A Patch of Blue Reviews

Hartman is an 18-year-old blind girl who lives with her prostitute mother, Winters, and her grandfather, Ford. Ford takes his granddaughter outside for the first time since she became blind 13 years before, when her mother accidentally blinded her during an argument. In the park, Hartman meets Poitier and they become close friends in spite of pressure from Winters and Poitier's brother, Dixon. Poitier gets Hartman to go to a school for the blind but tells her that he won't marry her until she meets more people. This moving story neatly avoids melodrama. Winters won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Other nominations include Hartman for Best Actress (won by Julie Christie for DARLING), Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Music Score.