Word: poitiers
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...story of a Negro intern (Sidney Poitier) who tries and fails to save the life of a white patient in a county hospital. When the patient dies, his brother (Richard Widmark), a thief and pathological Negro-hater, refuses to permit an autopsy that might vindicate the doctor. Himself a patient in the hospital, Widmark baits Poitier mercilessly, dupes the dead man's ex-wife (Linda Darnell) into igniting a race riot. Poitier, who gets the nasty job of treating the riot's white victims, finally forces an autopsy by falsely confessing to the patient's murder...
...insecurity that goad their tormentors. A well-written exchange between the hospital's chief doctor (Stephen McNally) and its administrative head (Stanley Ridges) shows pointedly how social expediency can hobble the best intentions of intelligent men in decisions involving Negroes. Standouts in an excellent cast: the likable Poitier, a savagely villainous Widmark, and Broadway's Mildred Joanne Smith who, as the hero's wife, gives the movie some of its most touching scenes...