Rating: 
Summary: Brando's most passionate performance
Review: Most peopel, when they hear the name "Marlon Brando", they probably automatically think Godfather. Although he DID give a good performance there (Pacinio's was better), it is cheesecake compared to his portrayal of Terry Malloy here in "on the waterfront". THis is by far is most fiery and deep performance. Even though Brando's character, Terry, has been labeled as a "made" man by the local mob, deep in his heart, he knows somethign is wrong. After the murder of a friend, Terry meets a woman (played wonderfully by Eva Marie Saint) who turns his life upside down. IT is really quite touching how Elian Kazan portrays Terry as one who seems tough and inpenetrable, but really has quite a gentle heart. The supporting actors all give terrific performances. Even though only Rod Steiger (Terry's brother) and LEe Cobb (JOhnny Friendly) were nominated for their performances, it is the local priest, played by Karl Malden, who gives teh grittiest performance, notably the speech he gave about "whatever you do to tthe least of these, you do to me". And of course, we have the famous scene in the taxi in whcih Brando AND Steiger delivered possible the single greatest piece of collaboration of acting ever put on screen.
MY greatest reccomendation for this film, of course, is Brando's performance. Honestly, of all the films i've seen (quite many), I have yet to come across a performance equal to that of Brando's. I have NEVER seen any actor act the way Brando does whcih such ease yet with such heartbreak as well. And to think, Frank Sinatra ALMOST got this film, thank GOd he did NOT.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Conservative Epic Film
Review: This is a great film among the usual sea of liberal trash
produced in hollywood. The surface theme is good: A boxer,
a true rugged American individual, is held down and corrupted
by a so-called labour union run by thugs and criminals.
They control
and steal from good ordinary people through fear and violence.
The only person to stand up against them does so because he
has GOD on his side. And in the end, the rugged individualist
is convinced to fight back because of the two things liberals
hate more than anything: GOD and the love of a man for a woman.
The boxer lives in shame as the film starts. Because he threw
away his chance to be something on his own and for himself
(a boxing contender). He threw it away because the bosses
wanted him to do what was right for "the community" (meaning
in reality the bosses themselves) rather than be a success in
his own right. You can see in that the pure evil of communism.
Its wrong to be successful, rich or better than other people.
And if you are, you should not use your talents.
Below the surface of the film is the struggle by conservatives
in the 1950s against liberals and communists which were trying
to infiltrate every aspect of american life and using communist
labor unions to end freedom in america.
As the lead character in the film did, the director of this film
bravely came forward to tesify against criminals, communists
and the like. And for being a patriot, he was persecuted by
the hollywood liberals for the rest of his life. The liberals
never would ever forgive a man who told the truth about how
communists were creating anti-american propoganda through the
movie industry and how unions were terrorizing people, stealing
from them, destroying freedom in america and attempting to
take the life out of american capitalism.
This film is in many ways a "sparticus" for conservativism.
As sparticus rose out of slavery in rome as an inspirational
individual, the lead character here rises up out of the slavery
of unions and liberalism to restore freedom to the people.
You can see in that character William Buckley, Barry Goldwater,
Ayn Rand or Ronald Reagan. Lone people standing against a world
full of communists and liberals trying to destroy them.
In a few years, when we have got the federal courts out of our
businesses & lives, restored GOD to government & schools,
have defeated terrorism and spread freedom to the rest
of the world, this great epic film should be shown to all
real american children along with books like 1984 to educate
the new generations about the evil of the liberals and what
could happen if they let those people take over America again.
Rating:
Summary: Charlie..... it was you!!!
Review: This is the greatest picture. I have seen alot of movies and nothing comes close to waterfront. Brando is at his best and Kazan shows why he is, one of the great hollywood directors.
Rating:
Summary: Waterfront and HUAC
Review: Social dramas that touch on issues of their time sometime appear dated when viewed years later. The issues that are addressed are either forgotten or just don't seem that important. That is not the case with "On the Waterfront". The central themes of union corruption and blowing the whistle on wrongdoers is as relevant now as it was in 1954. All you have to do is look to "The Insider" from a few years ago to see that the theme of whistle-blowing is still on the front-burner. Elia Kazan, from a screenplay by Budd Schulberg, delivers these messages to the screen with burning urgency. A reason many believe that Kazan felt so compelled to convey this message is that it has parallels with his own testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, but that's for historians to judge. The setting of the film, the gritty docks and sooty walk-ups of Hoboken are breathtakingly captured here. The powerhouse ensemble cast that Kazan assembled here is one of the best in film history. Marlon Brando does not just star in this film, he overpowers it as the ex-prizefighter, Terry Malloy, who's not to smart but not dumb either who goes from a flunky for the union to whistleblower. Eva Marie Saint is nearly as compelling as Edie, the woman who serves as Terry's conscience. This part could have been one note and cliched, but Saint imbues the character with enough complexity to overcome that. Rod Steiger as Charlie Malloy, Terry's brother, gives a compelling performance, particularly in the now famous taxi scene with Brando. Lee J. Cobb is fiersome as Johnny Friendly, the corrupt union boss. The only character that seems cliched is that of an activist priest played by Karl Malden, but that may be more the fault of the script and nothing inherent in how Malden renders that character. Look closely, too, for Fred Gwynne in a minor role as one of Johnny Friendly's goons. "On the Waterfront" demonstrates that themes that were universal in 1954 will always be universal.
Rating:
Summary: Unsurpassable Brando in an Indisputable Masterpiece
Review: With director Elia Kazan's death last fall and Marlon Brando's death in July, it seems appropriate to revisit this film now, and owning the DVD version is certainly a worthwhile investment with all the extra contextual information provided. First and foremost, fifty years later, this film is still an absolute stunner. Kazan, with screenwriter Budd Schulberg, has fashioned a pulsating story about Mob informers amid the highly corrupted longshoreman unions on the New Jersey docks in the fifties. The focus is on the evolution of Terry Malloy, a former boxer who has been relegated to play errand boy for a nasty union boss, the ironically named Johnny Friendly. Terry's brother Charley, a crooked union lawyer, is the one who got him to give up boxing and take the menial job. Terry is satisfied with his status until a neighborhood pal gets thrown off a roof to prevent him from testifying to the crime commission. Terry is then driven headlong to his conscience by local priest Father Barry and Edie Doyle, the potential informer's sister. The interactions among these characters have great passion and feel deeply truthful thanks to the sterling cast, a virtual Who's Who of Actors' Studio top-of-the-class alumni, which was not coincidentally started by Kazan.
This movie has more in common with post-WWII neo-realism as introduced by filmmakers like Roberto Rosellini, than with other Hollywood studio-produced fare at the time. It is this hard-edged black-and-white atmosphere that Kazan depicts with passion and often sensitivity. Leonard Bernstein's symphonic score, easily among his best work, accentuates the emotions in key scenes with varied colors and swelling power. The ensemble acting is uniformly superb down to the smallest roles. The obvious standouts are Lee J. Cobb as Friendly, Karl Malden as Father Barry and in their screen debuts, Rod Steiger as Charley and Eva Marie Saint as Edie. But of course, the emotive force of this story comes from Brando, probably one of the most definitive performances ever filmed. At the beginning, his character seems too dim-witted to carry such a heavy story of redemption, but Brando's incisive portrayal immediately gets to the heart and soul of Terry's journey, his slow awakening to what he needs to do to save himself at the end. Just watch him try on Edie's glove in the park; react to her anger over her discovery of his role in her brother's death; explain himself to Edie in the saloon; stagger in his bloodied walk at the end, and most especially, confront Charley with his own disappointment in the much-played cab ride scene. All should be used as flawless examples in a master acting class. One could forgive all of Brando's later excesses and expensive star slumming for this one performance...it is simply that good.
Granted there are flourishes of melodrama heightened by Bernstein's music, but they are forgivable given the driving power of the story. Enough has been said of the parallels between this movie and Kazan's own role as an informer during the Communist witch-hunts at that time. Whether you see this film as a parable to justify Kazan's decision to name names doesn't really matter when judging the film's merits. It stands on its own as a cinematic masterpiece. It's a must-see.
The DVD transfer is very good, obviously taken from a pristine print. It contains a good featurette, "Contender - Mastering the Method", which has various people talking about the quality of the film as well as some insightful comments from Steiger himself. There is also an interview with Kazan, which is actually more revealing for what he doesn't talk about than what he does discuss, e.g., falling out with Arthur Miller, testifying to the House on Un-American Activities. Some interesting revelations emerge in these pieces, e.g., Brando's own disappointment after he saw his performance, Brando going to his therapist appointment during Steiger's close-ups in the cab scene, Kazan hating producer Sam Spiegel for pinching pennies during production. The alternate audio tracks by critic Richard Schickel and Elia Kazan biographer Jeff Young are informative though a bit on the gushing side. It is also worth noting that Kazan and Schulberg teamed up again two years later with their fascinating indictment of media celebrities, "A Face in the Crowd" (also strongly recommended).
Rating:
Summary: Watch over and over
Review: This is a good example of a well-made film. The story is meaningful and pertinent to all times, the characters are gritty and well-acted, the plot is advanced perfectly through all the sceenes without any waste or holes. The supporting actors are great: Lee Cobb, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden - all intense and engaging.
Having said all that, the reason I love this film is Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy. Particularly, of course, I love the dialogue in the back of the car (the "Contender" thing). Brando's superb acting shines and makes this scene is worth more than a hundred of the silly tough-guy dialogue scenes in modern wise-guy movies.
Terry Malloy is a simple man who confronts the complexities of existence and changes his loyalties in accord with his conscience. First he rejects, with the help of his girlfriend, the live and let live mode of behavior which he had trusted to keep him out of trouble. He ultimately rejects, with the help of the priest, the violence he intends against Johnny Friendly opting instead for a radical form of leadership through the example of courage.
The Priest is portrayed in a very balanced way in the movie. He's not elevated prematurely to a saint; he has normal human weaknesses and makes some mistakes. He's not shown as a weak, doubting, ineffective loser or a "Catholic company man" who just does his job - these caricatures have become to common in modern movies. Willing to get his hands dirty while remaining a "man of the cloth" - not overstepping his boundaries.
Another reviewer contrasted this movie with "The Godfather" which is a story as told from the other side of the mob fence and features great acting by Brando as well. I agree with his sentiments that "The Godfather" is probably over-rated and this story of victims of organized crime is much more interesting and deserves the accolades it receives as a top movie of our time.
Rating:
Summary: Yeah, it's a classic for a reason.
Review: You know, anyone who disliked this movie obviously has ... well, problems. I've read several reviews that highly criticize the acting, one stating that Eva Marie Saint only got her Oscar for not wearing makeup. THAT WOULD JUST BE STUPID. First of all, she WAS wearing makeup. Second of all, not many people can pull off a performance as incredible as that in their first film.
Marlon Brando is fascinating in his role as Terry Mulloy (and, to me, looks JUST like an ex-fighter). I love watching him, not only because he's good-looking, but because his acting is very sincere and he creates very real characters. And as for the priest that drinks and smokes cigarettes--people didn't know smoking was so bad for you back then!! Not all priests had morals back then, so sheesh!
Anyway, the supporting cast (namely Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, and Rod Steiger) comes off very strong. Kudos to Brando for his spectacular performance in this film.
You coulda been a contenduh, Brando--but you won instead!
Rating: 
Summary: Some hammy acting but still good.
Review: I love this film cause of it's message. It's sad that Marlon Brando went on to later play a character in a film that's message is the opposite of this one. I'm talking about "The Godfather." Wich is also in my opinion the most pointless and overrated film of our time. It's sad that "The Godfather" and Pizza serves as the two biggest examples of Italian culture in North America. Anyway about the film. On The Waterfront is one of those films that has it's flaws but still comes off very strong. One of my main complaints about the film is the over use of Leonard Bernstein's music. It seems as if there was some sort of claus in Bernsteins contract forcing the director to fit in as much of his music as possible. There are a few scences in this film that could have really done without music. It seemed forced. Another thing is the acting. Alot of the lines in this film sceem over acted. It's like an on screen battle of who could be the hammiest.
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