Something the Lord Made (2004) 8.3
A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. Director:Joseph Sargent |
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Something the Lord Made (2004) 8.3
A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. Director:Joseph Sargent |
|
0Share... |
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Alan Rickman | ... | ||
Yasiin Bey | ... |
Vivien Thomas
(as Mos Def)
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Kyra Sedgwick | ... |
Mary Blalock
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Gabrielle Union | ... |
Clara Thomas
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Merritt Wever | ... |
Mrs. Saxon
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Clayton LeBouef | ... |
Harold Thomas
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Charles S. Dutton | ... |
William Thomas
(as Charles Dutton)
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Mary Stuart Masterson | ... |
Dr. Helen Taussig
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Cliff McMullen | ... |
Lodel Williams
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Luray Cooper | ... |
Charles Manlove
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Irene Ziegler | ... |
Frances Grebel
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John Emmanuel | ... |
Man at park
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Harold J. Abell Sr. | ... |
Man #1
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Michael E. Russell | ... |
Bank Officer
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Henri Edmonds | ... |
Mary Thomas
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Alfred Blalock (1899-1964), a cardiologist (therefore, self-confident to the point of arrogance), leaves Vanderbilt for Johns Hopkins taking with him his lab technician, Vivien Thomas (1910-1985). Thomas, an African-American without a college degree, is a gifted mechanic and tool-maker with hands splendidly adept at surgery. In 1941, Blalock and Thomas take on the challenge of blue babies and invent bypass surgery. After trials on dogs, their first patient is baby Eileen, sure to die without the surgery. In defiance of custom and Jim Crow, Blalock brings Thomas into the surgery to advise him, but when Life Magazine and kudos come, Thomas is excluded. Will he receive his due? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
One of the earmarks of a great true story on film is that, when it's over, you find yourself wishing it had been longer and wanting to know more about the subject. This is definitely the case with "Something the Lord Made." I can't wait to do a little reading up on this very intriguing story! Alan Rickman as Alfred Blalock is excellent, as he always is, but the real pleasure is in watching Mos Def as Vivien Thomas. Through his lovely, subtly nuanced performance, we are able to truly appreciate this incredibly gifted and complex man. The writers did an excellent job of making the viewer aware of the racial climate in Viven Thomas' life; note the early scene in which Vivien and a friend are walking and talking, and each time some white people approach them on the sidewalk, they step aside and yield right of way without hesitation. And yet, there is no heavy-handedness or preachy air to these scenes. The racial injustices that Vivien Thomas endured are obvious, but the viewer is not clubbed over the head with them.