Um Homem para Ivy

Just watched this on Netflix disc with Mom. She thought it was weird and I found myself half-agreeing with all the dated '60s clothes abounding in many scenes. While both Mom and me laughed at some scenes, I don't think either of us realized this was a comedy since there wasn't much in the lines we thought was funny. Still, I myself liked the dialogue between Sidney Poitier and Abbey Lincoln that permeated throughout and was glad with the way it ended for them. Interesting seeing Carroll O'Connor as someone other than Archie Bunker and a young Beau Bridges early in his film career. In summary, For Love of Ivy is worth a look. Oh, and unlike many of his characters during this period, Mr. Poitier doesn't seem so noble here...

Sidney Poitier's trio of movies in 1967 was going to be a hard act to follow. But he starred in an impressive movie in 1968 (if not a masterpiece). What "For Love of Ivy" lacks in the forcefulness of "In the Heat of the Night", it makes up for in elements of the '60s. Sidney Poitier and Abbey Lincoln make the perfect couple, and the movie's Academy Award-nominated song only adds to the joy. I get the feeling that Lincoln's character's desire to stop being a maid reflected the desire of the era's African-American actresses to get roles that didn't exist only in relation to white people.

Among the other cast members, we have Beau Bridges in an early role, and also Carroll O'Connor in a role mildly reminiscent of a certain bigot railing against anyone different from him.

Anyway, I recommend it.

Sidney Poitier developed the original story for this fantasy-romance between a black maid working for a neurotic, rich white family out on Long Island and a handsome, confirmed bachelor--a partner in a trucking firm which deals (rather craftily) in illegal gambling on the side. In the most prominent role, Abbey Lincoln (real-life jazz vocalist who resembles a young Dionne Warwick) has a firm jaw and a shyly self-conscious manner, but she grows on you--and in her lighter moments displays a tentative yet winning smile and personality. After a static, stilted beginning, the movie picks up some steam and quickly overcomes its contrived set-up, and Poitier is full of jubilant charisma. Nice end-credits theme song, written by Quincy Jones and performed by Shirley Horn, received an Oscar nomination. Good fun! *** from ****

Apparently based on an original idea by Poitier himself, you have to wonder if he couldn't have come up with something a bit more challenging and true-to-life, especially in this of all years. Instead, we get this strangely balanced and oddly bland romantic comedy. Maybe I'm being harsh on him, but coming off three hit films in a row, this seems like a somewhat safe and almost cosy regression in a film which you could almost imagine condensed into a Dick Van Dyke TV show episode of the time.

Poitier, plus an entourage of drivers, croupiers and skimpily-clad cocktail waitresses, runs a permanently floating crap game for predominantly white high-rollers, wives included, from the back of a huge haulage truck, which acts as cover from the law. I'm guessing high-stakes gambling venues were thin on the ground in upstate New York at the time. One of his clients is wealthy businessman Carroll O'Connor and his nuclear family of ditzy wife, flighty daughter and stoner son, who it seems can't do anything at home for themselves, relying on their black maid Ivy to basically organise their lives for them. When Ivy unexpectedly hands in her notice, declaring her intention to leave the household, get an education and no doubt find her true self in the process, the family cracks up and cook up a hair-brained plan to marry her off to some rich, handsome black dude who no doubt will allow her to continue her life of servitude to them within an otherwise blissful married life.

It's all very slight and undemanding, requiring little effort from Poitier who basically just continues to portray the urbane educated persona he'd adopted in "To Sir With Love" and "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner". Abbey Lincoln makes a good impression as the wilful title character, but like everyone else in the film, her character is very thinly sketched.

The humour, mildly taking in tropes like the generation gap and interracial relations, manages to be both forced and lacklustre and the ending is exactly what you could have guessed from ninety minutes out. There's a bizarre scene near the end when Beau Bridges, as the hippie son, puts in his tuppenceworth to resolve the situation which only serves to further demean Ivy's already lowly status even as you appreciate that this time Carroll O'Connor isn't going to pull off a Spencer Tracy and rescue the film at the finish.

On the plus side, there's a pleasing, sultry jazz soundtrack by Quincy Jones, Poitier and Lincoln make for a handsome couple and the look of the film is polished and slick for sure, but really this is one Ivy pretty much out of its league in a film which hasn't aged well and which I know won't stay long in my memory,

There are lots of reasons to like For Love of Ivy, so if you haven't seen this '60s classic yet, make it this weekend's matinee. You can see a pre-Archie Bunker performance from Carol O'Connor playing the family's patriarch who throws a touch of racism at their black domestic maid. Upon learning she's going to leave their employ, he shrugs to his wife and doesn't see the problem finding a new maid. The matriarch, Nan Martin, is horrified. She looks at Ivy as a member of the family, and even though Ivy wants to get an education and live in her own place, she doesn't want her to leave. It's very much a statement piece, that the white family can't fathom why their black housekeeper feels unsatisfied.

Abbey Lincoln, who plays Ivy, is just delightful. With a cute, spunky personality and great energy, we easily root for her and hope she finds a happy ending - whatever that means. . . The teenaged children of the family, Beau Bridges and Lauri Peters, come up with a scheme to keep Ivy happy and employed: romance. If she falls in love, she'll be happy and give up her idea of leaving. Beau knows a shady bad boy, Sidney Poitier, and blackmails him into dating Ivy. Which is another great reason to see the film: how often do you see Sidney playing a bad boy?

Beau Bridges was nominated for a Golden Globe for his sweet performance, and if it seems like he's very comfortable in front of the camera, it's because he was practically a veteran in 1968. Going all the way back to The Red Pony, he did movies and television before this big splash - no wonder he had a great screen presence! Abbey Lincoln was also nominated for a Golden Globe, but for Supporting Actress. Can anyone explain that? The movie is, literally, all about her, and she has the largest part of all the female characters. Why wasn't she nominated for Actress instead?