On the Waterfront

Plot synopsis:
Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) once dreamt of being a great prize fighter, but now works at the docks of Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) , the corrupt boss of the dockers union. He witnesses a murder by a couple of Johnny's thugs, but won't betray Friendly, who is both his brother's (Rod Steiger) boss and a long-time friend of his family.What he sees at the docks repulses Terry. In an economically depressed environment in which many are out of work, more gather by the docks each morning hoping to secure work for that day than can be hired, placing Johnny Friendly and his forces in a position to exploit them. Those who complain of the working conditions or wages one day don't work the next day, or are placed in harm's way. Consequently, most tolerate being abused.After befriending both the sister (Eva Marie Saint) of the murdered man and the local priest (Karle Malden), Terry gradually becomes a man of deeper morality, and starts to speak of acts against Friendly, who will soon go on trial. Terry finds his breaking point when his brother is murdered by Friendly's thugs, and causes him to entertain thoughts of testifying against Friendly. Still, he struggles to find the courage to do so, until the priest persuades him to.Once he betrays Friendly, Terry is without the work that always came his way when he and his brother were trusted and valued associates. Still, he confronts Friendly by the docks and when all the dock workers are witness to the brutal beating of Terry by Friendly, they refuse to work unless Terry is also allowed to work. This is the catalyst for a new tone of understanding between the workers and the dock bosses.Terry had neither wanted nor intended to be a hero, but, as a man of principle, he had become not only a hero, but a symbol of the workers' intolerance of exploitation by the dock bosses.===================================Terry Malloy, a former boxer, works as a stevedore on the urban waterfront near New York City. When the story opens, he's leaving the office/shack of Johnny Friendly, the head of the local dockworker's union. Johnny tells Terry "You take it from here, Slugger." Terry goes to the tenement of Joey Doyle, another dock worker and calls him out, saying that he recovered one of Joey's carrier pigeons. Joey cautiously accepts and tells Terry to meet him on the roof of the tenement. Terry looks up and sees two shady men waiting on the roof.Terry goes to Friendly's bar and stands outside with two of Friendly's enforcers, Truck and Tillio. Truck asks him if Doyle went to the roof and Terry tells him he did. A moment later, a scream is heard and Joey falls from the roof. Though everyone seems to accept that Joey simply slipped and fell, everyone also knows that he was murdered on orders from Friendly because Doyle had planned to testify to the Waterfront Crime Commission about unsafe and unfair working conditions in Friendly's local union. Terry himself seems upset that a nice kid like Joey, who was well-liked in the neighborhood, would be killed by Johnny's men when he believed they would simply intimidate him into forgetting about his testimony. Truck and Tillio laugh over Doyle's death, calling him a "canary" (slang for an informant who would betray the union.)In the bar, Terry is still upset. One of Friendly's cronies, Skins, drops by with money for Johnny from a payoff and, when the money is counted, he comes up short. Johnny viciously searches the man and comes up with the missing money and forcibly throws the man out. When he sees that Terry is upset, he begins to lecture him on how violence is necessary to enforce his rules and keep everyone in line. Johnny also admits to ordering Doyle's murder. For setting Doyle up, Johnny tells his foreman, Big Mac, to give Terry a cushy job during the next day's shift at his pier.Out in the alley where Joey was thrown off the roof his sister, Edie, and Father Barry, the local Catholic priest, look over the body of Joey. Edie angrily pleads with other people in the neighborhood about why Joey, well-liked by his friends and the local kids, would be murdered. Everyone knows, but none want to say anything. Edie also becomes angry with Father Barry, saying he doesn't know about the violence in the area because he's too busy with running his church to actually visit the waterfront.The next day, the dockworkers gather at Johnny Friendly's pier. Big Mac runs a shape-up system where tags are given to selected men to work the ship. Edie is there, with Father Barry, who tells her that she was right; he has come down to see just how bad the situation is. Edie's father, Pop Doyle, also shows up because he needs to earn money for his son's funeral. He also gives his dead son's coat to another worker, Kayo Dugan, who accepts it.While waiting for his name to be called, Terry is approached by two officials from the Waterfront Crime Commission. One of them recognizes Terry from his boxing days and asks him if he'll testify to the commission about Joey's murder. Terry flatly refuses. The other man tells Terry they'll supoena him if necessary.Mac calls out the names of men who get regular work, and Terry is among them. The remaining tags are passed out at Mac's discretion; when the men who aren't chosen become angry with him, Mac throws the tags behind them and a minor riot breaks out. Pop is pushed out of the crowd by the younger men. When Edie tries to grab a tag for her father, Terry grabs it first and won't give it to Edie. When one of the other men points out to Terry that she's Joey's sister, he gives her the tag. Edie gives it to her father; Pop admonishes Father Barry for letting Edie witness the riot. The other men are disheartened and Barry tells them that no union would ever let what just occurred happen. The men explain how a "trigger local" works: anyone who gets out of line is eliminated by Johnny and his goons. They also explain that meetings among union members are impossible since Johnny has spies working everywhere. Barry suggests they all meet in the basement of his church.In the ship's hold, Terry is loafing on a pile of sacks when his brother, Charley "The Gent", Johnny's right-hand man, finds him and gives him a small job to do. Johnny wants Terry to be a spy during the meeting Father Barry called that night at the church. Terry is reluctant but Charley reminds him that he and Johnny have done a lot of favors for Terry. Terry agrees to go.At the church that night, Barry calls the meeting to order, noting that attendance is very low. He explains to the men what they already know: working conditions are bad and their union is powerless as long as it's run by Friendly's gang. Barry also suggests that if they can talk openly about why Joey Doyle was murdered then they'll make progress. Edie asks Joey's best friend, Jimmy, to say something, but he turns her down. Barry tells them that they only way they'll be able to make better lives for themselves is to stand up to Johnny. One of the tougher men in the crowd, Kayo Dugan, tells Barry that the rule is everyone is "deaf and dumb" about Johnny. Dugan also notices that Terry is sitting in one of the back pews and recognizes him as a spy. Despite his attempts at coaching, Barry is unable to convince the men. As Barry's fellow priest calls the meeting to an end with a prayer, a window is suddenly smashed in and the rattling of pounding clubs is heard outside: Johnny's men have surrounded the church. Anyone who tries to escape is severely beaten. Terry takes Edie out of the church safely. Dugan, while trying to escape, is beaten bloody by Johnny's goons but is rescued by Father Barry. Barry angrily asks Dugan if he still wants to remain deaf and dumb and seems to get through to Dugan. Dugan promises to testify as long as he has Barry's support. Dugan also warns Barry that Johnny's goons won't hesitate to lean on a priest as well.In the park in front of the church, Terry sees that Edie gets out of the area safely. While they talk, a homeless man confronts them, asking for money. The man recognizes both Terry and Edie. When he begins to talk about Joey's death and how Terry set him up, Terry yells at him to leave. The man does.When she gets home, Edie finds her father packing her things. Edie, a student at an upstate Catholic college, had been visiting her family. Pop tells her that she should leave the neighborhood because of the violence she's seen so far. He also tells her he knows she was with Terry Malloy and how Terry is connected to Johnny Friendly. Edie refuses to leave, driven by her need to know why her brother was killed.On the roof of his building, Terry tends to his flock of carrier pigeons. Terry talks to a couple of kids from the neighborhood and sees Edie over at Joey's coop. Terry goes to her and they talk for a while, about how pigeons are victims of predatory birds in the city, mostly hawks. Terry offers to take Edie out for a drink at a local bar and she accepts. While they talk, she tells Terry of her interest in solving Joey's murder. Terry warns her not to snoop around too much because it could be dangerous. They dance for a while at a wedding being held in the bar when one of Johnny's men, Barney, tells him that Johnny wants to meet with him. Terry tells him he'll go when he's ready to. Terry also runs into of of the Crime Commission agents who hands him a supeona. Terry is still steadfast and tears up the papers, refusing to "eat cheese" (become an informer).Later, Terry walks home and is stopped by Johnny and Charlie. Johnny asks Terry about the church meeting and Terry tells him it was run by Father Barry and that very little was discussed that could threaten Johnny's position. Johnny counters, telling Terry that KO Dugan had gone to the crime commission and gave a sworn statement about the illicit operations and corruption of Johnny's union. Johnny suggests that they use their "muscle" to eliminate Dugan. Johnny also feels that Terry didn't do his job fully and tells him he won't have his cushy job in the yard anymore, that he's going back to work in the "hole". Charlie also admonishes Terry about his budding relationship with Eve Doyle, saying it's "unhealthy" for him to be dating the sister of the man they killed.The next day Terry is working alongside Dugan in the ship's hold, unloading crates of Irish whiskey. Terry feels the need to warn Kayo about Johnny's intentions but Kayo ignores him. As one of the pallets loaded with crates is hoisted out, the crane operator drops it on Kayo, killing him in what looks like an accident. Later, after Kayo's body has been uncovered, Father Barry gives a stirring speech to the entire workforce, telling them that Johnny and his men are using them for cheap labor and killing them when they choose to stand up for their rights. Johnny's men begin to throw rotten fruit and cans at Barry, who calmly continues to talk. One of the men, Tillio, is about to throw something when Terry stops him and punches him out. One of the men gives Joey's jacket back to Edie (she later gives it to Terry). Kayo's body is hoisted out of the hold, with Barry and Pop Doyle riding the pallet.Terry, whose conscience has been bothering him, meets with Father Barry. He tells Barry he may just testify to the Crime Commission but he doesn't want to implicate his brother or his friends. He also tells the priest that he set Joey Doyle up to be killed. Barry tells Terry that his loyalty to Charlie and Johnny is misplaced. He also tells Terry that a good step to take would be to tell Edie what he did. Edie had been coming to see Barry herself and Barry convinces Terry to tell her. Terry meets her and tells her, while a ship's whistle blows, making what he tells her inaudible. Edie is horrified and runs away.Terry later checks on his pigeons on his roof. He sees one of the men from the Crime Commission who approached him on the docks. Terry asks the advice of one of the boys who hangs out with him on the roof about testifying; the boy tells him it's not a good idea to get involved, especially since Terry founded the gang the kid is now a member of. The officer tries to talk to Terry and is mostly unsuccessful until he mentions the fight Terry had boxed in years before involving another man named Wilson. Terry is suddenly quite chatty with the man, hinting that he'd thrown the fight so that Charlie, Johnny and their friends could win a huge purse by betting on Wilson. Terry tells the officer straight out that he could have beaten Wilson easily and talks about his technique. Though we don't hear the rest of the conversation, it is strongly hinted that Terry may testify against Johnny.At Johnny's office, one of Johnny's spies reports that he'd seen Terry talking to the agent. Charlie tries to defend Terry, saying that Edie has Terry's emotional state mixed up. Johnny is unfazed however and orders Charlie to talk to his brother. If Terry won't "dummy up" then Charlie will take him to one of Johnny's hit men, Jerry G. Charlie is shocked ad tries to reason with Johnny, who refuses to listen. Charlie leaves Johnny's office to find Terry.Charlie picks up Terry in a taxicab and they two have a lengthy conversation where Charlie asks Terry about his supeona and if he plans to rat out Johnny in court.Terry still seems undecided and Charlie reminds him about all the favors he and Johnny have done for him over the years and even offers Terry a cushy job at another pier Johnny will be opening soon. When Terry seems more likely to testify, Charlie tells Terry to make up his mind before they arrive at Jerry G's place. Terry is stunned that his own brother would suggest that he'll be turned over to a hit man, Charlie pulls out a pistol and tells Terry to take the job he was offered. Charlie suddenly comes to his senses and breaks down. He recounts how Terry was once a potentially great athlete and says that Terry's manager was responsible for ruining whatever career he might have had as a boxer. Terry counters, saying that Charlie was responsible for his downfall, betting on Wilson all those years ago and destroying whatever shot Terry might have had at a prestigious boxing title. Charlie realizes how badly he's treated his brother over the years and gives Terry the gun, telling him "you're gonna need it." He orders the driver to pull over and let Terry out. The driver, one of Johnny's spies, suddenly pulls into Jerry G's place nearby, where Johnny's waiting.Terry goes to Edie and Pop's apartment. Edie refuses to open the door for him and Terry breaks in, telling her she loves him. She tells him to leave and he grabs her and kisses her, Edie showing little resistance. A voice calls to Terry from the alley below, telling him his brother is there and wants to see him. Terry rushes down to the alley and begins to walk toward the voice. Edie follows, stopping momentarily to talk to one of her neighbors, who mentions that her own son was killed when he went looking for a man who was calling him into the alley. While Edie runs to Terry, a truck starts up and rushes toward them both; Terry breaks the window of a nearby door and they jump out of the way. Terry looks at the truck as it speeds off and sees his brother hanging by a longshoreman's hook piercing his coat. There are several bullet holes in his chest. Terry, his arm bleeding from the broken glass, hauls his brother down, and distraughtly tells Edie to get Father Barry and stay with Charlie until he arrives.Terry goes immediately to Friendly's bar and holds everyone hostage at gunpoint. Tillio shows up and Terry orders him to stay as well. Father Barry shows up; Terry remains defensive with the pistol while Barry tells him to give it up. Terry tells Barry to "go to Hell" and Barry hits him in the face and Terry's hostages escape. Terry begins shouting about how the situation isn't Barry's concern and Barry tells him that shooting Johnny would be useless since the law would favor Johnny. Barry tells Terry that the best thing he can do to avenge his brother's murder is to testify in court and strip Johnny of his power. He also tells Terry to get rid of the gun unless he's too cowardly. He gives Terry a beer; Terry takes a sip and throws the pistol at a picture of Johnny with an important-looking city official, shattering it.At the waterfront crime hearings, Terry testifies about Joey's murder. He's grilled at length about not only being the last person to see Joey alive but also about how Johnny Friendly had angrily said that it was necessary to have Joey killed to protect his interests in the union. In another office, a man watches the hearings on TV and hears Terry's testimony. He orders the TV shut off and tells his assistant that he won't accept any calls from Johnny Friendly. Terry finishes on the stand and, as he walks past Johnny, who's been called to the stand. Johnny mutters threats and becomes furious and attacks Terry, finally calming down.Terry goes home, followed by two cops. He tells them to stop following him and they scoff. He passes a friend on the stairs, who refuses to talk to him. In his apartment, Edie is waiting. Terry talks about losing many friends because he testified and Edie asks if they are "real" friends to him anyway. Terry goes up to the roof and finds that his young friend has killed all of his pigeons. Edie suggests that they leave the waterfront and go to a farm out west where they'll be left alone. Terry notices a ship coming in to Johnny's pier and, grabbing his hook and donning Joey's jacket, goes to the pier.At the pier, Terry recieves a cold welcome from his former friends. He stands there while Big Mac calls the workers in. Mac passes Terry over for a job and when Terry suggests they need more men, Mac hires the first homeless man standing in the area. Terry becomes enraged and marches down to the gangplank leading to John Friendly's office. He throws his hook at the door and Johnny emerges. Knowing that attacking Terry in public would get him into deeper trouble, he tells Terry to get lost. Terry begins to berate Johnny openly, telling him he's happy that he testified against Johnny, especially for killing anyone who crossed him. Johnny goads Terry into charging him and the two begin to fight. When it becomes obvious that Johnny will lose, he calls his goons in to help and they viciously beat Terry. Father Barry and Edie arrive on the scene just as Johnny orders his thugs to stop. The owner of the ship that arrived demands to know when the men will begin unloading the cargo and Johnny begins to muscle his way through the crowd, ordering the onlookers to begin working. When he reaches Pop Doyle, he grabs him. Pop pushes Johnny off the gangplank and into the water; the crowd cheers. A few of the men find Terry and see how badly he's been beaten. Barry encourages Terry to get up and walk to the pier to go to work (he tells Terry that Johnny is taking bets that he won't make it); if he does, the other men will follow him and oust Johnny as their leader. Terry walks up to the pier, stumbling and falling. He reaches the pier entrance and the ship's owner calls the rest of the men to work. They enter and the door rolls shut behind them.

Tags: cult, murder, melodrama

Review:
"On the Waterfront" is basically the story of one man, Terry Malloy, a young dock worker with a little, and unsuccessful, experience as a boxer but not much intelligence or purpose He wastes his time around the docks, vaguely discontented about his life and revealing a tender trace in his otherwise tough manner as he tends his pigeons caged on the roof of his modest building His brother Charley (Rod Steiger), a suave opportunistic lawyer, works for the local dockers' union, headed by Johnny Friendly (Lee J.
Cobb), the arrogant mob boss Friendly takes affectionate interest in Terry and tries to make things easy for him He also takes advantage of Terry by involving him in the killing of an uncooperative docker Unaware of their murderous intentions, Terry sets the trap for the man who is thrown from a roof top because he allowed himself to be interviewed by a crime investigating commissionTerry's alienation from the crooked union leaders starts when he meets the dead man's sister, Edie (Eva Marie Saint), and realizes the grief he has brought into her life She asks his help in bringing the racketeers to justice, as does Father Barry (Karl Malden), a priest of complete goodness and rightness Brando's moral dilemma was superbly drawn in the film He's an ordinary man finding the courage to stand up and be counted As portrayed by Brando he is touchingly believable The rest of the cast is excellent:Cobb is extremely good as the brute fury boss who intimidates the workers into silence, stopping at nothing to maintain his position of power on the docks...
Rod Steiger gives his finest performance as the clever and suave opportunistic lawyer who works for the local docker's union...Eva Marie Saint manages to make the blood go through Brando's valves reviving and creating a heart that never existed before...
Second is the confrontation between Terry and Charlie Malloy (Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger) in the back of a taxi which ends in one brother pointing a gun at the other and Brando's now legendary "contender speech." Both of them are sequences where the characters do nothing but talk but each is a fine example of what makes On The Waterfront the undeniable classic it is; acting, scripting, cinematography, music, everything fits into one cohesive whole and the end result is a welcome addition to any film collection.The story here concerns Terry Malloy, a New York shipyard worker who finds his conscience bothering him when one of his friends is murdered.
Terry at first is a tough guy with a grim outlook ("you know my philosophy on life, give it to 'em before they give to you") who despite his inner turmoil refuses to confess anything to the Police as it would make him a "rat." However, the arrival of Malden's headstrong Preacher and the victim's innocent sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint in her debut appearance) throws his deaf and dumb world into chaos.
An ex-prize fighter named Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando who deservedly won an Academy Award) turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses (Lee J Cobb) and is embroiled in violence .
While his brother (it was originally offered to Lawrence Tierney , but he asked for too much money so the role went to Rod Steiger who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance) is a crooked lawyer and he meets a beautiful ex-nun (Eva Maria Saint , Grace Kelly turned down the role of Edie Doyle, deciding to make Rear Window instead) and falls in love for her .This interesting and thought-provoking film contains intense drama with pungent lines , emotion , wonderful performances , memorable final , magnificent direction and classic musical score by the maestro Leonard Berstein .
I wish I could be like him."  Being just a typical Midwestern teen, I didn't know who Marlon Brando was, but I just was fascinated by this life of these good and bad people, on the tops of buildings and in the cold, wet streets and alleys of this far-away place near the waterfront.Now, every time I watch it, years later, I still love it.
When the killing finally affects Terry, he realizes something has to change."On the Waterfront" is one of the most amazing films ever made, directed by the great Elia Kazan.
There were three Oscar nominations (Malden, Cobb and Steiger) in the Best Supporting Actor category, and the film took home the top acting awards, Kazan as director, and best film, best screenplay, best editing, best cinematography, best art direction.
It is fantastic, particularly in the tender moments between Terry and Edie."On the Waterfront" has the classic performance of Marlon Brando, a man who is loyal to his brother Charlie (Steiger) even though Charlie ruined Terry's fight career and now is part of the union corruption.
Cobb as Johnny Friendly (based on real-life mobster Albert Anastasia) gives a bombastic, violent, and scary performance; Karl Malden is letter-perfect as the priest who fights for Terry's soul; and Steiger is excellent as Charlie, a weak man who has taken advantage of his brother to feather his own nest.
Even though it isn't classified as "film noir," it might as well be, as it has the earmarks of one: gritty, downbeat with a feeling of dread, magnificent black-and-white cinematography, etc.It's certainly not a "fun" movie but if you appreciate great film-making, you have to rate this near the top of the list Not only is the direction (by one of the all-time greats, Elia Kazan) superb and the photography striking, the acting also is top-rate.Marlon Brando was just riveting to watch in here and deserved all the accolades he received for his performance.
You have the feeling that they never leave this area of maybe a few blocks, because they feel trapped by their circumstances, poverty, grueling work, and the corruption that's endemic in this place and system.Marlon Brando is Terry, a failed prize fighter with deep regrets and loneliness, who is a low-level thug in this corrupt system dominated by the bombastic, cruel union boss, Johnny Friendly (Lee J.
Terry has no great ambitions in life, and seems resigned to this bleak path until fate, and two shining lights, appear in his life: Edie (Eva Marie Saint), a decent, loving, determined and angelic blonde woman, and Father Barry (Karl Malden), the local priest who can throw a punch, drink a beer and stand up to the mob with the strength of his faith behind him.
Gripping, powerful drama of corrupt unions for dock workers and how one man Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) fights back.This movie is a definite must-see.
Brando, much calmer than in his mercurial performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (also directed by Kazan), personifies the best in "Method" acting, perfectly engaging the viewer with his genuineness as Terry Malloy.In the most famous scene, Brando, a has-been prizefighter, confronts his brother (Steiger) who is about to set him up to be executed by the mob bosses of the union.
Terry is a fantastic character and Brando gives an unrivalled, honest performance.Wanting him to stand against his negative influences are Father Barry (Karl Malden) and Edie (Eva Marie Saint).
Where as previously film stars like Clark Gable , Errol Flynn etc etc were always playing a different shade of themselves a new breed of actors in the 1950s such as James Dean and Marlon Brando brought the method acting style to cinema and the method hit new heights in the late 1960s and 70s with New Hollywood .
Cobb, one of the great actors of the American movies gives a detailed performance as Johnny Friendly, the boss of the union local that controlled the waterfront.
On The Waterfront is truly a classic piece of film history, combining key elements of the standard gangster/mob film with the incredible acting of Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint.
The Cab scene is an incredible portrayal of Marlon Brando's amazing acting ability and the thought and feeling that separates this film from being 'just another gangster film'.I also greatly enjoyed the rooftop scenes, as the director and actors played with the bumps and ledges in dynamic ways, with Brando looking over the lip of a roof, and people running the length of the roof, jumping up and down off the ledges and coming to a halt, eyes at another person's foot level.
The movie is about a guilty stricken ex boxer (Terry played by Brando) who is involved in the murder of a guy who's sister captivates him and then he redeems that by going against the underworld boss (Johnny by Lee J Cobb) and by doing that he lost his beloved brother Charley (Rod Steiger).
This is a highly classed drama in which human emotions are that there very best and some finest work by the entire cast as Eva Marie Saint also got her Oscar for supporting actress in her very first movie.Elia Kazan's direction was also very gripping.
Along the way, he is helped by a girl whom he falls in love with and a priest from the neighbourhood parish.Undoubtedly one of the biggest contributions to the greatness of this film is Marlon Brando's performance as Terry Malloy, which I firmly believe is the greatest of his entire career.
These are just two of the many great acting performances in this film, which also included Eva Marie Saint (As Edie, a sister of one of Friendly's casualties and Terry's love interest), Karl Malden (a tough, justice-oriented priest who plays a role in motivating Terry to stand up against Friendly) and Rod Steiger (Terry's brother and Johnny Friendly's right hand man).On the Waterfront is also very well shot, not relying on spectacular cinematography or breathtaking special effects, but the sturdy, gritty black-and-white depiction of the harsh dockworkers' environment is phenomenal and helps to make the film more captivating.
He shines in the "Contender" scene as he points a gun at Brando to stop him from confessing.The film won eight oscars including Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Story and Screenplay, Art-Direction, Cinematography, and Editing.
Director/screenwriter Elia Kazan was one of many (including Waterfront actors Karl Malden and Lee J Cobb) who ratted their left-wing movie buddies out to the pathetic drunk Senator Joe McCarthy and the idiotically named House Un-American Activities Committee, ruining many lives and careers, but he was unique in making a film about what a hero he was for doing it.
Let's remember that Kazan's victims in real life weren't gangsters, like Johnny Friendly and company, but idealistic, law-abiding citizens who were exercising their thoroughly American freedoms of speech, belief and association - people who, right or wrong, wanted the world to be better than it is.Politics and morals aside, simply as a motion-picture entertainment On the Waterfront is wildly overrated, and I thought so even when I was a kid who knew nothing about the facts behind the story.
Waterfront priest Karl Malden realizes it, but bangs his head against the code of deaf and dumb.Marlon Brando is a washed up ex-prizefighter who finds work on the docks through his older brother Rod Steiger who works for Cobb.
But there's other really great scenes and moments: Karl Malden with his unique spud-nose going off on the waterfront workers after the man is killed from the crates falling; Brando picking up the glove and putting it on his hand or offering the gum and then chewing it himself in front of Saint; Lee J.
Cobb- nothing specific, just him period, as he pulls off an equally scummy character as well as Brando pulls off a conflicted squealer with his "conscience".Now, this doesn't mean the film isn't also a) well directed, b) compellingly scripted, c) shot with a wonderful eye for the Hoboken locations and a noir tone like Third Man lite, or d) topped with a compelling Leonard Bernstein score.
Brando is heartbreaking as the man torn apart from by loyalty to his boss/cousin and his compulsion to 'do the right thing', and delivers one of the most powerful performances seen on film.Eva Marie Saint shines in the darkness of the world that surrounds her, brilliantly innocent, pure and wholesome.
There is a danger that a lesser actor could slip into pantomime, but he never does.Leonard Bernstein's score is simply fantastic (how it failed to win the Oscar i shall never know), and Elia Kazan's direction is the reason, along with Brando's performance, that this film is still considered one of the best of all time.
Supporting cast including Eva Marie Saint and Karl Malden as Terry's girlfriend and priest are also excellent.The score by Leonard Bernstein is part of this film which is often overlooked; the musical background adds to the atmosphere of the shipyard docks of a north-eastern coast city immensely.Chemistry between Saint and Brando sizzles.
Brando's Terry is a man of few words, but you can still clearly tell what he's feeling from scene to scene.Another showstealer is Karl Malden's Father Barry, a local preacher that takes it as his task to oppose Mr. Friendly, the union boss.
Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is a young man who tends to his pigeons and works on the docks for a corrupt boss of the unions, Johnny Friendly (Lee J.
ON THE WATERFRONT is such a movie, a well-shot, compelling and perfectly written story about real people struggling to cope with the varying demands in their lives and their abilities to do the right thing.The film features a tour-de-force bit of acting from Marlon Brando as the young and idealistic dockside worker who finds himself caught up in a strong-arm criminal racket led by the completely dastardly Lee J.
Elia Kazan, whose name might strike a chord with those familiar with history, directed a film about a poor dockworker named Terry who lives his days by caring for his pigeons and working for a corrupt union boss named Johnny Friendly.
Marlon Brando, Karl Malden and Eva Marie Saint lead an impressive cast in the powerful, Best Picture-winning 1954 drama, "On the Waterfront".
MARLON BRANDO gives another outstanding performance as an ex-fighter who falls in love with the sister (EVA MARIE SAINT) of a man who has been brutally murdered by waterfront mobsters.
During some scenes where main character Terry (Marlon Brando) is talking to girlfriend Edie (Eva Marie Saint), the camera forgets close ups and watches the actors from far away, examining the whole background with detail; when Father Barry is speaking to the workers of the waterfront in what is probably the movie's most powerful scene, a camera shoots him from above at times, rejecting the obvious move that would be shooting the workers' faces.
It is a story about a young man named Terry (wonderfully portrayed by Marlon Brando who won an oscar for his performance, he deserved three)and how he coped with life in the mob-run New York.
Later when he meets Joey's sister Edie, Eva Marie Saint, and falls in love with her Terry's guilt eventually leads him to do what Joey was expected to do, by the crime commission and Johnny Friendly, testify in open court against Friendly and his mobsters that are running the docks.One of the great human dramas coming out of Hollywood in the turbulent 1950's that had as it's hero a man who would do the unthinkable by testifying against his fellow workers, no matter how mobbed up and corrupt they are, and in the end almost pay with his life for doing it.
Not wanting to turn his younger brother over to Friendly's thugs who would murder him Charley in return ended up dead for not being able to guarantee his silence."On the Waterfront" brings out human emotions at their rawest with Marlon Brando's Academy Award performance as Terry Malloy who becomes an outcast from his union and even his life long friends in and out of the docks for being a rat, squealer, against those he worked with.
Terry beaten to the point where he could hardly stand on his feet staggers toward the dock work area with the now admiring longshoremen, who at first wouldn't even talk to him, not willing to go back to work unless Terry was there with them The film ends with the dock workers filing in after Terry as he makes it inside and collapses.Excellent performances all around with a young Eva Marie Saint in her first movie role holding her own against her Academy Award winning co-star Marlon Brando as the sweet innocent and courageous Edie Doyle.
On the Waterfront (1954) **** (out of 4) Marlon Brando hit legendary status as well as picked up the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Terry Malloy, a former boxer who finds himself working with some corrupt union bosses and he must go against them or lose the woman (Eva Marie Saint) he loves.
By far his best performance comes from the 8-Oscar winning classic drama "On the Waterfront." Brando plays Terry Malloy, a hardened young man who dreams about being a prize fighter.
"On the Waterfront" is a gritty, atmospheric movie about a guy who decides to stand up against union corruption of the dock where he works, after a lifetime spent looking the other way.It is perhaps most famous for its central performance by Marlon Brando, who is said to have redefined the possibilities of the actor's role with this movie.I was also very impressed by Karl Malden.I didn't find it as powerful as I would have liked, or as it probably was on first release, perhaps because it's old.
Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is a dockworker whose brother Charley (Rod Steiger) is Friendly's lawyer.In 1952, director Elia Kazan was a witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), in which he identified many alleged Communists in the film industry.