CIFF Presents “No Way Out,” Black History Month Student Classic Film Series Feature

This month’s screening of the Coronado Island Film Festival Student Classic Film Series will be held in the Winn Room at the Coronado Public Library on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 pm. It is free and open to the public*.

No Way Out is a courageous, groundbreaking 1950 20th Century Fox film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Prior to 1950, no major Hollywood studio dared to make a movie honestly depicting the horrors of racism in the United States. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck, Director Joseph Mankiewicz and screenwriter Lesser Samuels did so courageously in this raw, Oscar nominated film, starkly showing the divisive and deadly impact of racism on a community and its horrifying and corrosive effects on the souls of those infected by its poison.

No Way Out is noteworthy as a Black History Month feature as actor Sidney Poitier’s first leading role in a major motion picture. Poitier is cast as Dr. Luther Brooks, the first black doctor hired on staff at a major urban hospital. While working in the hospital’s prison ward, Dr. Brooks comes into contact and immediate conflict with a vile, racist, petty criminal, Ray Biddle, spellbindingly portrayed by Richard Widmark. Widmark puts an unforgettably revolting and frightening face on a character of raw, angry, unapologetic bigotry. After the emotional experience of making this film together, Poitier and Widmark became close, life-long friends who chose to work together repeatedly. No Way Out is also noteworthy as the feature film debut of both Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, groundbreaking black film actors who subsequently went on to achieve great success in Hollywood. Those screening No Way Out will long remember this terrifying story showing the nightmare harvest that comes when the seeds of bigotry take root in a community and grow to yield their deadly crop of hatred, violence and revenge.

* Special Notes: Adults over 18 must be accompanied by a young person 18 years old or younger. “No Way Out” is an intense drama that includes the use of disturbing racial epithets and forceful scenes of racial violence. It is recommended only for young people of middle school age and above.

Entering its third season, the CIFF Student Classic Film Series is a cinematic cultural literacy program (how to watch, listen and understand films) introducing middle school and high school students to the cinematic art as it first developed and was practiced by masters of the craft during the Golden Age of Hollywood. While cinephiles may differ, the Golden Age is generally recognized as studio produced films made from the mid-1930s to the early-1960s. The era featured a unique mix of economic, cultural, and social conditions that perfectly aligned for producing great movies by the score.

The Student Classic Film Series is designed to expose high school and middle school students and homeschoolers to the greatest motion pictures from The Golden Age of Hollywood. The Series offers a unique chance for young people to explore the history of the Hollywood Studio Era and the cultural legacy it bequeathed to audiences and aspiring filmmakers of today. All screenings are held in The Winn Room at the Coronado Public Library. All are free and open to the public. *Adults over 18 must be accompanied by a young person 18 years or or younger. The program began in 2022 with seed-grant funding provided by the City of Coronado Community Grant.