Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light

Sidney Poitier, the only African American to win a Best Actor Oscar, is limned to good advantage in this sumptuous production from the PBS-aired American Masters series. When Poitier first arrived in New York, he wanted to be an actor, but lacked a means of entry into the theater scene, so he got a job as a dishwasher. Here, he reminisces about his first audition which went so badly that the director told him to quit bothering busy people and look for work for which he was qualified, such as dishwashing. The young Poitier wondered how the director could have known he was a dishwasher, but thereafter he honed his diction (the main cause of his failed audition) by listening to an incredible amount of radio, and soon enough found success. James Earl Jones, Norman Jewison, and several other notables share reminiscences of Poitier's career. Less happy memories include a frank discussion of the backlash the actor encountered after attaining fame. Critics in the Radical Chic Age of the late '60s suggested that he was a token black, more or less allowed fame by white America as long as he didn't get too pushy. Poitier not only survived that controversy, today he is recognized as an actor of great achievement and a perceptive observer of his times. Entertaining, informative and engaging, this excellent biographical portrait is highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (M. Tribby)