Kazan's liberal tale of a black girl passing as white is rather simple and Jeanne Crain is weak in the lead, but it's worth seeing Zanuck's message picture for the strong acting of the two Oscar-nominated Ethels (Waters and Barrymore).
Pinky (1949)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:9
Fresh:6
Rotten:3
Average Rating:5.9/10
Synopsis: Cid Ricketts's controversial novel about miscegenation comes alive in this deliciously melodramatic film starring Jeanne Crain, Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore. Pinky, a proud, fair-skinned... Cid Ricketts's controversial novel about miscegenation comes alive in this deliciously melodramatic film starring Jeanne Crain, Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore. Pinky, a proud, fair-skinned black woman, leaves her small southern hometown to attend nursing school up north. In Boston, Pinky "passes" for white and lives freely, unfettered by racial discrimination. At school, she dates the handsome -- and white -- Dr. Thomas Adam. Ignorant of her racial identity, he falls in love with her. Recognizing the problems associated with inter-racial marriage, Pinky returns home to her hard-working grandmother, hoping to forget Tom. But he's too dedicated to let her go. Instead, he follows Pinky south and tries to persuade her to renounce her origins and marry him in spite of everything. Will she choose a lifetime of love under false pretenses or make a steadfast decision to uplift her race? [More]
Starring: Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Waters, William Lundigan
Starring: Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Waters, William Lundigan, Basil Ruysdael, Kenny Washington, Nina Mae McKinney, Griff Barnett
Director: Elia Kazan
Director: Elia Kazan
Screenwriter: Dudley Nichols
Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck
Composer: Alfred Newman
Reviews for Pinky
This is a groundbreaking film despite its absurdly stiff way at looking at how blacks and whites interact.
This is a mature film, with great respect for the humanity of people who are able to transcend social barriers and care for one another.
Pinky is 1949's Patch Adams, doing for half-breeds what that film did for assclowns.
Made at a time when racial discrimination was as much a part of the fabric of American life as apple pie, this is an early stab by Hollywood at countering racism.
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