Edge of the City
Directed by Martin Ritt
Written by Robert Alan Arthur
1957/USA
David Susskind Productions/Jonathan Productions/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] “There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Collected Works[/box]
This waterfront drama was written specifically for Sidney Portier and shows off his dramatic range.
Axel North (John Cassavettes) arrives in New York with a secret and an introduction to waterfront foreman Charles Malik (Jack Warden). His secret is such that he is willing to pay Malik part of his hourly wage to get a job. We learn early on that his actual name is Nordman and he is estranged from his parents.
Malik proves to be a bully. His needling gets worse when Axel becomes friendly with an easy going black foreman, Tommy Tyler (Portier). Tyler offers Axel a place on his crew and introduces him to his family, including wife Lucy (Ruby Dee) and her friend Ellen. They all become close friends.
It develops that Malik’s animus comes from his racial bigotry. Things take a tragic turn when he provokes the stoic Tyler beyond endurance.
For some reason, I couldn’t really get into this movie. Portier’s character is too good to be true and much as I love Cassavettes he is fairly stiff here. Warden is at his explosive best though and the dramatic finale is gripping.
This was director Martin Ritt’s (Hud, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Norma Rae) big-screen debut.
Trailer – cinematography by Joseph Brun
