally, this same reason that made it stand out upon release may very well be the same one that makes it seem perhaps a bit dated and old-fashioned for today's audiences.