College girl Sapphire Robbins (Yvonne Buckingham) is murdered, her body dumped on Hampstead Heath. Police Superintendent Hazard (Nigel Patrick) discovers two disconcerting facts: one, that's she's pregnant; two, that's she mixed race passing for white. Hazard's investigation hits a snag, as Sapphire's fiance (Paul Massie) provides little information and his family (Bernard Miles and Yvonne Mitchell) positively hostile. Sapphire disowned her black friends, including resentful ex-lovers Paul Slade (Gordon Heath) and Johnny Fiddle (Harry Baird), but couldn't fit into white society either. Hazard and his partner (Michael Craig) must navigate a web of prejudice and deceit to uncover the culprit.
Sapphire comes packaged as a socially aware whodunnit. Dearden and writer Janet Green keep the mystery with a large pool of suspects and a twisty plot. Dearden's direction is assured, mixing creative set pieces (Johnny Fiddle's escape from a bar) with a vibrant color pallet unique amongst his black-and-white films. Most interesting is the way Dearden triggersthe villain's confession. Philip Green's wonderful jazz score is another highpoint. Even those disinterested in racial politics can enjoy Sapphire as a well-constructed mystery.
Nonetheless, Sapphire is very much a topical drama. After World War II, London experienced massive emigration from the West Indies, India and other former colonies. This led to white backlash and racial tension, culminating in the 1958 Notting Hill Riots. Sapphire taps into this post-empire anxiety, whites and blacks aghast at the very idea of a "colored" girl blending in to both worlds.
Sapphire avoids stereotyping. The black characters are a mix of types: Dr. Robbins is well-spoken and likeable, contrasted with criminals Johnny and Horace (Robert Adams). Slade proves the most interesting, an arrogant barrister who views Hazard's tolerance as condescension. Whites deny prejudice but only Hazard and David seem sincere. Sapphire's landlady refuses black tenants while David's parents seethe with scarce-concealed bigotry. Even Sapphire's white friends obsess about "image" - like Sapphire herself, disowning her International Club mates by "passing" for white.
Sapphire isn't free of preaching. Hazard provides several position speeches as insightful as Crossfire's childish explication of antisemitism. These lectures seem condescending to modern ears. Dearden's more honest in showing how deeply racism poisons society. Robbins' best scene explains a how simple childhood incident instilled a distrust of whites. Even after the investigation wraps, Hazard notes that deeper social problems can't be so easily solved.
Nigel Patrick (Pandora and the Flying Dutchman) makes a likeable investigator, with Michael Craig as his less-enlightened partner. Earl Cameron was a regular in British race relations movies, appearing in Simba, Flame in the Streets and Guns at Batasi among others. Gordon Heath (Lost Command) and Harry Baird play murder suspects. Bernard Miles (In Which We Serve), Paul Massie and Yvonne Mitchell are the white family at investigation's center. Cult icon Barbara Steele (Black Sunday) appears as one of Sapphire's friends.
Sapphire holds up fairly well today. While it proves less simplistic than American issue films, it works best as a detective story.
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