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Rating: 5 out of 5
“You don’t understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let’s face it. It was you, Charley.”
“On the Waterfront” is a powerful movie, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg, where Marlon Brando plays Terry Malloy, a longshoreman who was once a boxer. A person that had the chance to become a person that people looked up to but ultimately became a person working for someone else that people take some pity on.
The famous line above is the most memorable, but what resonates and is the theme of the film is a conscience. Knowing when something is wrong but the people you work for are bad. Coming to the decision to ultimately do something about it and stand up for what is right, even if you fear your reputation being destroyed.
Schulberg presents a script that is based on his own original story. One might think, “What’s the worse that can happen on waterfronts in New Jersey?” Are longshoremen’s lives really that bad? Schulberg writes a screenplay that is filled with union violence and corruption amongst longshoremen while exhibiting widespread corruption, extortion, and racketeering on the waterfronts of Hoboken, New Jersey. That, with a strong presence from a mob-boss, murder, and mayhem, can run rampant. Yet through it all, make you feel for the characters with intense dialogue and persuasive speeches.
“On the Waterfront” begins with Terry telling several of Johnny’s men, under the pretense that they just wanted to talk, where Joey Doyle (Ben Wagner) lives. Joey is going to testify against Johnny Friendly before the Crime Commission. Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) is a mob-connected union boss that controls the waterfront with an iron fist. No one and nothing gets past him. The community is afraid of Friendly and his goons who commit murder. Every time the police or Waterfront Crime Commission interrogate witnesses, the play the deaf and dumb card fearing what might happen to them.
Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is one of Johnny’s men. He is a dockworker whose brother Charley “the Gent” (Rod Steiger) is Friendly’s, right-hand man. In his prime, Terry was a promising boxer until he was told to lose deliberately by Friendly. This one instance ruined Terry’s promising career. Before Terry knows what is going on, Johnny’s men kill Joey to Terry’s surprise. Joey’s sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint), angry about her brother’s death, calls out everyone for not going against the mob-controlled union while also looking for her brother’s killer. Edie’s anger is also directed towards Father Barry (Karl Malden) for not doing more. Father Barry, inspired by Edie’s words, calls a meeting at his church to talk about the unfair treatment. Friendly sends Terry to attend and inform on a dockworkers’ meeting only to have it interrupted by Friendly’s henchmen. Terry helps Edie escape the violence and becomes smitten with her.
The tension between the dockworkers and Friendly’s men continue to escalate. Popular dockworker, Timothy J. “Kayo” Dugan (Pat Henning), agrees to testify against Friendly after Father Barry promises unwavering support. Dugan ends up dead after Friendly arranges for him to be crushed by a load of whiskey in a staged accident. Father Berry gives a passionate sermon that quickly changes Terry’s mind. Terry decides that it is time to stand up for what is right and do what’s best for not only himself but the docks.
Elia Kazan’s direction moves this story at a nice pace but also shows several themes. Kazan shows the struggles not only the community goes through, but the conflicts that Terry goes through. With the community, Kazan shows how no one wants to stand up and do what is right. He shows the fear in the people but also the unwavering control Friendly’s men have over the docks. One way Kazan shows this is when Friendly’s men are giving out work coins. The head man gives coins to all of Friendly’s men before giving them out to dockworkers who really want to work. The tension is high and finally breaks when the head man, looking for a laugh, throws the coins in the air. A brawl breaks out as people try to get coins just to work for the day. Another way Kazan shows the community and fear is when Joey Doyel is killed. As Edie is screaming, no one says anything as police investigate. They say they don’t know what happened or didn’t see anything.
With Terry, the struggles come more internally. When Joey dies, he struggles with whether it was okay to tell Friendly’s men. He is mopey and doesn’t talk much. After meeting and falling for Edie, his struggle becomes even more profound. Does he help the girl he likes, or does he stay with the only family he has, which is his brother? Finally, after listening to Father Barry, Terry flips from being the quiet person to one that is willing to stand up for himself and to Friendly. Terry shows this by the fight scene at the end but also when he stands trial. Terry truly changes into the champion that he is.
Elia Kazan’s simple but effective direction gives Brando a stage to put on a performance that is worthy of his craft. Brando doesn’t command the screen early on in the film, leaving that to others, but his subtle and simple presence is around. Brando presents Terry as a mentally slow person from his years of boxing but also uneducated who works for the men. Even though he was a boxer, many around him consider him a softie, just going along with the flow and caring for his pigeons. In the beginning, Brando shows Terry as a quiet man that is confused about why his friend was killed. He keeps to himself and his pigeons. This is shown during the meeting with Johnny and his crew. Brando is mopey and doesn’t talk much. He is just merely another body in the room. As the movie progresses, Brando comes more to light and the center of the film. He falls for a girl but also starts listening to the priest and gaining a conscious. He goes from one that is a push-over to one that has feelings and speaks his mind. He stands up for what he believes in while also fearing the consequences. This is shown when he talks to the priest, who convinces him to talk to Edie. By the end of the film, Brando transforms his character from the down and out of his luck character to the champion and fighter that people need him to be on the docks.
Lee J. Cobb is outstanding as Michael J. Skelly, aka “Johnny Friendly.” Cobb brings a type of intensity that puts fear in all his employees. Cobb plays Friendly as a no-nonsense mob boss that believes hard work is the only thing that matters. He controls the docks with an iron fist while telling him men to kill anyone that gets in his way or doesn’t pay up. Cobb has many memorable scenes, but the one that stands out to the most is at the beginning of the film. Cobb is giving a speech to his men as the money counter states that the bills are short. Cobb walks over and searches the man in question when he gives him one of the all-time best pimp slaps across the face. He didn’t just give him one of them, he gave three of the quickest slaps across the man’s face I have ever seen. All he was missing was some baby powder. To add insult to injury, Cobb tells the man he doesn’t work for him anymore and to go back to wherever he came from.
Karl Malden is sensational as Father Barry. Madden plays Father Barry as a passionate priest looking to do good and turn around the misfortunes of the dock workers. He is willing to go all the way to make a change and doesn’t go back on his word when making a promise. Malden gives the best speeches when one of the longshoremen who asked for help is killed. Malden gives a passionate speech to everyone as Friendly’s men throw things at him to shut him up. Even though Malden is a priest, he is willing to fight and throw some punches in the name of the lord.
Eva Marie Saint is sweet as Edie Doyle. Saint plays the innocent and caring sister of her decease brother Joey. She is on a mission to find her brother’s killer. In her pursuit, she develops a sweet romance with Malloy. Marie Saint shows the uncertainty of her character as she develops feelings for Malloy.
“On the Waterfront” is one of the best films of all time. One that is worth watching. It was nominated for twelve Academy Awards while winning eight, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Brando, Best Supporting Actress for Saint, and Best Director for Kazan. The film has stood the test of time with being ranked #8 in American Film Institute: AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies in 1997 and also again on their 10th-anniversary list at #19. Anyone that loves to watch movies must watch this classic film. Even though the story has been used a lot in films, this one will still leave you in awe.
