Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
USA 1950
The Biddle brothers, shot while robbing a gas station, are taken to the prison ward of the County Hospital; Ray Biddle, a rabid racist, wants no treatment from black resident Dr. Luther Brooks. When brother John dies while Luther tries to save him, Ray is certain it's murder and becomes obsessed with vengeance. But there are black racists around too, and the situation slides rapidly toward violence.
****
Although it is film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz between his triumphs "A Letter to Three Women" and "All About Eve," (for which Mankiewicz won Oscars for his direction and for his screenplays in both 1950 and 1951), "No Way Out" is best known as the site of Sidney Poitier's screen debut. Poitier plays the part of a young doctor in a public hospital accused by Ray Biddle, a psychotic "white trash" racist (played with all the stops out by Richard Widmark) of killing his brother after the two of them had been shot during a failed robbery. Playing Dr. Brooks's brother John, a mail carrier who jokes that his brother may be able to deliver babies but is not qualified to deliver mail (because he does not know what the capital of South Dakota is), Ossie Davis also made his screen debut in "No Way Out," as did his real-life and often-time screen wife, Ruby Dee.
Excerpt from Stephen O. Muray's review at EOpinions located HERE
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Theatrical Release: August 16th, 1950
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DVD Review: 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC
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| Distribution | 20th Century Fox Home Video - Spine # 13 - Region 1 - NTSC | |
| Runtime | 1:46:32 | |
| Video | 1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.56 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 1.0) | |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish, None | |
| Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Commentary
by film noir historian Eddie Muller |
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| Comments: |
This may be a shade hazier than other Fox Noir releases but considering the price and package noir fans should really be grateful. Although the image, unfortunately, doesn't have the crispness of past releases of the genre, it still looks acceptable. I see what might be a hint of contrast boosting but overall I am content with another fabulous film noir from Fox. Eddie Muller's commentaries seem to improve with each outing and also included in the supplements are 2 Movietone newsreels, a stills gallery and a trailer. These Fox noir's have become essential DVD library material - this is no exception. |
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Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Shades of Noir: A Reader by Joan Copjec |
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the
Classic Era of Film Noir by Eddie Muller |
The Little Black and White Book of Film Noir:
Quotations from Films of the 40's and 50's by Peg Thompson, Saeko Usukawa |
Film Noir by Alain Silver |
Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era,
1940-1959 by Michael F. Keaney |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
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| Distribution | 20th Century Fox Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC | |
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