There was no way that evil could be shown victorious in the movies. The hero must always win. Then, it was not allowed to show relationships between different castes. There was no policy to show white slavery. But in the case of black color, there is no problem if the slave is shown. Because the society saw them as slaves. So there was no attempt to break that taboo. Nor did the production companies.
If the audience gets angry, then what happens to the business – from there. Because of the Hays Code, black actors were mainly cast in small, unimportant and obnoxious roles in American cinema at the time. Around the middle or late fifties, a revolutionary spirit emerged to break this rule.
These aspects of cinema changed with changes in American society. There is only the issue of casting black characters as the main characters. An example can be the movie Odds Against Tomorrow. All the three main characters of the movie bring out the marginalization of the society.
But among the three characters, the funniest character is the racist Slater. He carries a strange contrast of gruffness and politeness. Also Robert Ryan’s perfect performance makes the character more enjoyable and memorable. Not just Robert Ryan, but Henry Belafonte, Ed Begley, Shelley Winters, Gloria Grahame – everyone’s performances complement the characters and make the movie fresh.
On-location shooting, witty and stylistic dialogues, innovative camera angles that are inspired by German Expressionism in nature, an abundance of scenes shot in hotel rooms, bars, crime stories and masculinity-heavy characters, all the elements of film noir are perfect. This movie has been executed. It is known as a revolutionary movie in the world of Hollywood.
