Pinky
Reviewed by Gordon Kearns
Pinky, a movie about an African-American girl with Caucasian-white skin. In the years since its release in 1949, I think many approached the film looking for a revolutionary experiment in movie-making. However, it isn't such a complex story. It's not meant to be a sweeping indictment of segregation and prejudice (although there is plenty grist for that mill). Nor is it a complex story of interacting humans. What it is is a simple story of a complex character, who comes to grips with who/what she is. This is the story of Pinky; everyone else in the story exists only as he/she affects Pinky's road to self-realization. Jeanne Crain deserved her Oscar nomination for her work here; it was outstanding - perceptive and sensitive. And while I loved Ethel Waters, her character, while very strong and noble, was not the thrust of the story; there was no character revelation or development: at the end she was no different than at the start. This isn't a criticism of her or the story, but it does underline that the whole story was Pinky. Pinky was a "Negro" who looks white. Her granny (Waters) took in laundry and used her meager earnings to send a thirteen year-old Pinky north to finish her schooling, where she'd have more opportunities to make something of herself. As it turned out, the money never made it to Pinky. A wheeler-dealer family friend charged with mailing the letters (because Granny couldn't read or write), pocketed all the money instead. Pinky had to work hard serving tables, etc. to earn enough to put herself through school, and then go on to win scholarships to become a graduate nurse. So as the story opens, we should realize that Pinky is a strong, driven, intelligent character. She even fell in love with a young doctor, who wanted to marry her. She panicked at the implications, and returned home to Granny. But she's different now. When she first went north she realized she could easily pass for white, so she lived the whole time there as a white girl - her beau didn't know her true existence. Now, when she again faced all the old prejudices and cruel humiliations of a racially oriented south, she rebelled ... as any white girl would. She couldn't abide the fatalistic passive acceptance/resignation of her Granny and her old acquaintances. But she dearly loved her Granny and would do anything for her, so when the rich-not-so-rich white spinster Granny was caring for has severe heart problems and needs constant nursing, Pinky grudgingly took over the responsibility. On the surface, the spinster (Ethel Barrymore) was outlandishly demanding, and seemed the epitome of intolerance, all of which really grated on Pinky. But in reality, the old lady and Granny were dear friends, and Pinky gradually learned to appreciate the mind and heart of the old lady. The kicker came when the old lady died, and left her estate to Pinky. A selfish white-supremist cousin of the old lady challenged the will in court. The case garnered media attention all over the country. Pinky's loving, accepting beau came and wanted her to marry him and leave all these problems behind. But Pinky pursued her legal rights, taking in laundry herself to finance the legal expenses - another example of her substantial character. Those expecting a To Kill a Mockingbird classic trial will be disappointed. The trial was a masterpiece of racial prejudice, but the racist judge was a fair jurist, and in a simple undramatic ruling dismissed all challenges, and awarded the estate to Pinky. Again, this is Pinky's story, not a social statement. But knowing hatred will always surround her, Pinky's beau proposed to marry her and take her away. Pinky refused, saying she wouldn't deny who she was anymore. Inspired by the old lady, Granny, and her own struggles to get fair treatment, Pinky had grown. It isn't just that she was now settled into her real self that she turned him down in a sort of reverse-prejudice. She turned him down because he wanted to remove himself - and her - to faraway Denver, "Where nobody will know ..." She never again wants to pretend she's something other than what she is. It should be said that Pinky's acceptance of her lot in life isn't any fatalistic resignation. In this, Pinky is embracing who she is; she's proud of her heritage and her granny, proclaiming to the world who she is. What she does with the estate she inherited comes as no big plot surprise, but it does work well as an affirmation of her new resolve. And she is the only story here.
Unfortunately, the fine movie Imitation of Life, which also has a black girl "passing" as white in its theme, has often been cited as a standard against which Pinky is measured. However, critical comparisons between Imitation of Life and Pinky are apples and oranges. Imitation of Life is primarily the story of mothers, told from their points of view. The black Annie's daughter Sarah Jane, who is white skinned like Pinky, rebels against her status, but is given little respect as a character because of her turning her back on her mother's love. On the other hand, Pinky is told from the point of view of the girl, not her Granny. In this film, it's not just the being different that's the problem, but the treatment Pinky receives because of it. One point of kinship: the evil of prejudice was laid bare in both movies in which the passably white Pinky and Sarah Jane's respective assault scenes dramatically underline the fact that being white isn't enough when hate is own reason for being. Admittedly, Imitation of Life has the fuller and more classical story form. However, Pinky is one of the best character studies ever - she sees, she learns, she grows.
Directed by Elia Kazan
Jeanne Crain as Pinky
Ethel Waters as Granny
Ethel Barrymore as Miss Em
William Lundigan as Tom
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Elves I Have Known
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Comments: GKEARNS@prodigy.net