ON THE WATERFRONT

So, I know that people are generally speaking divided when it comes to classical cinema. Some love it, some find it dated and boring. I frankly am in the former group. For me it is a case not only of enjoyment but also study. It’s fascinating to watch the themes and values of yesteryear, not to mention snapshots of life – for art does imitate life. (Or vice versa. The two are incredibly similar at any rate ;) ). I like to slip in a review of these every once in a while for those of you who like a change. Well, we have before us a whopping 8 Oscar ® winner by master director Elia Kazan starring acting legend Marlon Brando. Oh yes, it’s back to the 50’s…
So, meet Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando). He once dreamt of being a prize fighter but it’s all over now; his new career is as a longshoreman on the docks. He has an easy life, the dockers’ union is run by corrupt gangster Johnny Friendly(Oscar® winning actor Lee J. Cobb) likes him and keeps him around for errands. In any case, his older brother is high up in the gang as well, thus life is good. Malloy’s relatively easy life is disrupted when he unknowingly becomes accessory to the murder of a guy he knows. Then he is brought together with Edie (Oscar® winning actress Eva Marie Saint) the sister of the murdered man and falls for her. Edie, with the help of the parish priest Father Barry (Oscar® winning actor Karl Madden) is trying to expose Johnny Friendly’s gang and find the truth behind her brothers’ murder. Terry is now squarely caught between his conscience and his “family” loyalties. And his is the “casting vote”…
Now, this film comes with the classical disclaimers inherent to all black and white films. This is 1954 people, NO special effects, no color and slightly exaggerated acting are our buzz words of the day. However, on a story level it’s an exciting gangster good vs evil story. On the level of acting, it’s faultless. Ok, they carry the marks of their era but the entire cast was either nominated or won Oscars® for their performances in this film. And I feel, well, this was the best acting of an era condensed, shit, it’s the best acting of quite a few eras condensed it’s worth watching on that merit alone! And then of course, just incidentally, there’s the presence and mastery of director Elia Kazan. The metaphors and the ways they’re portrayed (you don’t need to be a media studies graduate to pick up on them) are beautiful, elegant. And it’s a very good analysis of the human soul, of the ordinary man. You’ll find a lot in it. All you have to do is get over your prejudices…