WITHOUT PITY

Join us for a screening of WITHOUT PITY on Saturday, July 23 at 7PM. Presented as part of the “Black Actors in Foreign Cinema” series with Blacknuss Network.

At the close of World War II, an African-American sergeant stationed in Northern Italy refuses to sell ex-military supplies to local gangsters. However, when a girl he loves turns desperately to prostitution, Jerry is forced to change his mind to save her. Though released in the United States a year after its Italian debut, it would quickly be banned there and in Germany. In part, the censorship was due more to the film's depiction of interracial romance (less problematic in Europe than in the U.S.), than for its sociopolitical assertion about the state of race relations in the United States after World War II. (Italy, 1948, 90 mins)

Directed by Alberto Lattuada

Key Cast: John Kitzmiller, Carla Del Poggio, Pierre Claudé, and Giulietta Masina

About the Black Actors in Foreign Cinema Series

After World War I, the presence of African-Americans and African colonial subjects exploded in Europe, and a Black presence began to be felt in foreign cinema in the UK, Switzerland, France, Italy and, after World War II, in Japan. “Black Actors in Foreign Cinema” presents some of these films, which showcase Black actors in roles quite unlike the stereotypes prevailing in Hollywood.

Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema

In-person screenings are held at Chicago Filmmakers firehouse cinema located at 1326 W Hollywood Ave in the Edgewater neighborhood. Please be sure to arrive 15 minutes prior to showtime and be ready to present your order confirmation number for admission. Proof of up to date Covid-19 vaccination is no longer required; Masks are strongly encouraged while indoors. Click here for accessibility information.