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¶ … Waterfront
Timeless
Elia Kazan's 1954 "On the Waterfront" is a mixture of crime-romance with hero-drama. Marlon Brando is cast as the protagonist, with Rod Steiger as his brother, Lee J. Cobb as the union mob boss, Karl Malden as the local priest, and Eva Marie Saint as Brando's love interest. In essence, Kazan directed a simple story of good against evil, moral values against corruption, and what it means to sacrifice oneself for the good of others. However, Kazan's direction turned this simple message into an incredibly powerful film that will never age.
Kazan assembles a brilliant cast of characters. Brando plays Terry Malloy, an ex-prize fighter and longshoreman who has taken falls in the past, especially during his boxing career, to satisfy his older brother Charlie, played by Steiger, who works for union mob boss Johnny Friendly, portrayed by Cobb. Terry is a simple guy who does what he is told without asking too many questions. When Terry unintentionally sets up Joey Doyle to be killed by Friendly's goons, he begins to question himself, especially when he meets Joey's sister, Edie, play by Eva Marie Saint. She's a good...
She sees through Terry's tough-guy image to his softer side that cares for his pigeons on the rooftop. She enlists the help of Father Barry, played by Malden, to help find who is responsible for her brother's death. The two discover that Friendly goons have taken over the longshoreman's union and that Joey was killed because he had talked to the authorities. They try to organize the longshoreman to rebel, however, Friendly lets it be known that anyone who speaks out will suffer the consequences. Father Barry and Edie prey on Terry's conscious, encouraging him to do the right thing by testifying against Friendly. When Charlie is killed, Terry's courage and conviction is tested to the limit of endurance. The characters are brilliantly woven together.
Although the theme of the movie is universal, good against evil, Kazan brings it to modern day life by telling it through contemporary situations between the longshoreman unions and organized crime. By filming in black and white on location, with the waterfront docks as a background, Kazan gives the story authentic life. It may…
Bibliography
On the Waterfront." Directed by Elia Kaza. Columbia Pictures. 1954
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