On the Waterfront (1954)

As a movie lover, I occasionally try to take in some heralded classics in order to get a feel for how things used to get done in Hollywood. Towards that end, I recently watched On the Waterfront, a 1954 film that was directed by the legendary Elia Kazan, whose other works include A Streetcar Named Desire, East of Eden, and Splendor in the Grass.

On the Waterfront was a critically-acclaimed box office success when it first came out, and the movie received 11 Oscar nominations. It won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing (today called Best Screenplay), Best Leading Actor for star Marlon Brando, and Best Supporting Actress for Eva Marie Saint.

I knew that On the Waterfront had won all these awards, so I had very high expectations for the movie. In addition, I was anxious to see why Marlon Brando was considered such a great actor in his heyday. I'd never seen him in anything (no, not even The Godfather) but was looking forward to checking out one of Hollywood's most famous leading men of the past.

Brando plays an ex-prizefighter named Terry Malloy who currently works as a longshoreman given work through a corrupt union run by mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). Terry gets the cushy jobs because his brother Charley (Rod Steiger ) is one of Friendly's right hand men. When Terry isn't working on the waterfront, he occasionally runs errands and does other favors for Friendly. One of those favors involved getting a stool pigeon named Joe Doyle to go up to the roof of a building to "talk" to some of Friendly's guys. Doyle ends up getting thrown off the roof, which is pretty much how Johnny Friendly always handled his business.

Joe Doyle's sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint) wants to find out who was responsible for the murder. The next day she heads down to the docks to try to get someone to talk, but since all the men need work and the work only comes if Johnny Friendly's assistants handpick them, no one is willing to say a thing.

Another key player in the film, Father Barry (Karl Malden) makes a speech exhorting the men to take back their union and free themselves from the oppressiveness of Johnny Friendly's hold. Father Barry offers his church as a meeting place and invites everyone to come in and talk about what's going on.

Meanwhile, a couple of federal agents descend on the docks and issue a subpoena to Terry Malloy. They've heard that Terry was the last person to see Joe Doyle alive and they want him to testify that Doyle was murdered on Johnny Friendly's orders. At first, Terry absolutely refuses to be a "canary," but after he develops closer ties with both Father Barry and Edie Doyle, he is forced to rethink his position. The remainder of the film deals with Terry's struggle with his conscience and whether he will do the right thing or not.

Overall, I thought On the Waterfront was a very good movie. The subject matter is perhaps a bit dated (I read somewhere that film was basically a metaphor explaining director Elia Kazan's decision to testify leanings in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee about colleagues with Communistic leanings), but I didn't think that detracted from the experience I had of watching a true American classic.

I have to say that I was very impressed by Brando's performance and could easily see why he was such a major studio star back then. I also thought Karl Malden was fantastic as Father Barry, and enjoyed the scenes he shared with Brando. A lot of people think Malden was robbed when he didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and I would have to agree after seeing his performance here! Brando, by the way, was absolutely deserving of his award.

I don't think On the Waterfront would appeal to many of today's average moviegoers who are used to fast-paced action and heavy-handed storytelling. However, if you're interested in watching a classic film, hearing some great lines (including the widely quoted "I coulda been a contender" speech), and seeing top actors in their prime, then I suggest renting this DVD the next time you go to the video store or place a Netflix order.