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Reginald Hudlin’s documentary about Sidney Poitier should be considered the beginning, not the end, of appraising the prolific actor’s career. Sidney, which premiered at TIFF and streams on Apple TV+ starting Sept. 23, crafts the kind of hagiographic portrait audiences have come to accept — even desire — of famous figures.
This serviceable primer chronologically recounts Poitier’s legacy, from his birth in 1927 to his death in January 2022. Early on, we learn that life was not guaranteed for the actor. He was born two months premature and many people, including his mother’s midwife, predicted an imminent death. The morning after Poitier’s birth, his father procured a shoebox in which to bury the infant. But Poitier’s mother possessed an enduring faith: She visited a soothsayer who told her not to worry about her son’s survival. Not only would Poitier live, but...
Reginald Hudlin’s documentary about Sidney Poitier should be considered the beginning, not the end, of appraising the prolific actor’s career. Sidney, which premiered at TIFF and streams on Apple TV+ starting Sept. 23, crafts the kind of hagiographic portrait audiences have come to accept — even desire — of famous figures.
This serviceable primer chronologically recounts Poitier’s legacy, from his birth in 1927 to his death in January 2022. Early on, we learn that life was not guaranteed for the actor. He was born two months premature and many people, including his mother’s midwife, predicted an imminent death. The morning after Poitier’s birth, his father procured a shoebox in which to bury the infant. But Poitier’s mother possessed an enduring faith: She visited a soothsayer who told her not to worry about her son’s survival. Not only would Poitier live, but...
- 9/23/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Sidney,” a documentary tribute to the trailblazing Black movie star Sidney Poitier, was produced by Oprah Winfrey, and it leans far more toward one-dimensional inspiration than insight. Important questions are sometimes raised here by the interview subjects, but they are almost always evasively dropped.
In the opening moments of the movie, we hear Poitier’s unmistakable voice on the soundtrack: “I was not expected to live,” he says. “I was born two months premature.” Poitier relates that his father got a shoebox in which he was going to “tuck me away,” but Poitier’s mother insisted on giving him some more time to recover.
The early sections of “Sidney” are much stronger than what comes later, because it is Poitier himself telling the tale in interview footage and setting the expansive, very dramatic tone. He knew how to tell a story so that each nuance would make itself felt; when...
In the opening moments of the movie, we hear Poitier’s unmistakable voice on the soundtrack: “I was not expected to live,” he says. “I was born two months premature.” Poitier relates that his father got a shoebox in which he was going to “tuck me away,” but Poitier’s mother insisted on giving him some more time to recover.
The early sections of “Sidney” are much stronger than what comes later, because it is Poitier himself telling the tale in interview footage and setting the expansive, very dramatic tone. He knew how to tell a story so that each nuance would make itself felt; when...
- 9/22/2022
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
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