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…

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Ok, so I remember telling you about my distinct lack of “regular” film education and the holes into which many of the greats have fallen. But I am desperately trying to plug those holes and I will be keeping you informed of the more successful of my endeavors. Well, I hit a real gem with this one. I mean where do you start for God’s sake?... The screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Tennessee Williams is directed by Elia Kazan. The leading roles of Blanche and Stanley are played respectively by Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. A movie does NOT get more star-spangled than this one…

Well, you probably know the story but I will run over it for you, just quickly. Stanley (Marlon Brando) and Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter who actually won an Oscar ® with this performance) are a low-income couple living in the slums of New Orleans. Stella is pregnant with their first child, money is tight but they get by and they are happy enough. Stella, comes from a much grander family – and the couple is brutally reminded of this when Stella’s sister Blanche arrives for a visit, completely unannounced. Blanche, is decidedly not well. She was never “well” as such, but she appears worse now. The family’s property is all “gone”, Stella is all she has left in the world and she is desperate for a place to call her own. Stanley resents her sudden arrival with “airs and graces” and resents the fact that she has all the attention. He makes no secret of this fact either. But Blanche, is farther from “well” than she has ever been in her life. The collision of these two massive yet completely opposite personalities will start a chain of events that will take the family farther than they could possibly imagine…

Now, before you even start watching this film please be warned, this is a film from a COMPLETELY different era. Filmed in 1951, in black and white, the film is technically speaking DEFINITELY no Avatar… In short, this is no “time waster” - it is based on acting alone. And, of course you will have to remember that this is an adaptation of a play, thus most of the events take place in Stella and Stanley’s cramped New Orleans home – so if you’re not used to the theatre or this kind of film, you may actually find it slightly claustrophobic. Add to that the superb performance of Marlon Brando (I did NOT know he was so good looking in his youth!! I remember him as the Godfather for Christ’s sake!) as Blanche’s horrible brother in law Stanley. The result makes you feel as if you’re being choked – and this is a good thing. It helps one sympathize with poor Blanche. Now Vivien Leigh is, as you know, (and if you don’t you damn well should!) a true-blue movie legend. She won the Oscar® for Best Actress in a Leading Role with this performance. Her acting, however, may seem a little out of the ordinary to you but in truth it’s because she is from a completely different school of acting that still carried the remnants of the silent era. Thus gestures and facial expressions take on a whole new importance and this may well jarr with some of you – especially those from the younger generation. In fact though, the style is pretty much ideal for histrionic Blanche and although she may get on your nerves at first, I defy you to watch it until the end and not feel sorry for her. Personally, she was very similar to the Blanche I had imagined when I first read the play.

Then again, some things have to be experienced to be understood. Just buy the damn thing; you will see what I mean…