On The Waterfront starring Marlon
Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb,
Rod Steiger, Pat Henning
Being A Contender
On the Waterfront (Special Edition)
On The Waterfront
Elia Kazan's classic 1954 film "On The Waterfront" isn't just great
drama; it's serious social commentary as well. Based on the book by Budd
Schulberg, "On the Waterfront" is the story of ex prize fighter Terry Molloy.
Terry, who famously claims "I coulda been a contender," has lost a few
brain cells along the way, and now hangs out on the wharf where his
brother Charley The Gent (Rod Steiger) looks out for him in Johnny
Friendly's (Lee J. Cobb's) crooked empire.
Terry is drawn into the hostile and dangerous game of intrigue when
his brother pressures him to spy on the Parish Priest played by Karl
Malden, who is organizing a rival gang to take on the hoodlums. Terry says
he doesn't want to be a "stoolie" for Johnny. "On the docks we've always
been "D" and "D" - Deaf and Dumb."
Considering Kazan was being pilloried in Hollywood for naming
names before the House Un-American Activities Committee, his cinematic
treatment of informing on colleagues has always been controversial. With
the death in August, 2009, of Budd Schulberg at age 95, the story has
come full circle. It's difficult in these days to comprehend the paranoia of
the post-WWII world, when Russia was the devil, and people saw
Communists under every bed. The pressure on Hollywood was
tremendous. The LA Times quoted Schulberg as saying: "I was interested
in social conditions on the waterfront and drawing a truthful story, not in
justifying my position."
The cast of this classic is uniformly good: Steiger, Cobb, Malden, the
"newcomer" Eva Marie Saint, and the truly outstanding character actors
and non-professionals who play the dockworkers... street-hardened, hard-
drinking, and accustomed to playing by the rules of the docks. The Score
by Leonard Bernstein is dramatic and powerful, and Kazan's direction
takes on the gritty, noir character of the docks.
It's not surprising "On The Waterfront" garnered eight Academy
Awards in 1954 - for Best Picture, Best Director (Kazan); Best Actor
(Brando); Best Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint); Best Screenplay
(Schulberg), and four nominations.
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