On the Waterfront-1954
Director Elia Kazan
Starring Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint
Scott’s Review #876
Reviewed March 9, 2019
Grade: A
Led by one of the best acting performances of all time, On the Waterfront (1954) was an essential and relevant film when made and is still influential in the modern era.
Director Elia Kazan and newly minted Hollywood star Marlon Brando collaborate on a film spectacle as much a character study as a tale of morality and social injustice.
The musical soundtrack score composed by Leonard Bernstein only enhances an already astounding picture that is deservedly referenced as a masterpiece.
Terry Malloy (Brando) is a washed-up former local boxer who now spends his days slaving away as a dockworker on the dingy waterfronts of Hoboken, New Jersey. Terry’s brother Charley (Rod Steiger) works for a vicious mob boss, Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), who controls the area.
The police are aware of the ongoing corruption but are limited by the lack of evidence and witnesses to regular crimes. When a fellow dockworker is killed, Terry falls for the victim’s sister, Edie (Eva Marie Saint), leading him to rethink his priorities.
The positive aspects of On the Waterfront are enumerable. Meritful cinematography and location sequences, enshrined in the rich story and flawless acting, give the film authenticity. The film was shot almost entirely on location in New York and New Jersey, using actual docks and outdoor sequences.
The dingy, water-soaked locales are riddled with secrets and dark violence, brought to new levels through realism and grittiness.
Never looking more masculine or more handsome, though his portrayal of Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) is a close second, Marlon Brando achieves riches in the world of stellar acting.
He is rugged yet compassionate, macho yet tender, and pours his heart into the role of Terry. One cannot help wondering if the self-professed method actor became Terry during filming.
With both vulnerability and strength, Brando embodies the character so well that he has become my favorite of all the film roles he has undertaken.
The supporting players dutifully flesh out the resounding cast with gusto. Special mentions go to Karl Malden as Father Barry and Steiger as Charley. Like Barry, Malden brings warmth, patience, and benevolence in a world of crime and deceit. He attempts to console and mentor the folks in his world and is eventually beaten for his honesty and earnestness.
Charley is a different story, selling his soul to the devil and accepting the cards he has been handed, choosing to join with Friendly. At a crucial moment, he makes another devastating choice that changes his life forever.
Few films can proudly boast a scene or dialogue that remains timeless and imprinted on cinematic history, but On the Waterfront contains a scene of this caliber.
During a tremendously important moment in the film, Terry has a conversation with Charley and makes an impassioned statement-“I coulda’ been somebody. I coulda been a contender”, laments Terry to his brother, “Instead of a bum, which is what I am – let’s face it.”
This line is a historic piece of writing and is true to the character.
The film is more powerful and truthful because it represents Elia Kazan’s real-life plight. In the early 1950s, the director famously informed a government committee about suspected Communists, while many of his colleagues chose to go to prison rather than name names.
Many Hollywood actors, directors, and screenwriters were blacklisted for decades to come. On the Waterfront is frequently deemed an allegory to the director’s plight and is a personal story.
On the Waterfront (1954) is sometimes violent and all-times realistic, painting a portrait of one man’s struggle to overcome the lousy life given to him to do the right thing.
Thanks to gorgeous direction, an explosive lead performance by Brando, and all the pieces fitting perfectly in unison, the film is one of the greats and will remain one that generations will discover.
Oscar Nominations: 8 wins-Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-Elia Kazan (won), Best Actor-Marlon Brando (won), Best Supporting Actor-Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Best Supporting Actress-Eva Marie Saint (won), Best Story and Screenplay (won), Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White (won), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (won), Best Film Editing (won)