Something the Lord Made
Cast: Alan Rickman, Mos Def, Mary Stuart Masterson
Director: Joseph Sargent
Film: *** (out of four)
Extras: **1/2 (out of four)
Straightforward and accurate, “Something the Lord Made” shares one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in the past century and addresses racial tension in the 1940s.
Opening in Nashville during 1940, “Something” introduces Vivien Thomas (Mos Def), a simple carpenter saving money for medical school. Thomas gets a new job as a janitor at Vanderbilt, and there he meets the frank Dr. Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman). As Blalock watches the carpenter clean the laboratory, he notices Thomas has a genuine interest in medical research. Thomas becomes Blalock’s lab assistant, and they work toward an unrealistic goal: to perform the first successful heart operation on a “blue baby,” a child with a terrible heart malformation that takes oxygen from the blood.
As unexciting as this sounds, director Joseph Sargent makes it bearable. “Something” never drags initially; the film flows nicely from research scenes to Vivien’s home life to Blalock having profane outbursts. Sargent knows medical terminology could put the most afflicted insomniac into a coma, and he rarely spends a long time with any research scene.
Right away, the viewer will note Alan Rickman’s dry crudeness as the short-tempered Dr. Blalock. Rickman, known for his incredibly villainous roles in “Die Hard” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” portrays Blalock masterfully. When the doctor first meets Thomas, he remarks, “Vivien’s a girl’s name.” This line rings beautifully, for Rickman delivers it like a haymaker with swift pomp.
Although Blalock’s confidence in his revolutionary work appears throughout “Something,” Rickman frequently conveys entertaining unstableness. After losing a patient, Rickman storms from the operating room, cursing. “I always have a chance,” he exclaims, marching into his lab furiously for some liquor. Bottom line, Rickman carefully balances the humanity and brilliance of Dr. Blalock.
Equally sound, Mos Def charms the viewer with humble blandness. Thomas never explodes into a fury like Blalock. He simply does his job. Def convinces us that Thomas is a plain working man and superb medical pioneer. While Blalock complains and shouts, Thomas calmly finds solutions.
Def particularly touches a nerve when Blalock directs negativity at Thomas. Without defending himself or flashing an angry brow, Thomas picks up his coat and walks out with a determined frown. Def connects with the viewer instantly and clamps with Rickman boldly.
To credit the supporting cast, they provide nice background material when we’re not watching Rickman and Def. But seriously, no one will care about Mary Stuart Masterson’s performance. These other actors contribute insipid bells and whistles, giving the two main attractions more screen time and the viewer less reason to fall asleep.
As stated earlier, “Something” deals with racism during the period. A cop stops Thomas as he follows Blalock into The Johns Hopkins Hospital, informing Thomas that workers must enter from the back entrance. Thomas complies, and in a stupendous use of imagery by director Sargent, the cop stands proudly in front of a statue of Christ.
Despite that poignant and clever scene, the racial issue gets old. Instead of allowing the viewer to observe subtle racism, Sargent rolls old black and white footage featuring messages on windows like “For Colored Only.” Sargent’s intentions should garner respect, yet at times he strays from the film’s effective restraint.
Graphic and nerve-wracking, the “blue baby” operation scene pole vaults the film into a tense amalgam of wonder and panic. Before Blalock performs the procedure, he looks around and realizes the need for his lab assistant, abruptly leaving the operating table to get Thomas. Afterwards, as Blalock pushes steel instruments into the baby’s chest, Thomas coolly talks him through it.
While the operation scene ranks as a beautifully constructed conflict, the film falls headlong into anti-climactic segments in the final twenty minutes. Don’t be surprised if you squirm during the sentimental drudgery of the conclusion. It’s a shame since the pacing holds up well for most of “Something.”
All in all, HBO Films took another risk, and damn it, I enjoy their artistic flare. Amid scores of the asinine, “Something” leaps from convention and bares a precise history lesson and classic interplay between two complex roles. This film stabs for the heart with intelligence.
Commentary tracks feature director Sargent, writer Peter Silverman and executive producers Eric Hetzel and Robert W. Cort. They discuss HBO’s passion for unique films and the accuracy of this period piece. Other extras include an unsatisfying making of featurette and a fascinating historical slideshow, which uses direct quotes from Dr. Blalock and superb photos from the era.