FOR LOVE OF IVY
US, 1968, 101 minutes, Colour.
Sidney Poitier, Abby Lincoln, Beau Bridges, Nan Martin, Carroll O’ Connor.
Directed by Daniel Mann.
For Love Of Ivy is an average romantic comedy. It stars Sidney Poitier and is based on an idea by him. Director is Daniel Mann, a director who has had noted success with female stars in award-winning roles: Shirley Booth in Come Back Little Sheba, Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo, Elizabeth Taylor in Butterfield 8.
This comedy deals with an affluent inept American family, where Dad is gruff because he can't understand what's going on and mum is almost hysterical when she can't make gravy. The family also has a black maid named Ivy who is at one stage meant to be the ideal girl and at another an ordinary fun-lover. The two facets don't mix. Sidney Poitier is meant to be a man-about-town but he is not particularly impressive when trying to be somewhat wicked. Abby Lincoln is a pleasant Ivy and Beau Bridges is good as a hippy-type teenager. However, the film is filled with sentiment and cliche.
1. An entertaining American romance? It was promoted as the first comedy romance highlighting a black couple and was considered something of a landmark in films. Is this now evident? Sidney Poitier's status as an actor in the sixties? His idea for the film? His playing the central part? The comparisons with similar romantic comedies
with white stars?
2. The conventions of the love story? The basic social situation? The heroine and her situation compared with the hero? The arrangements for their meeting? Falling in love? revelation of the truth? The happy ending? How conventional the material?
3. Colour photography, score, song and lyrics? The average American family? Their situation, work? relationships? The black maid? The black gambler?
4. How plausible the plot? the presentation of the Austin family and their entanglements, personalities? Abby and Jack by contrast? The interaction of the family, their being distraught at the loss of their maid, the manipulation? Tim and his blackmailing of Jack? The romance? The truth about Jack? his carrying off Ivy and renouncing the gambling den? The tone of the film? how serious, how comic?
5. Jack as hero - Sidney Poitier's style and personality? His courtship of Ivy? His being the man-about-town? His gambling den? The manoeuvres to avoid detection? His being victimised by Tim? his relationship with the family? his tenderness in Ivy's regard? The finale and his decision for Ivy? A romantic lead?
6. Ivy as maid? the American tradition of the black maid? Her relationship to the household? Her giving notice and the family's falling into disarray? Her response to Jack's courtship? Her love for him? The affair? The discovery of the truth and her being swept off her feet? A romantic American heroine?
7. The presentation of the family - raucous, disorganized? The satire on the typical American family? Father and his bullying the family, all talk? The contrast with mother and her control? Gena and Tim as precocious - ordinary American youngsters? Their attitude towards Ivy, their trying to manage the house by themselves, the relief at Jack courting Ivy? The happy ending?
8. The quality of the screen play - the situations illustrating the characters' personalities, interaction? Basic interest, entertainment value? Basic themes of relationships? The quality overall of the film and the response of the audience?
