Pinky

Pinky

28/9/1949 1h 42m 7.1/10

Overview

Pinky, a light skinned black woman, returns to her grandmother's house in the South after graduating from a Northern nursing school. Pinky tells her grandmother that she has been "passing" for white while at school in the North. In addition, she has fallen in love with a young white doctor, who knows nothing about her black heritage.

Director

Elia Kazan

Top Billed Cast

Jeanne Crain

Jeanne Crain

Patricia "Pinky" Johnson

William Lundigan

William Lundigan

Dr. Thomas Adams

Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore

Miss Em

Basil Ruysdael

Basil Ruysdael

Judge Walker

Ethel Waters

Ethel Waters

Dicey Johnson

Kenny Washington

Kenny Washington

Dr. Canady

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

7/9/2022

7/10

Jeanne Crain is the eponymousous young nurse - of mixed race - trying to get by in her grandmother's Southern town. She takes a shine to local (white) doctor "Adams" (William Lundigan) but when her ethnicity becomes better knows, however, that all goes awry. Determined to head back to the more enlightened territories in the North, she is persuaded to stay and tend to a wealthy infirm lady "Miss Em" (Ethel Barrymore). Initially frosty, the two women gradually start to respect one and other, and she also begins to earn the appreciation of her doctor "McGill" (Griff Barnett). The old lady's death and subsequent will leaves "Pinky" and the whole town in a quandary that highlights bigotry and greed in equal measure. This is a powerful story with a strong ensemble cast. I could have done with some more of Barrymore - if only to further exemplify how these two characterful women developed their relationship, but there are good contributions from Ethel Walters and Even Varden as the rather odious "Melba" to compensate a little. The production is fine, it flows well with succinct dialogue and Elia Kazan makes the most of the original Sumner novel. The racism that this reflects is writ large and makes for a powerful piece of cinema.

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