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Something the Lord Made Photos

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Movie Info

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.

Rating:

TVPG
Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Joseph Sargent
Producer:

Julian Krainin, Mike Drake
Writer:

Peter Silverman, Robert Caswell
Release Date (Streaming):

Nov 30, 2016
Runtime:

1h 57m
Production Co:

Columbia

Cast & Crew

Alan Rickman
Dr. Alfred Blalock

Mos Def
Vivien Thomas

Mary Stuart Masterson
Dr. Helen Taussig

Gabrielle Union
Clara Thomas

Kyra Sedgwick
Mary Blalock

Charles S. Dutton
William Thomas

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Critic Reviews for Something the Lord Made

All Critics (1) | Fresh (1)

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.

July 2, 2018 | Full Review…

Joyce Millman
Boston Phoenix

View All Critic Reviews (1)

Audience Reviews for Something the Lord Made

Oct 23, 2009

A story of a prominent doctor and his black lab assistant who suffers the inequities of a racially biased society that pioneers the practice of open heart surgery at John Hopkins Hospital A slow moving drama to be sure but the best performance I've seen by MosDef to date .

CivilZen H Super Reviewer
Jun 02, 2008

I was intruiged by this movie for some reason, not the least of which was the pairing of Flixster favorite Rickman with hip-hop star Mos Def. One of the best movies I've seen in years, even as the deck was stacked against Vivien for years.

Derek D Super Reviewer
Aug 12, 2007

A true story about one of the first heart operations ever done at Hopkins. Not only a good medical history movie but also a great black history film as well.

Ida K Super Reviewer
Apr 17, 2007

Love this movie! Very touching and I amazed by the extent of the plot. Mos Def portrayed a remarkable character.

Leo L Super Reviewer

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Something the Lord Made Quotes

Alfred Blalock:

You know Vivien, they say 'you haven't really lived, unless you have a lot to regret'... I regret...

Alfred Blalock:

Perhaps God is, as you say, trying to kill this child. I am not.

Alfred Blalock:	You know Vivien, I say you haven't really lived lest you have a lot to regret. I have some regret. But I think we should not remember what we lost, but what we've done. All the lives we saved and we did. We saved plenty, didn't we Vivien?
Alfred Blalock:	They say you haven't lived unless you have a lot to regret. I regret... I have some regrets. But I think we should remember not what we lost, but what we've done. All the lives we saved and we did. We saved plenty, didn't we Vivien?

Vivien Thomas:	The dead are with us all the time, I believe. Can't separate the past from the future anymore you can right arm from left arm.
Alfred Blalock:	Aaahh, but you see, they are separated by this, by the heart.
Vivien Thomas:	All connected.