Edge Of The City (1957)

A neurotic drifter (John Cassavetes) dealing with his own private demons becomes friends with a black longshoreman (Sidney Poitier) when he gets a job on the Manhattan waterfront. That's about it. Unusual for its day in its portrayal of an interracial friendship, the film comes across today as a well intentioned if heavy handed piece of melodrama. Based on a television play (which also starred Poitier) and directed by Martin Ritt (HUD) in his feature film directorial debut. It's a solid effort by all involved though not without problems, the major one being the character played by Cassavetes is, for most of the film, a manic and nervous wreck yet we're somehow supposed to identify with him. Poitier, no surprise, is just wonderful here and his natural and engaging performance makes up for all of Cassavetes' tics and mannerisms. The film's ending is imprudent since it feels like a low rent take on ON THE WATERFRONT. The atonal score is by Leonard Rosenman the gritty black and white location photography by Joseph Brun. With Jack Warden as the stevedore bully, Ruby Dee, Kathleen Maguire, Ruth White and Robert F. Simon.