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Something the Lord Made

Play trailer Poster for Something the Lord Made TV-PG 2004 1h 57m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Although Vivien Thomas (Mos Def), a black man in the 1930s, is originally hired as a janitor, he proves himself adept at assisting the Blue Baby doctor, Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman), with his medical research. When Blalock insists that Thomas follow him to Johns Hopkins University, they must find a way to skirt a racist system to continue their study of infant heart disease. Thomas is indispensable to Blalock's progress, but Blalock is the only one who is allowed to receive the acclaim.
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Something the Lord Made

Critics Reviews

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JK Sooja Common Sense Media Softly lit and deftly acted, this drama is a fine recuperation of an important historical figure who pioneered cardiac surgery and modern surgery techniques. Rated: 4/5 Oct 15, 2021 Full Review Joyce Millman Boston Phoenix Moving without being maudlin; it doesn't over-inflate the inherent drama of the two men's relationship or the era in which they lived. Jul 2, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Carlos T Minha opinião: Já havia assistido "Mãos talentosas" com Cuba Gooding, um excelente filme. Que tem fundo de pano com o rascismo e desconfiança na capacidade. Mas a superação e a conquista e reconhecimento fizera o auge deste filme. Que passa no hospital John Hopkins. Este filme foi feito 5 anos antes e se passa em um período onde o pré-conceito e o racismo eram bem mais acentuados. Década de 30. Os desafios são bem maiores. Onde o dr. Alfred encontra um diamante de genialidade nas mãos cirúrgicas de Vivien. Porém ele é negro, e uma universidade como Hopkins não pode aceitar que a capacidade de um negro seja maior que de um branco. Por isso toda a genilidade e honra são passados para o Dr. Alfred. Como nas antigas escritoras de livros que tinha que assinar com o nome de homem suas obras. Até o momento que ele percebe que o Dr. Alfred não reconhece as habilidades e Viven que acaba deixando-o. Porém a vida é cruel ele não se adpata ao mundo fora do hospital e acadêmico. Pede para voltar, até o dia do findar da vida do Dr. Alfred que no ultimo momento reconhece a genealidade de Viven. Que também ao final do filme e ao final de sua vida, finalmente tem o reconhecimento no hospital e se consagrando como 1º negro tendo seu quandro no hospital. Um filme que mexe com vários dos seus valores. E podemos ver que o pré-conceito ao negro eram maiores que com relação as mulheres. Roteiro e enredo bom Vale apena assistir? sim Nota: 6,5 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/03/23 Full Review Larry H s a lot to make we want to watch a movie again, this is for sure one of them Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/16/24 Full Review Nim T This was the last film I finished watching for the year 2022. I think this was a good movie to end off the year as the movie is a real biography. With the choice of Alan Rickman to be the role of the surgeon to the representation of blacks during that time, it addressed the nation of America had its problems with education and medicine. This film showed about how sometimes what is deemed impossible can be possible with determination and hard work. It brought me to emotions when I watched about how it would take many years later for the character Vivien Thomas to receive his recognition. It represents the traits of a good biographical film: integrity, simplicity, and collaboration. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/06/23 Full Review Shioka O This is telling the important true story about the great achievement in Johns Hopkins hospital. I don't know how much accurate it is, maybe the truth was much more harsh. Made as a TV film, tight direction and great performance. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/11/22 Full Review Audience Member I found the beginning difficult to watch. At first, it seemed like people were amazed that black person could think-- almost like they were watching a very smart monkey. It really rubbed me the wrong way. Beyond that, it came off as a cheap production. So, I saw it in two sittings. Honestly, most professions could be learned through apprenticeship. College is gatekeeping at its finest. So, I appreciate the story being told, but I didn't like the execution per se. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Una película muy bien dirigida, actuaciones sólidas y sentidas, la historia es impresionante, la fotografía es hermosa. Excelente película!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Something the Lord Made

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Although Vivien Thomas (Mos Def), a black man in the 1930s, is originally hired as a janitor, he proves himself adept at assisting the Blue Baby doctor, Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman), with his medical research. When Blalock insists that Thomas follow him to Johns Hopkins University, they must find a way to skirt a racist system to continue their study of infant heart disease. Thomas is indispensable to Blalock's progress, but Blalock is the only one who is allowed to receive the acclaim.
Director
Joseph Sargent
Producer
Julian Krainin, Mike Drake
Screenwriter
Peter Silverman, Robert Caswell
Production Co
Columbia
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 57m
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