I still don't know why they didn't use a light-skinned black actress for the part of Pinky. ADDENDUM: But now I do. Thank you so much! I'd forgotten about the outdated Code.
Thanks for this. It's amazing how little recognition this film has had over the years. When I first saw it on TV as a kid I'd never heard of it. I was astonished that a film so brutally frank about racism in the USA could have been made 6 years before I was born. It left an indelible impression. The confrontation between Poitier's and Widmark's characters is so searing that it completely dominates the drama. Thanks again.
You're welcome! Thank you for watching. No Way Out is remarkable in just how raw and in your face it is. It does not spare anyone's feelings, and it is a film that has, in a sad way, become timeless because the issues it tackles are still with us today.
Lovely work. I know your were worried about the time it was taking you, and about not getting it out as quickly as you'd hoped, but it was totally worth the wait.
For what it's worth, I think Jeanne Crain was never better than she was in PINKY. She shows a bit of emotional depth, whereas typically she is all surface. A beautiful surface, to be certain, but just surface all the same. I think this is owed to Elia Kazan, who could bring out the best in his actors.
@@CinemaCities1978 While I think it is her best performance, without a doubt, I think her best film is LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN. Gene Tierney sure hates her.
Agreed. She got her only Oscar nomination, and she deserved it. She was good in A Letter to Three Wives, but it's hard to be bad in a film written and directed by Frank Mankiewicz.
One of my favorite lines in all cinema is from "Sunset Blvd", when Bill Holden the screenwriter, in a producer's office with a young script-reader, says to the producer while gesturing to the script-reader, "Oh look, it's one of the Message Kids." (Released the same year as "No Way Out", btw.) Of course, the real problem of being a Message Kid was the Production Code watering down your message to the consistency of mayonnaise. While the brief post-War toughness didn't last, a core of it, like a seam of ore in a mine, remained. Because at the end of the day, TV also rang the toll on bland, safe 1950s movies, as well as on the tough message movies. Despite the fact that we men think about the Roman Empire all the time (lol), you can't Roman-Empire your way out of the problem of getting people off their butts at home and into theaters. Can't afford the Roman Empire every week! So after the miserable Code was dropped, the old "message picture" style sort of returned, just without lecturing directly on the message. (Well, mostly.) You had to give people something they couldn't get on TV. Movies simply accepted life's harsh realities, proceeded from there, and incorporated the struggles into the plots and stories. Even the most fantastical movies did this, e.g., "Live and Let Die", in which Roger Moore as James Bond, wearing an immaculate suit, minces his dainty way through the literal rubble of the Bronx in 1973. As effective as any lecture.
My problem with the Message Kids was how I felt that "message pictures" were overpraised, as if art's purpose was to be a sermon, and the louder and more obvious the sermon the greater the art. I have nothing against sermons. I'll concede that a good sermon can be effective, even change people. But that's not how art is supposed to work. As the essayist-novelist John Gardner wrote in *On Moral Fiction* the artist who uses his art that way is "like a man who uses his spectacles to swat flies." That's not what the spectacles were made for. And even if you get the fly, the spectacles get broken.
I adore Widmark in uos willingness to tackle roles of the most abhorrent characters. This one is at once hard ro watch ywt so riveting. This is a masterpiece. Everyone should watch for character study alone.
It amazes me that men like Widmark, Robert Ryan, and Dan Duryea, who were by all accounts some of the nicest guys in Hollywood, could portray the most awful villains so convincingly. Truly, those guys were remarkable actors.
Great video! Two of these movies, Edge of the City and Kiss of Death feature in our latest video, an A-Z of Film Noir. No Way Out is one of the great American films, up there with On the Waterfront and West Side Story. Very interesting to learn about the Ox-Bow Incident, Pinky, The Snake Pit and Gentleman's Agreement too! 👍
Just yesterday I saw an obituary for Ellen Holly, the first African-American actress to play a leading role in a soap opera. Her first storyline on One Life To Live was a reprise of Pinky, with Holly playing a black woman passing as white, involved in a romance with a white man. This was seen as a shocking breakthrough in 1970 (more than 20 years after Pinky)! But it was a great success for the show, popular with both white and black members of the audience, and Holly became and remained a star on the show for many years. As you said, it was impossible to cast a black actress in the role in 1949, but I do wonder if another white actress could have supplied something of what Jeanne Crain was missing. If I may quote again from James Baldwin's *The Devil Finds Work* : "My buddy, Ava Gardner, once asked me if I thought she could play Billie Holliday. I had to tell her that, though she was certainly 'down' enough for it -- courageous and honest and beautiful enough for it -- she would almost certainly not be allowed to get away with it, since Billie Holliday had been widely rumored to be black, and she, Ava Gardner, was widely rumored to be white. I was not really making a joke, or, if I was, the joke was bitter: for I certainly know some black girls who are much, much whiter than Ava."
I learned about Pinky and Imitation Of Life when Ellen Holly first appeared on One Life To Live. Mom, the movie expert told me about these movies. RIP, Mom. RIP Ellen.
Widmark's Ray Biddle really is much more frightening than his Tommy Udo. Scary as he is, Tommy Udo is a cartoon compared to Ray Biddle. We all know Ray Biddles are real, and to Widmark's credit, he plays him absolutely real. I don't know how audiences experienced him in 1950 (I'm not THAT old 😁), but he feels more real now than when I first saw the movie only a few years ago. I don't know if we have more Ray Biddles now (God, I hope not!), or if the remaining ones have just crawled out from under the rocks they were hiding under when I was younger, but it's sobering to be reminded of that reality.
Great job, Ms Sydney! Did NOT know Linda Darnell tested for Pinky! She would have been perfect. She always did look like maybe she had Black or Indigenous roots. You never know. There are still people researching Clark Gable's racial background, and allegedly even Darryl Zanuck's. Hollywood is pretty complicated, I guess. An illusion upon illusions. I think I've seen all the films mentioned, including the very unsung Pressure Point, but a biopic with Mel Ferrer immediately comes to mind. The doctor and family passing for White in New England? Lost Boundaries? Not quite as well known, but really interesting, from the same period. No Way Out definitely has 2000s echoes. It's even harder to watch today, even harder than Pressure Point. Richard Widmark and Linda Darnell have a really scary scene where he "forces" her to use the N word, a word she is clearly trying to escape. The look in their eyes. That's the scene I always remember. It's very haunting.
I think Darnell would've been good in the role. There's something about her that is a bit of a hard edge with a soft center that Kazan would've really been able to exploit to the benefit of the film.
Pinky and No Way Out are two of the best films ever made about race relations. ESPECIALLY No Way Out..I’m still surprised that it was allowed to play in theaters at that time, even with all the edited scenes.
Never seen “Pinky”, now I want to. Love Kazan, when I see his name on the credits know l’m in for a lession in social history/politics or I’m about to be confronted in someway. I kinda like that. Great video - I learnt something. Thank You 😊❤👍👏
I discovered "No Way Out" a few years ago while in middle school. It was a surprising film for me for the time but good. The actor who played Biddle portrayed his disgusting sliminess perfectly.
GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT and PINKY are two of Kazan's worst movies (he agreed; in his massive autobiography he shows no care for winning Best Director for GA). Mankiewicz and Kazan both showed how even skilled directors had trouble trying to shoehorn Messages into entertainment films. I always wonder about how Hollywood would've dealt with Issue Pictures if they hadn't imposed the production code upon themselves, to protect the cash inflow, and made movies according to the morals they keep telling us they find so important. One answer is in what kinds of movies they made BEFORE their self-imposed restrictions. You'll find a goldmine of women-led pictures. The history of black films--'race pictures'--is a whole other chapter. I bring all this up because by using these two films you've illustrated how Hollywood actually DID deal with these issues, in the actual films that DID come out. Zanuck in NO WAY OUT showed how racism could be handled with power by using it as a spine to build an interesting story--not stopping to lecture the dumb audience on how to be, but SHOWING, for example, how awful Widmark's character is. Widmark's hate is volcanic. Another terrific video packed with interesting commentary. P.S. Great touch on I WAS A FUGITIVE... which everyone should watch.
Just a correction, not, I was a fugitive, it is I am a fugitive.( from a chain gang) . And you are right, surprisingly, many old movie fans have still not seen this timeless prison classic. Should have won the best picture Oscar, it holds up much better then Cavalcade.
I have seen both Pinky and No Way Out. Pinky is a sincere and mild exploration of racial prejudice. No Way Out is a very ttough film to watch. The violence, hatred, racism and disdain is certainly extreme for a film in this era, the language is uncontrolled racism and the motive behind it is hate. It doesn't really doesn't explore the causes of this extremism but shows the effects. If you decide to watch it be prepared for a very wrenching experience of how human beings can feel about people who they see as less than human..
I'll have to drag out my copy of No Way Out and re watch. #13 on the Fox film noir set. I particularly liked this episode. Keep up the great B&W content. Gentleman's Agreement is a similar casting mistake as Pinky. Let's get the most white girl and the most Aryan gent to play these parts. Whiteface and WASPface casting. The KKK would be proud. I guess if the hilariously named Catholic Legion of Decency is making the ground rules along with the Hays office, it's a wonder we got any good films at all.
I'm of two minds about the casting. I understand that in the case of Pinky, they had no choice but to cast a white actress, so casting Jeanne Crain allows the white audience to be appalled that this lovely girl is being treated in such a horrible way because they can see themselves in Pinky. Yet, it takes away from the overall believability of the story because at the end of the day, Jeanne Crain is a VERY white woman. With regards to Peck, I think the material of Gentleman's Agreement just pales in comparison to Crossfire. It's very genteel anti-Semitism, so its overall effects just don't hit as hard as the aggressive, violent, murderous anti-Semitism of Crossfire. Two years after WWII and the horrors of the Nazi death camps, we don't need stories of the politely racist country club set.
Linda Darnell would get my vote. She's got sass and at least has a dark complexion. NO blue eyes. Devil with a Blue Dress did a white girl passing story and Jennifer Beal was more plausible. Oh well they did what they did and we have something to watch and have fun with.@@CinemaCities1978
And since "No Way Out" has men as the main characters, of course it's going to be closer to actuality than "Pinky". The motion-picture industry *still* pandering to the Southern U.S. and its attitudes didn't help much, either.
Really interesting video and commentary, Sydney. I admire Joseph Mankiewicz, I recently watched again All About Eve. No Way Out definitely packs a punch. I felt on my first watch that Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier together were brilliant casting and literal dynamite. The rest of the casting in this film was great (pleasantly surprised with Stephen McNally playing a good guy). Additionally, along with Fallen Angel, I feel Linda Darnell should have been given more parts like this one, she was terrific. That being said, the film felt a bit heavy-handed but message ones tend to be. Still very effective and note-worthy. Your video was a great reminder of that and that I need to watch it again. I haven't seen Pinky but I knew about Jeanne Crain's casting and issues with the film. The correlation is so interesting. Totally worth the wait!
I've been contemplating the heavy-handedness of message films lately. It's a major complaint that many modern viewers have. However, placing myself into the era, I see how there was a need for immediate change. In some cases, lives depended on it. In the United States, people were living under oppressive, murderous apartheid Jim Crow rule in the South. The horror of the Holocaust was something still deeply ingrained in public discourse, and returning veterans needed physical and mental aid. These were serious issues, and with no social media or television, these films were a way to communicate important messages and, hopefully, focus public discourse.
@@CinemaCities1978 I don’t think it is so much about me being a modern viewer as to how I prefer to receive the message. Perhaps I should have made that clearer. I think films such as The Best Years of Our Lives tackle trauma (just to put a cursory example) with a different approach that I prefer. Also, this year I have been reading and watching several Douglas Sirk interviews and he commented on message films as well from this perspective and he lived that era. I understand your point and this were important topics to confront and to be put in front of the public. I still can have my perspective too. I hope that makes sense.
@@MiriamVintageClassics Absolutely. I wasn't thinking of you specifically. I'm sorry if it came off that way. I meant, in general, modern viewers, especially those who don't watch a lot of classic films. Of course, some people prefer not to have a message spoon-fed, and more subtle messaging appeals to them. I think I'm somewhere in the middle.
@@CinemaCities1978 It did feel that you were alluding me with that comment and with the lengthy explanation of the period of time. In my initial comment, I said that the film is note worthy because I do get that these issues were important ones to tackle. I was frankly surprised by your response and need to make me see 'the whole scenario'. If you weren't specifically thinking of me, why did you say it, then? Like you, I have been watching these films all my life and I am aware of the context and continue to learn as I go. I still think that message films tend to be more heavy handed, regardless of the period they were made in, even today. Again, that is my personal preference that I should have made more clear from the get go.
@@MiriamVintageClassics I said it because I was explaining what I'd been personally contemplating as I thought about the nature of the messaging and the conclusions I came to. I'm very sorry if you took it any other way.
Have you reviewed 1957's "Band of Angels" with Yvonne DeCarlo playing a "white-passing" black woman? I'm curious as to how it was received in its time compared to these 2 movies
I have not reviewed it, but I have seen it. As for how it was received, that is actually a very good question. You've got me intrigued I may have to do a follow up (either video or post) on that.
Both my grandfathers served in World War II as well as several great uncles. My grandfather, on my paternal side, told me that it would often hear white officers singing. I'm Dreaming of a White Battalion. A play on the Bing Crosby's Dreaming of a White Christmas.
Excellent, excellent presentation. How about running this every 4 or 6 weeks so we do not forget. The roots of a very destructive racism run very deep in our country. Sure, there was commercial profit involved here, but the core of the argument and the fact that it found a very, very receptive audience cannot be overlooked. The end of WWII did initiate a new freedom from perceived constraint in many areas, ,modern painting, modern architecture, modern music to note, not to mention perceptions of race and heritage. Only if this momentum could have been sustained, would we have faced the obvious counter reaction that led to BLM? Only if profit motivation had not succeeded in subduing that momentum. This alone demonstrates what film production could do to portray the underlying reality. Yeah, in the end, you take what you can get, but think about at what you could have gained.
Hollywood into the late 1960s didn’t really get how to deal with stories about black people because the films were always directed by white men. Consider Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, directed by Stanley Kramer. A white girl brings her black fiance (also Sidney Poitier) home to meet her white parents. The intentions were good by Kramer, but the black man had to be a super black man to appease the white audience. Even In the Heat of the Night, also Poitier, a much better film, still had a similar problem, though less so, since the black cop Poitier plays had to, be exceptional, better than all the whites. When I was in junior college some Hollywood production people came to the college to show their new film The Liberation.of L.B. Jones, the last film directed by the great William Wyler, a white man. This was during the early days of Black Power and the theater had many black students in the audience. When the film finished and the audience responded I cannot tell you the vitriol that came from the blacks. They hated the film and were very vocal about what they hated. Hollywood knew nothing about real black lives. They said it was just made to cash in on the so-called new freedom in the movies, but it was still full of stereotypes. I’ve seen the film since, not too long ago, and though I agree with most of what those black students said, it was trying to do the right thing. It would be years before the right thing was done by Spike Lee. I’ve never seen No Way Out, but it looks like a tough picture to sit through. I saw Pinky over 20 years ago and didn’t like it. I think George Floyd had a bigger impact on people than anything Hollywood ever did.
Question: Do you think that actors such as Mr. Widmark and Dan Duryea, who were both super-great guys off-screen, used those roles of villains to channel their negative feelings, thus keeping them super-great guys off-screen?
I think for some actors the villains were sometimes the most interesting characters in the film and that can make a role very attractive. But, in most cases, during the studio era the studio assigned actors to roles without the actors having much say. In Widmark's case, in those late '40s films, that was Fox telling him he would play a role like Jefty in Road House or Ray Biddle in No Way Out.
Weird that Crain was a solid Republican, but she idolized the very liberal Myrna Loy (her screen mother in "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Belles on Their Toes". Not that I blame her, lol.
I'm a white male in my 70s. My best friend is a 29 yr old full blooded Native American. While he and I have experienced plenty of racist BS, we still hold hope for the future. We recently discovered that we HAVE made some inroads as a culture when I explained "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" to my young friend. He thought I was kidding..."Wait, they made a whole movie about a white girl marrying a Black guy?" He was incredulous. "Was he a thug ? A convict? What was wrong with him?" We have advanced some..."A whole movie because she's gonna marry a Black doctor? Ya'll were messed up back then."
The film is problematic, especially through our modern eyes, but I think understanding the historical context in which the film was produced and the effect it had on popular culture is very important. I think we as modern viewers sometimes become overly critical of classic era films and we should be kinder to Pinky.
