Sapphire – 1959 | 92 mins | Drama | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Hot on the heels of the Notting Hill race riots came this intriguing British crime drama chronicling Scotland Yard’s investigations into the mysterious murder of a young black woman who was ‘passing for white’ in London’s coloured community. Basil Dearden‘s analysis of English prejudice is comprehensive and uncompromising, but treatment of race-related murder will seem compliant and dated today. Janet Green’s frank story of racial intolerance was well in line with other of her other challenging social conscience scripts, Life for Ruth and Victim, and she won was nominated for a British Academy Award here, whilst the film scooped the Bafta for Best British Film.

Children playing ball on Hampstead Heath stumble across the body of a murdered girl in the undergrowth. Sapphire Robbins appears a nice, outwardly respectable white music student in prim tweeds, but she only looks white and she’s three months pregnant.Superintendent Hazard takes charge of the case and has a number of interesting suspects; nervy boyfriend David Harris (Paul Massie), dancing partner and superior barrister Paul Slade (Paul Massie) and Johnnie Fiddle (Harry Baird).  The police discover that Sapphire had spurned the multiracial International Club, and led something of a double life at Tulips Nightclub.