Sapphire

Sapphire is a film about a mixed raced young girl that is murdered. Her brother believes that she was killed because she was black. Sapphire posed as a white person. Her white partner is distraught and said he found out only a few days ago but this did not affect their relationship and it did not make a difference to him.

When Sapphire's brother enters the room for the first time, daunting music is played and a close-up of the policeman's face shows how shocked he was. When another policemen arrives, he stops mid-sentence in shock at seeing her black brother. This could show how shocked they are that her brother is black and has a good profession. This also shows they had the assumption that her brother would be white.

We learn Sapphire stopped being friends with black people, and posed as a white person in order to be more accepted and respected. This shows the prejudice that existed against black people at that time, and that they were not respected. Sapphire lived in a house with only white women. When the owner found out Sapphire was black, she was disgusted and seemed embarrassed, as though a black person living there was unacceptable.

When we learn of the woman who killed Sapphire, she says that she couldn't stand the 'dirty hands on her things'. This shows how racist people were and felt that having black people live with them was embarrassing.