ON THE WATERFRONT (1954). Directed by Elia Kazan. Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J Cobb, Rod Steiger, and Eva Marie Saint. The simple-minded Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), formerly a professional boxer, now works as a longshoreman in a context of violence and corruption attributable to the mob-connected local union boss, the ironically named Johnny Friendly (Lee Cobb). Terry’s brother Charley (Rod Steiger) holds the position as Friendly’s right hand man, and as a consequence of his influence over Terry, Terry has also become one of Friendly’s lackeys. Having been bribed over the years through a combination of petty cash incentives, special work privileges, false claims of friendship, and the veiled threat of punishment if he should choose the path of noncompliance, Terry’s life has been shaped by Friendly and Charley’s will. But after he is unwittingly used to set up the murder of one of his friends, a fellow longshoreman who was threatening to inform to the Waterfront Crime Commission, Terry begins to question his loyalties. His internal struggle is confused by his growing relationship with Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the sister of the man who was killed, and the growing presence of Father Barry (Karl Malden), a local Catholic priest intent on cleaning up the waterfront and creating a proper functioning union for the longshoremen. Facing the carrot and the stick held by Friendly and Charley on one side, and possession over his own life and his soul on the other side, Terry must come to grips with himself. When his quandary results in personal tragedy, Terry makes up his mind to single-handedly take on Friendly and his criminal empire in order to regain his self-respect as well as the respect of the other longshoremen, both of which have continually eluded him. Quirky, angst-filled roles such as his turns in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), The Wild One (earlier in 1954), and On the Waterfront (later in 1954) were largely responsible for building Brando’s phenomenal reputation. In many ways, his reputation from these early films allowed him to ride out the 1960s after his increasing difficulty and unreliability, which culminated with disastrous Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), nearly destroyed his career in that decade. It’s the reason why he was still in demand as an actor in the 1970s and experienced a late-career resurgence with films such as The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Of his early-star-making roles, however, On the Waterfront was the most important, and potentially, even the best performance of his career. Through his masterful use of the relatively new and highly interpretive method acting technique, Brando’s intense, brooding turn as Terry Malloy changed the cinematic landscape forever by altering perceptions of what was possible and expected from an actor. As a consequence, nearly all that came before him, as well as most other contemporary performances of the day, began to seem shallow and trivial by comparison. Not only was he able to bring passion and intensity to the role, but he endowed the Terry character with idiosyncrasies that make him truly stand out as unique and endearing in the annals of film. He was also willing to let the makeup department mess up his face to look like an ex-boxer’s (check out those brow ridges) and talk and look like an idiot to turn himself into something of a joke for the sake of the role. Perhaps most importantly, however, he introduced a new kind of hero to Hollywood, a variant of the anti-hero. Not only was Terry morally confused and traditionally on the wrong side, as are most anti-heroes, but he is also not particularly bright or capable. He is a true underdog, bereft of nearly any heroic qualities whatsoever, who still finds a way to become the hero through his own humanity and perseverance. On a less important, but still respectable note, Brando probably made plaid look cooler in this role than it did in any historical period between William Wallace and Kurt Cobain. One of the things that work to make the story so powerful and convincing is that it’s based on a true story of waterfront corruption in Brooklyn and Manhattan in the 1940s. The story was covered by the journalist Malcolm Johnson for the New York Sun, and he received a Pulitzer Prize for his effort in 1949. Even with a strong story and game-changing acting, however, it’s Elia Kazan’s fantastic direction that really pushes this film over the top. Just as with A Streetcar Named Desire, Kazan demonstrates his masterful ability to capture human emotion as well as tension and conflict. Also like Streetcar, Kazan is once again able to capture texture and “vibe” in a way that matches the overall mood and heart of the film. Kazan makes great use of the Hoboken, New Jersey locations and On the Waterfront oozes with damp, dark, seedy atmosphere. This provides the platform off of which Brando, Saint, Malden, Cobb, and Steiger can give convincing performances. Leonard Bernstein’s uptight, jazz influenced score for the film is a perfect match, and actually represents his only film score not adapted from an existing stage production. The dialogue from Budd Schulberg’s script is also suitably strong, and when delivered by Brando, results in many memorable quotes, including the iconic “I could have been a contender” speech. This film, as I’m sure you’re aware, is no hidden gem. It has encountered continual, nearly universal praise since its release, and for good reason. At the very least, it contains one of the most iconic and influential performances of an entire generation, and has what I would argue is one of the most perfect endings ever filmed. It was nominated for 12 academy awards and won 8 of them, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Saint), and Best Director (Kazan). In 1989, the US Library of Congress determined it to be culturally significant enough to permanently preserve as part of the National Film Registry. It has also been seen near the top of countless “greatest films” lists, including the Vatican’s 1995 list of the 45 greatest films, and as you know, except in matters of contraception, the pope is infallible. So don’t take my word for it, believe Pope John Paul II and watch this movie. It’s a great one. -MOJO HAND https://youtube/watch?v=1ncOt9Yi_ho
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 20:30:12 +0000
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