Classic Black Cinema Series - Edge of the City

(1957) Edge of the City gave Sidney Poitier the chance to play the same role in a feature film that he had previously played on television. In 1955, he starred in the final episode of the legendary live anthology series The Philco Television Playhouse, entitled A Man Is Ten Feet Tall. Although the title was changed and the script rewritten by MGM for the big screen, they kept the basic storyline intact. Poitier was the sole actor from the television version to repeat their role in the movie.

Edge of the City was Martin Ritt's film directorial debut and one of his best and most powerful pictures. It is a courageous and brave film that deals with interracial relationships, with Sidney Poitier emerging as the hero among the cruel city dwellers. John Cassavetes – still a handsome young man fresh from making Crime in the Streets – is a.w.o.l. from the army, living in a small, crummy room and toiling on the New York docks as a longshoreman. He hooks up with Poitier while working on the docks and they become close friends. Poitier introduces Cassavetes to his wife, played by Ruby Dee, and they listen to bop records and dance in the living room, swilling beer. A very cool 50s scene. But after a while, things go sour working at the docks, especially for Poitier who runs afoul with Jack Warden, who plays a mean, brutal foreman that baits and goads Poitier into a fight. The two of them go at it with grappling hooks in a savage showdown brawl.

Classic Black Cinema Series will screen this movie on its website on Sunday, May 10 at 2 pm. Visit classicblackcinemaseries.com, to see the movie.

After the movie, Felix Curtis invites you to a virtual discussion about Edge Of The City via Zoom at 4 pm. To access the Zoom virtual conference meeting, click here. Use the meeting access information below:

• Meeting Access: Click to access here
• Meeting ID: 753 8977 9251
• Password: 088925

A film series specifically designed as a vehicle to expose the community to the vast artistic value black film has had throughout the years. The goal is to appeal to as diverse a population as possible and further the appreciation of Black cinema.

Curator and host, Felix Curtis, came to Charlotte from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area where he curated The San Francisco Black Film Festival and Black Filmworks, the annual film festival component of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, where he later served as Executive Director.