On the Waterfront Film As Litterature Review!

The film On the Waterfront, directed by Elia Kazan, is a true American classic that portrays a David and Goliath type story in which Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) stands up for the rights of dockworkers in a corrupt New Jersey union. He “whistle blows” to ameliorate the livelihood of those around him. By doing this, Terry loses a great deal along the way, but he learns many valuable lessons and secures a profitable future for the dockworkers. Overall, this film was exceedingly effective in teaching me the fundamentals of being a canary in case I should need them. It also was effective in portraying an underdog story in which a large group of people gain their rights. This film was exciting, thought provoking, and an excellent choice in which to analyze aspects of film and similarities with All My Sons.
The literary aspects of this film are appealing to me because they actually help the film to realize its full potential. The plot is an in-depth, interesting, twisted thing from a time before Hollywood’s gangster fad began. It tells a compelling story that both excites you, and forces you to mourn during scenes of tragic death. The characters are well thought up and have realistic emotions in proportion to what happens. They are deep and complex, while remaining simple to relate to. The setting is very appropriate, being approximately when the movie was filmed. It takes place in a New Jersey shipping town and the portrayals of city life are fantastic. The themes of this film were antagonizing and interesting at the same time. Seeing how Terry, though helping the dockworkers through whistle blowing, was shunned because of fear is difficult to watch. But on the other hand, it is good to see someone do something to change the depravity that exists at the docks. The mob has no right choosing who works and who doesn’t, and their command of the union is hurting everyone outside of the mob’s select few. The point of view in On The Waterfront is intriguing in that Terry could have been one of the mobsters, but instead met a woman that he fell in love with who wanted the workers to stand up for themselves. Because of this one woman that he meets, Edie, Terry changes sides completely, including giving up a prosperous future career of cheating men out of their money. The symbols in this film mainly include David and Goliath. Terry, a mere mortal yet semi-well connected worker singlehandedly takes on the Union God (Johnny Friendly). Terry took him down with a single pebble from a slingshot (testimony in a court hearing). The literary aspects of On the Waterfront are compelling and greatly enhance the film’s effectiveness and awesomeness.
The dramatic aspects on the other hand, were the only thing that even got close to letting down the film. The actors were, for the most part, quite convincing. Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy did a magnificent job playing a brave, but sometimes idiotic character. Karl Malden as Father Barry was a brave, charismatic priest who convinced the dockworkers to stand up for themselves. Lee J. Cobb played Johnny Friendly excellently. He must be a mob boss in real life for he was convincing beyond belief. Rod Steiger as Charley Malloy performed well as the older, less rebellious brother of Terry. He was a good brother in that, though he acted tough and mean, he was compassionate and caring when he wouldn’t be made fun of. Eva Marie Saint on the other hand performed poorly in her role as Edie Doyle. She was far too unemotional in the emotional scenes and overemotional in the unemotional scenes. In general, she was a negative factor for the movie, although she is quite good looking. But Pop Doyle, played by John Hamilton was a great character, playing the weak old man that still stood up for his rights. Finally, Pat Henning’s portrayal of Kayo was fantastic. I actually believed he was an old man working at the docks. In addition to actors, the costumes were quite exquisite. There was a high attention to detail, or lack of detail that encompasses the clothing worn by the poor at the time. All articles of clothing were fantastically designed for the characters. The make-up was also good. I’m certainly no expert when it comes to make-up, but one could not tell if someone was wearing make-up or not, except for Edie of course. The make-up that I did see looked good though. The set design and props were first class. I’m starting to get the feeling that the film was actually filmed in a city in New Jersey. Also, all of the props, since the setting was probably a real town, were excellent. Finally, the lighting was decent. Some scenes appeared too bright or too dark, but for the most part there was no lack in lighting. Shadows were created when needed, but the lighting did not significantly affect the film in my opinion.
The cinematic aspects of On the Waterfront were nearly spectacular. I say nearly because there was no scene that was especially awe inspiring like in some scifi adventure with shots of people flying around with jetpacks. But, every shot that I saw was good, none were at a bad angle, too far, or too close. The distance of the shots was next to perfect with catching what should be in the scene and nothing extra. It’s hard to understand scenes when there is a close-up but an item is missing because it is bigger. The same thing applies to longer shots than necessary. When too much can be seen in the background, it distracts the viewer from what is important. On the Waterfront did neither of these things. The Camera movements were good, following the characters without making me dizzy. I dislike movies where the camera moves too much and confuses me about where things are. The duration of shots was again quite well-done. No shots were overly long and that one showing Terry’s face when Kayo dies is absolutely perfect in length. Any longer and it would have been just another shot, but its length makes it stand out. The editing was good, although sometimes the transitions got boring. But hey, this is the fifties for peat-sake! Considering how not-100-years-old film was at the time, the editing is pretty good. Finally, the sound was not as good as I would have hoped for. It was decent music, but it was either too loud and distracting in emotional scenes, or too quiet during chase scenes. The music rarely seemed to fit what was going on in the movie, and thus On the Waterfront was weakened by it. In summary, the cinematic aspects of the film were well above average, but it failed to reach their full potential because of a few aspects.
On the Waterfront is a compelling film about “whistle blowing” and its benefits. Hmmmm, kind of reminds me of All My Sons! Who knew that Mrs. Burgess would chose a film that related to the play we just read? I did, and that’s why I am prepared to compare and contrast the two. To start, we have our two protagonists Keller and Terry. Keller just killed twenty-one people and should be in jail, but he blamed his innocent friend who was convicted of the crimes and imprisoned. Terry on the other hand had lured Joey to the rooftop to be, what he thought was questioning, murdered. Now the main difference between the two is that Terry is innocent and Keller is guilty. But what I’m sure you would like to hear is that the main ethical dilemma is whether family/reputation is more important than the lives of others/the community. If yes to the first one, you’d be a Keller (murderer). If yes to the second, you’d be a Terry (hero). I’m not sure exactly how Keller figured the lives of twenty-one pilots less important than his family of 4’s livelihood, but Terry had the right idea about doing what is right even if it means forsaking friends. Basically the similarities are that people blow their whistles in both All My Sons and in On the Waterfront. Each is a different example of the outcomes and reasons for “whistle blowing”
In termination of this review, I would most definitely recommend everyone to go see On the Waterfront for themselves. It is a fantastic film with a great cast, plotline, and cinematographers. Marlon Brando is a beast in this film and portrays his character like a really good actor, which he is. The plot is compelling and nearly forces one to pay attention throughout the film’s entirety. The camera shots, angles, and distances also aid the film is getting its message across by being easy on the eyes yet impossible not to pay attention to. There is one main theme in the film, being if one should follow their moral compass, or the traditions of the community in which they live. The longshoremen go to work each day and if questioned by the police, stick to D and D to ensure their safety from the mob. Until Terry comes along with the will to end it, the mob controls the union and keeps unfair amounts of everyone’s earnings. On the Waterfront is a fantastic film the whole family can enjoy. Go see it now!