Review of Pinky (1949) by Zenobia O — 14 Jan 2009

At first I thought the casting of Jeanne Crain was totally absurd! I mean she doesn't even look a little black. She's as white as they come. I mean that was really a tough sale at first. But as the movie progressed her casting really began to work for me as it really served to exemplify how absurd racism actually is, how meaningless racial classification actually is.

I'm not sure the movie would have had the same poignant effect had "Pinky" been more obviously of mixed heritage. The sting comes from the fact that she truly should be considered "white" but the simple idea of a black ancestor damns her. She IS as black as her grandmother even though her skin is the opposite color. Its pretty darn deep.