The Classic Film Thread

[Bright Eyes]

Something of Value (1957) - This awfully generic title has no business being put upon this striking, horrifying film about the Natives of Kenya fighting back against their colonizers. The movie doesn't waste time showing you the ugliness of racism, having to concede that Britain bought the land "fair and square." Sidney Poitier is overwhelmingly soul crushing in his performance, and Rock Hudson is a strong, beautiful lead. It's the film's heavy emotional stakes that keep you invested, especially the relationship between Hudson and Poitier's characters. The horrors of war are not shied away from, but shown even more brutally when in a more suburban setting. There's a raid scene where Wendy Hiller's character comes down the stairs bloodied that revolts you, but none more than the ending which makes you want to throw up, exasperated.