There could not have been a more fitting analogy for the social realities of the 1950s. Often separated from each other, men of different races act full of hate and distrust “the other.” But, forced to be together, they can only survive by being with “the other.” That is the theme of The Defiant Ones.

“What keeps men apart is their lack of knowledge of one another. With that knowledge comes respect, and with respect comradeship and even love,” commented Variety in its review of the film. The New York Times confirmed the sentiment, writing: “A remarkably apt and dramatic visualization of a social idea — the idea of men of different races brought together to face misfortune in a bond of brotherhood — is achieved by producer Stanley Kramer in his new film.”
Kramer, who made a name for himself bringing attention to topical social issues that studios mostly avoided, selected a story that is actually pretty simple: One evening in the deep South, a truck loaded with a chain gang swerves and crashes. Two prisoners, shackled together because “the warden had a sense of humor,” take a chance and make a break for it: Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier), a black man, and John “Joker” Jackson (Tony Curtis), a white man.
Those summoned to the scene joke that their work will likely be done for them, with the escaped pair probably killing each other in short order. A posse with bloodhounds starts the hunt. Despite their mutual hatred, the chained fugitives have no choice but to somehow cooperate with each other, first out of sheer self-preservation. Gradually, however, they begin to respect and even like each other.

Again, this message came at a time of deep racial tensions in the United States. It was not entirely predictable how the public would receive a drama about the transformation from deep-rooted hatred to mutual embrace.
On the other hand, the decision of the foreign journalists in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was clear: They celebrated the film with a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama.
And among five additional nominations for the film, there was one for Poitier.
His nomination in 1959When Poitier passed away on January 6, 2022, at age 94, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association lost a friend, and all of Hollywood lost one of its most talented and beloved luminaries.