***SPOILERS*** Struck down by a Germans sniper bullet in the battle of Tunisia US Army Sgt. Larry Nevins, Arthur Kennedy, ends up losing his sight as well as being in the dark for the rest of his life. At the Valley Forge Military Hospital for the blind Larry soon strikes up a relationship with civilian volunteer Judy Greene, Peggy Dow, as well as fellow blind GI Joe Morgan, James Edwards, who unknown to the very racist towards blacks Larry is, as their called today in our mixed up and political correct society, African/American. Larry's relationship with Judy is Luke warm at first but in "seeing" how she cares about Larry as a man not in feeling sorry for him it leads to the two falling in love with each other. As for Larry's friendship with Joe well that's another story.
Despite the film being about disable US veterans much like the previous film "The Men" staring Marlon Brando released a year earlier it really centers more around race relations which at the time of its release in 1951 was more or less a taboo subject in Hollywood films. As for Larry he really came across as a total jerk or being tone deft in not realizing that his friend Joe was black in not recognizing his speech pattern that was very obviously that of an, here we go again, African/American for anyone to spot! Even someone like him who grew up back in then in what were shown as racist Florida where he came in contact with blacks in all walks of life!
Not realizing that his good friend Joe was black Larry blurted out the notorious "N" word about a number of blacks being admitted in the veterans hospital which he felt was against US Army policy. Then that like the song says turned out to be "The end of a beautiful friendship" between him & Joe. The remainder of the movie has Larry, now ridden with self guilt, trying to "see" things in a way in him being blind that he couldn't see when he had perfect 20/20 vision. That lead Larry to become a far better man then he was before he lost his sight. That in Larry dropping the girl that he left behind Chris, Julie Adama,who in fact turned out to be as racist, towards blacks, as he was before he was injured and went back to Judy who was both sweet and understanding towards him as well as everyone, black as well as white, she helped with serving coffee & doughnuts at the veterans hospital!
***SPOILERS*** In the final scene of the film "Bright Victory" Larry now a new man with a new attitude towards life and race relations is finally reunited with Joe at the train station who's feeling, in using the "N" word in his presences, he deeply hurt and asked Joe to still be his friend which he gladly excepted. The film showed that even though Larry lost his sight in the end he finally saw the light by "seeing" people like Joe Morgan in what the late Rev. Martin Luther King said not by the color of a persons skin but in the content of their character. Something that while back in the states and US Army,until he was blinded by a sniper's bullet, he was too blind to notice.
Despite the film being about disable US veterans much like the previous film "The Men" staring Marlon Brando released a year earlier it really centers more around race relations which at the time of its release in 1951 was more or less a taboo subject in Hollywood films. As for Larry he really came across as a total jerk or being tone deft in not realizing that his friend Joe was black in not recognizing his speech pattern that was very obviously that of an, here we go again, African/American for anyone to spot! Even someone like him who grew up back in then in what were shown as racist Florida where he came in contact with blacks in all walks of life!
Not realizing that his good friend Joe was black Larry blurted out the notorious "N" word about a number of blacks being admitted in the veterans hospital which he felt was against US Army policy. Then that like the song says turned out to be "The end of a beautiful friendship" between him & Joe. The remainder of the movie has Larry, now ridden with self guilt, trying to "see" things in a way in him being blind that he couldn't see when he had perfect 20/20 vision. That lead Larry to become a far better man then he was before he lost his sight. That in Larry dropping the girl that he left behind Chris, Julie Adama,who in fact turned out to be as racist, towards blacks, as he was before he was injured and went back to Judy who was both sweet and understanding towards him as well as everyone, black as well as white, she helped with serving coffee & doughnuts at the veterans hospital!
***SPOILERS*** In the final scene of the film "Bright Victory" Larry now a new man with a new attitude towards life and race relations is finally reunited with Joe at the train station who's feeling, in using the "N" word in his presences, he deeply hurt and asked Joe to still be his friend which he gladly excepted. The film showed that even though Larry lost his sight in the end he finally saw the light by "seeing" people like Joe Morgan in what the late Rev. Martin Luther King said not by the color of a persons skin but in the content of their character. Something that while back in the states and US Army,until he was blinded by a sniper's bullet, he was too blind to notice.