Introduction

"No Way Out" (1950) and "Shaft" (1971) are two very different films, but they are both landmarks in their own ways. "No Way Out" is important because it was the debut of the black icon Sydney Poitier. It was also one of the first Hollywood films to star a black man. "Shaft" is one of the most iconic films from the Blaxploitation genre, which emerged in the early 1970's (IMDB). These two films, along with all other films made by black, and even whites, were heavily affected by racism, as well as the cultural events going on in the country around them.

In the posts below, I will construct a time line of events that occurred int he years of, around, and between 1950 and 1971 that may have affected the making of these films. Plots, on-site filming areas, styles, language, and scripts (among many other aspects) were all surely changed to suit the needs of the consumer when these films were made. The majority of changes were caused by outside events such as the Assassination of JFK or the Black Power Movements. Let's take a look at some of the events that brought these films together.