On the Waterfront (film)
"On the Waterfront" is a 1954 film directed by Elia Kazan, focusing on the moral struggles of Terry Malloy, a former prizefighter and dockworker, portrayed by Marlon Brando. The film explores the dynamics between Terry and his brother Charlie, a lawyer entangled with the corrupt leadership of a Longshoreman's Union. Set against the backdrop of an investigation into organized crime, the narrative delves into themes of corruption, loyalty, and the personal cost of standing up for what is right.
As Terry grapples with the violent tactics of the union's leadership, he is influenced by the local priest and the sister of a murdered worker, ultimately facing a pivotal choice: to expose the corruption or remain silent. The film culminates in a powerful testimony where Terry confronts the union president, Johnny Friendly, revealing the depths of wrongdoing. Notably, "On the Waterfront" not only highlights the impact of organized crime on everyday lives but also resonates with director Kazan's own experiences with governmental scrutiny during the 1950s. Renowned for its striking black-and-white cinematography and strong performances, the film remains a significant contribution to American cinema and a poignant reflection on personal integrity and social justice.
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On the Waterfront (film)
Identification Academy Award-winning film about union corruption on the New York waterfront
Date Released in 1954
Director Elia Kazan
On the Waterfront was a showcase film for its ensemble cast of Actors Studio personnel, its depiction of criminal involvement in a labor union, and the controversial reputation of its director.
Key Figures
Elia Kazan (1909-2003), film director
On the Waterfront focuses on the fate of two brothers—Terry Malloy (played by Marlon Brando), a former prizefighter turned dockworker and his brother, Charlie (Rod Steiger ), a lawyer who works for the corrupt head of a Longshoreman’s Union—who are caught in the middle of an investigation into the corrupt activities of the union’s leadership. As the film opens, Terry is enjoying good jobs on the waterfront, which his brother’s privileged position affords him. However, as the narrative unfolds, he is forced to acknowledge the corruption of the union and the consequences of the violence its leadership employs to maintain power over union members. Initially encouraged to cooperate with the crime commission by a local priest (Karl Malden) and later by the sister of one of the murdered workers (Eva Marie Saint), with whom he falls in love, Terry must make a decision whether or not to “come clean” or to play “deaf and dumb,” as his brother and the leadership want him to do. The film concludes with Terry’s testimony before the commission in which he reveals the details of the union’s corrupt activities and accuses its president, Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb ), of responsibility for the murder of his girlfriend’s brother.
Senator Estes Kefauver’s congressional investigations into crime in the United States publicized the widespread influence of criminal activities in all aspects of American life. On the Waterfront became perhaps the best-known film to dramatize the impact that organized crime had on the lives of ordinary people. The actions of Terry Malloy, who goes against the mob, also reflected indirectly on director Elia Kazan’s own testimony earlier in the decade before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, when he named Hollywood figures who allegedly supported communist causes.
Impact
On the Waterfront’s evocative black-and-white photography, location shooting in New York City, and outstanding cast marked it aesthetically as one of the most memorable films of Kazan’s career and of the period.
Bibliography
Biskind, Peter. Seeing Is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties. Rev. ed. New York: Pantheon Books, 2000. A lively discussion of the Hollywood films of the 1950’s and how they reflect various social and political issues of the period.
Hey, Kenneth R. “Ambivalence as a Theme in On the Waterfront: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Film Study.” In Hollywood as Historian: American Film in a Cultural Context. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1983. Discusses the artistic collaboration on the film in the context of the film’s origin.