Watch Something the Lord Made

Something the Lord Made is a 2004 biographical drama directed by Joseph Sargent. The film is based on the true story of two medical pioneers – Dr. Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas, who defied racial boundaries in the medical field to develop a groundbreaking surgical technique that saved countless lives. The film takes place in the early 1930s at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Blalock (played by Alan Rickman) is a renowned surgeon and head of the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins. Vivien Thomas (played by Mos Def) is a talented carpenter who works as Blalock's lab assistant. Despite his genius intellect and vast knowledge of surgical techniques, Thomas is forced to work in a janitorial role because of his race.

Blalock recognizes Thomas's potential and hires him to work in his research lab, where they begin working on a groundbreaking surgical technique to cure "Blue Baby Syndrome." The syndrome caused infants to turn blue due to a lack of oxygen in their blood. The condition was deemed incurable, and infants born with this condition were often sent home to die.

The two men conduct countless experiments on dogs to perfect the surgical technique, but they need to refine it further before they can perform it on a human. As they work tirelessly towards their goal, Dr. Blalock begins to suffer from the pressure of being a leading surgeon, and his confidence begins to falter.

In the meantime, Thomas's personal life is in turmoil as he deals with the racial discrimination he faces at work and the death of his daughter due to the inadequate medical care available to African Americans at the time. Despite these personal tragedies, Thomas remains focused on his work and continues to assist Dr. Blalock in refining the surgical technique.

Eventually, they successfully perform the surgical procedure on an infant, and it is a resounding success. The procedure successfully cures "Blue Baby Syndrome" and saves hundreds of lives. Despite the success of this breakthrough, the two men continue to face discrimination, and their contributions to science are often marginalized.

Something the Lord Made is a powerful drama that celebrates the triumphs of two medical pioneers who overcame racial barriers to make significant medical advances. The film is a poignant reminder of the struggles of African Americans in the medical field and the sacrifices made by those who sought to improve healthcare for all. The film is well-acted, accurately portrays the events, and is a moving tribute to Dr. Blalock and Vivien Thomas's legacy.

Something the Lord Made is a 2004 tv movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 8.1.