On the Waterfront

Rating:
Summary: OWN THE WATERFRONT
Review: For some reason, I always get Charles Bronson and Marlon Brando mixed up. So for the first half hour of this movie I was looking for Charles Bronson and was getting frustrated that I couldn't find him. Finally I figured it out. I flick off one star because I felt that the beginning was a little bit slow, but the movie picks up considerably after that. All the actors (and actress) in this movie did very good jobs at their roles. The director did a good job of making the waterfront seem like a harsh place to live. Frank Sinatra was supposed to play Marlon Brando's part at first, but for some reason they got stuck with the latter. The ending makes up for any slow parts in this movie. If you're a black and white film addict, you should considering owning a copy of On the Waterfront.

Rating:
Summary: What Makes Terry Malloy Run?
Review: For my money, On The Waterfront is an even better washed-up-boxer movie than Martin Scorsese's acclaimed Raging Bull. Strong words from a Scorsese fanatic such as myself (even if I prefer Raging Bull's lower key ending).

Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy) gives an even better performance than I had any right to expect. In the hands of a lesser actor, it wouldn't have been as easy to care about this self-described bum. Rod Steiger, as Malloy's brother Charley, and Lee J. Cobb, as union boss Johnny Friendly, match him move for move. If I can't fault Eva Marie Saint's performance, she failed to make as much of an impression. I was reminded of Talia Shire in Rocky, which makes me wonder if the timid Adrian wasn't at least partly inspired by the purehearted character of Edie Doyle.

The dialogue throughout, with the exception of a few of Karl Malden's clunky lines, manages to be both raw and poetic. It's eminently quotable stuff, but never comes across as flashy or merely clever. If you've read screenwriter Budd Schulberg's classic Hollywood roman a clef, "What Makes Sammy Run," this should come as no surprise; the guy had a way with words. (Unlike Terry, however, Sammy is a man who wins the world -- only to lose his soul...if he had one to begin with.)

I saw On The Waterfront for the first time on a double bill with Raging Bull. It gave me a shiver to hear Robert De Niro (as Jake LaMotta) quote from Brando's famous taxi cab speech at the end of Raging Bull. I still had the image of Malloy's heartbroken face in my mind. In the book "Final Cut", author Steven Bach claims that one "RDN" co-wrote the script for Raging Bull, even if he isn't credited as such. I'd like to imagine that this scene is as much a tribute to On the Waterfront as it is from one great actor to another. How perfect that both would also win Oscars for their work in The Godfather Trilogy -- for playing the same character at different stages in his life.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: I have heard people say that they do not understand why this film was seventh on the A.F.I 100 Greatest American Film Movies list so perhaps I can tell you what I think. When this movie came out the Committee for Un-American Activities had just completed their search of Hollywood for communists. In the 50's this was a big deal and people in the business were blacklisted form working in Holywood as a result. The director of this film, Elia Kazan, and it's producer, Lee Strasburg, both reportly gave names to the committee. This upset many people. After Kazan made On the Waterfront Terry Malloy's struggle became a metaphor for this time in Hollywood. It was a very bold statement at the time.

That being said, this is also a fantastic movie even if taken out of that context. Marlon Brando plays Terry Malloy, a longshoreman, who does a favor for teamster boss Johnny Friendly which leads to a neighborhood friend, Joey Doyle, getting murdered. Joey was going to testify against the union that controls the docks. Terry will soon face a similar dilema when he is approached about testifying. Terry has become interested in Joey's sister(Eva Marie Saint), but his brother(Rod Steiger) works closely for the Union leader. Eventually his struggle will come to a head.

This movie is great I don't really want to reveal too much about the plot. The story is timeless and very compelling. The performance from Brando is one of the greatest of all time(he won best actor). This film has stood the test of time and should be seen by any fan of cinema because it is quite an achievement.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best films of all time
Review: Often mentioned among the greatest films of all time, this gritty story of corruption in the longshoremen's union and one man's courage to resist the mob bosses, hits with the force of an emotional sledgehammer. The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won 8 including best picture, best actor for Marlon Brando, best director for Elian Kazan and best supporting actress for Eva Marie Saint in her feature film debut. The acting talent was so deep that four cast members (Saint, Malden, Cobb, Steiger) were nominated in the best supporting actor category. The film was also rated number 8 on AFI's top 100 list of the twentieth century.

The story focuses on Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), a small-time former boxer whose brother was highly placed in the corrupt longshoremen's union. Terry lures out Joey Doyle, an informant and friend of his, so the mobsters can deal with him. Terry thinks they are going to rough him up to keep him quiet, but instead, they throw him off a roof to his death. The guilt begins to gnaw at Terry, compounded by the fact that he is falling in love with Joey's sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint). He is further urged to inform on the mob by Father Barry (Karl Malden) setting up a dramatic confrontation with the union.

The setting was highly realistic, filmed on the docks of Hoboken, NJ with the New York City skyline as its backdrop. Most of the extras were actual longshoremen who worked on those same docks. The use of black and white film rather than color only served to enhance the dramatic effects.

This film was a vehement and personal political statement by Elian Kazan. Kazan had just finished testifying before the House Unamerican Activities Committee, naming former associates who were affiliated with the Communist party. As a result, he was ostracized by most of the filmmaking community. "On The Waterfront" became his personal mission to justify his testimony. He looked at Terry as his own alter ego. In one scene, a union boss shouts, ``You ratted on us, Terry,'' and Brando retorts: ``I'm standing over here now. I was rattin' on myself all those years. I didn't even know it.'' This was Kazan's defiant statement in response to the vituperation of his critics.

For this reason the film was reviled by the Hollywood elite and Kazan vilified as turncoat. In his 1988 autobiography, he wrote about how he felt after the film won 8 Oscars: "I was tasting vengeance that night and enjoying it. `On the Waterfront' is my own story; every day I worked on that film, I was telling the world where I stood and my critics to go and **** themselves.''

The political agenda aside, this was brilliant filmmaking. The story had gut wrenching power, a classic struggle between good and evil with one man defying insurmountable odds and certain death to stand by his beliefs. It contains one of the most memorable and most quoted scenes in film. Brando gives his now famous "I coulda been a contenda" speech in chastising his brother for selling him out and making him take a dive so the mob could win the bets they laid on his opponent. The ending of the film is one of the most triumphant in filmmaking history.

The acting was superlative across the board. Brando's performance is without question one of the most unforgettable ever. His character was a simple man with extraordinary courage making him an amazingly attractive hero. The anguished torment he portrayed was deeply affecting. Karl Malden was electrifying as the defiant priest who stood with the union members to encourage them to oppose corruption. Lee J. Cobb was also fabulous as Johnny Friendly, the crooked and maniacal union boss who would stop at nothing to maintain power. Rod Steiger gave a fantastic performance as Terry's older and "smarter" brother who was nothing more than Johnny Friendly's stooge. Eva Marie Saint was compelling as the courageous sister of the slain longshoreman. Also playing minor roles were a very young Fred Gwynn and Martin Balsam.

This is one of my favorite films of all time. Of course, I rate it a 10/10. It is required viewing for any classic film buff. Its power cannot be adequately described, it must be experienced.

Rating:
Summary: "Boys, this is my church...
Review: ...and if you don't think Christ is down here on the waterfront, you've got another guess coming!" This is my #1 favorite movie of all time, primarily because of that scene. In this day and age, a strong Christian leader portrayed on film in a positive light is extremely rare. But Karl Malden soared in his performance (along with Brando, Saint, Steiger, & Cobb). He brought the same dignity and strength to the role as he did 17 years later as Gen. Bradley in Patton! The directing, music, and script were also fantastic. Now wonder the AFI ranked this one in the top 10!

Rating:
Summary: Great Film!
Review: This is the first film other than "The Godfather" that I watched because of Marlon Brando. What a great and sharp film. I'm glad for some reason that it was filmed in black/white. It just has that long lasting effect! The acting, directing, music and script are just great. Brando who played Terry Malloy is one the characters that film will never forget. After going against the mob that has sold out his boss and other owners on the docks, Brando (Malloy) goes against them because it's time for change! Karl Malden is bent on getting the mob out of the docks and helping Molloy before it's too late. Gripping speach in car "I coulda been a contenda" still gets me every time I see it and think about it! Grade:A-

Rating:
Summary: Classic movie!
Review: I truly enjoyed watching this movie. Before I had watched it, my Dad told me that my grandfather had been working on the docks and was one of the extras in the crowd scenes. That got me interested, and after I had watched it, I knew I loved the movie, and liked Brando even more. Truly a great film, watch it, and also "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Rating:
Summary: A powerful and deeply humane film
Review: It's no surprise that this film is completely driven by Brando's excellent characterization as Terry Malloy. That's not to underrate any of the other actors or actresses, but they definitely work off of him. We are able to feel and view things the way Brando does, and that isn't really the case with any of the others. His character is tough, charming and romantic, inarticulate, and struggling with his conscience. There is no reason for you to try and relate to anyone but him, because Brando is the center of the story. All the action and incidents are based around him. Eva Marie Saint's brother is murdered, because Brando tricked him into going up onto the roof of the apartment building. Rod Steiger, Brando's brother, is killed, because Brando refused to stay quiet over what he knows is going on with the mob and the dockworkers. He has a loyalty to the union, but he also has a love for Eva Marie Saint. He wants her to respect him and do the right thing by turning in the local loan sharks. Without Brando's performance this film has no bottom. That being said every other supporting role in the film is absolutely superb. Rod Steiger's performance is excellent and perfectly compliments Brando in every scene they are together, Eva Marie Saint has the right kind of innocence and fear that her character, a would-be nun, calls for. And Karl Malden as the priest is the only real voice of morality that the film has. This movie was filmed on the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey, which in the 1950s actually was infested by the mob. A lot of this film's realism was so incredible, because locals played some of the hired thugs and extras. And when you get past the irony of the much-referred-to scene in which Brando's brother brandishes a gun and threatens to kill him in the back seat of a car over the very thing that they are both so frightened by, you see that the real message of this film is that we all have to remember why we do the things we do and find something noble to hold onto. Brando's Terry Malloy is a very sensitive character. Why? He loves pigeons, doesn't he?

Rating:
Summary: one of the best
Review: The scene in the back of the cab is of course the most famous but my favorite comes early in the film. Brando and Eva Marie Saint are walking together and she drops one of her gloves. Oops, you might say. Cut, Kazan might have said. But he didn't. Instead he let the camera keep rolling and Brando, the genius, makes a small miracle happen. He picks up the glove and starts picking dirt off it. Then he sits in a swing and proceeds to cram his hand into the glove. The whole time Saint, who I believe was starring in her first film role, looks uneasily at the glove and makes several timid motions with her hand for it. All the while the innocent, flirtatious dialogue moves along. It's my favorite scene in all of film and it was a complete fluke. Brando's performance is often called the greatest ever by an American actor so it's all the more fascinating that he didn't want the part. I don't know if any of the other reviews mentioned it but at the time it was pretty well known in Hollywood that the film was not just about the mob and longshoremen. It was a not so subtle defense of stool pigeons. Kazan (as you might remember from the controversy around 1999 Academy Awards) and writer Budd Schulberg named names before HUAC. OTW was their side of the story and Brando, who never forgave Kazan for testifying, wanted no part of it. All I can say is thank God Kazan guilt-tripped him into it!

Rating:
Summary: Easily Among The Top Ten Movies Of All Time!
Review: This movie is one of the most honest and moving films of the 50's. Marlon Brando (maybe the greatest actor ever) as Terry Malloy perfected method-acting in this movie and completed his second achievement with director Elia Kazan. Great support from Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb. Precise and quiet direction by Kazan lift the emotional impact. All that and one of the best screenplays Hollywood has ever produced make this film one of the greats. The scene in the back of the car with Brando and Steiger is easily the best 'brothers' scene ever filmed, but it is also one of the most well-acted and honestly moving scenes ever filmed, the whole chunk of dialogue is memorable (I coulda been a contenda!), just like this scene there are several others; when Terry sees his brother hanging by a hook in the alley, the bar scene whit the priest, the ending when a beat-up Terry goes to 'work'. Among the most satisfying expiriences in cinema. From a scale of 1-10 I give this movie a 10!