Film Review

Based on the1949 Pulitzer Prize winning series of 24 articles that chronicled corruption and greed on New York City docks, On the Waterfront (1954) is a story of mob rule, violence, and the human conscience. Starring Marlon Brando (The Wild One, A Streetcar Named Desire) as a one-time boxing prospect forced to work on New York City’s docks, the Elia Kazan (East of Eden, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) film shows impoverished neighborhoods controlled by the local Union’s use of fear and intimidation, in a motion picture that would ultimately win eight Academy Awards.

Kazan appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1952. He drew heavy criticism from his peers for divulging names associated with Communism to the infamous committee. Arthur Miller, slated to write the film’s screenplay, refused to cooperate during his own testimony before HUAC, and would become “blacklisted” in Hollywood (he would later pen the famous play The Crucible based on the hearings). Columbia Pictures decided to withdraw Miller’s original commitment to the screenplay, replacing him with Budd Schulberg.

The movie’s suspenseful opening involves Terry Malloy (Brando) drawing a fellow dockworker to a roof, where Terry thinks the man is to have a conversation with Union officials. To Terry’s dismay, the young man he lured to the roof is flung off in a brazen attempt to silence a would-be “rat.” Eva Marie Saint (North by Northwest), in her first theatrical appearance, plays the sister of the murdered worker, Edie. Distraught by her brother’s demise, and the reluctance of the fellow workers to confront the Union, she takes it upon herself to solve the murder. In addition, Father Barry, played by Karl Malden, begins his own quest to rid his parish of the Union leadership’s inequities.

Filmed in black and white, scenes in the outdoors during the dock’s working hours contrast with the dark environments in scenes of the local tavern and apartments in nighttime settings. To convey the bleakness within the neighborhood, Kazan used smoke machines to create a strong sense of despair. Music composed by Leonard Burnstein (who would go on to score West Side Story) evokes the moral complexity that certain characters feel, and the tense moments of suspense and action they are thrust into.

Lee J. Cobb (North of the Rio Grande, Twelve Angry Men) plays the wonderfully sinister mob boss, Johnny Friendly. With the loyalty of his foot soldiers to keep the longshoremen in-line, the only way for his workers to remain alive is to be “D and D”—deaf and dumb. Any “canaries” who threaten the monopoly of Friendly’s racketeering meet with a swift, silencing blow.

Terry Malloy begins as a quasi-informant for the Union leadership. However, both the beauty and strong moral conviction of Edie, in addition to the newly found vigor of Fr. Barry, makes Terry reconsider his place in the world, and the fate of his soul. Wrestling with his new convictions of right and wrong, Terry must decide if he will be a “bum” or attempt to redeem himself. With a well-crafted script and wonderful acting, On the Waterfront brings excitement and passion as the audience decides with Terry Malloy whether or not they would rather be “D and D” or a righteous “canary” in the midst of widespread corruption.