On The Waterfront

Tom

Mrs. Burgess

Enriched English 10

26 November 2007

On the Waterfront: A Lesson on Class

“You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.” Oh, if only Mr. Brando knew how wrong he was. These lines, now immortalized in the film On the Waterfront, show no foresight into Marlon Brando’s later success in his acting career and the overall prosperity and excellence of the movie. Where other mob dramas before its time fail, On the Waterfront thrives and is able to depict a truly gripping story of the fall from grace of an ex-boxer turned mobster and the woman who helps him take down the corrupt organization from which he had come. On the Waterfront seems to take the best from all aspects of the movie industry and fuse them together into an experience that can only be described as “explosively eurphoic”. Whether it be Marlon Brando’s superb acting ability that, like an international ring of theater robbers, captures the audience and never lets go, Elia Kazan’s suspenseful and real directing style, or Leonard Bernstein’s over-the-top dramatic and heart-pounding score, On the Waterfront dominates every element of the art of cinema. As a result, this masterpiece creates a true delight for the viewer and is now widely regarded as the golden standard for both movies of that era and now.

Perhaps the most obvious and central theme in On the Waterfront is the struggle between good and evil; altruism and egoism. Terry Malloy, played by Marlon Brando, best exemplifies this theme. At the beginning of the film, Malloy is in cahoots with the mob and assists in the murder of Joey Doyle, Edie’s brother, who was planning to testify against Johnny Friendly, the mob leader and the source of evil in this film. This clearly demonstrates the doctrine of egoism: that Terry’s interests are more important than equal treatment for all dock workers, as the mob control the workers union. However, after learning about Joey Doyle and how the community reacts to the incident, Terry starts to question the ethicality of his actions. This gradual transition to altruism is furthered by Father Barry and Edie and their impact on Terry. Edie, the altruistic beacon of light in On the Waterfront, slowly convinces Terry that one has a greater responsibility to their community with lines such as “Shouldn’t everyone care about everyone else?”, but perhaps the final straw that finally forces Terry to end this injustice is when his brother, Charley, is murdered by the mob for not turning Terry over to them. Terry finally snaps and sets out to take down the institution which has caused him and the other workers so much pain. He testifies against them and is able to bring Johnny Friendly’s illegal actions into the spotlight in order to fulfill his responsibility to the workers. But the struggle between altruism and egoism finally climaxes at the boatyard between Terry and Johnny Friendly’s gang. Johnny and his goons absolutely pulverize Terry in front of all the dock workers, believing that they have won the war. However, much to their avail, the dock workers revolt and throw Johnny Friendly into the water after they see that Terry is able to stand, thus demonstrating altruism’s victory over egoism.

However, Elia Kazan may have thrown some of his own bias into the film. For example, just look at the static point of view throughout the movie. The viewer only gets to see the events from Terry and Edie’s eyes. As a result, Johnny Friendly and the other mobsters are cast in a very negative light and everything Edie or Terry does is automatically assumed to be “right” or “good”. This could just be because it was the cliché thing to do at the time, but it could also represent Elia’s preference of altruism over egoism. This bias carries into the many symbols that Elia uses in the film. Edie best demonstrates Elia’s bias with her fluorescently blonde hair, which comes off as white on the screen. This could demonstrate that Edie’s altruistic views are “holy” or “light”, which is furthered by the fact that Edie is training to be a nun. However, if one looks at the other side of the struggle, egoism, there are many clear negative symbols. For example, Charley Malone, Terry’s brother, is killed by the mob, or egoism. This is represented by the manner in which Terry finds him: hanging from a hook that is used at the dock where the mob works. Clearly, Elia uses both symbols and point-of-view to express his belief on the struggle between altruism and egoism.

One of the many areas of the cinema that On The Waterfront excels in is acting. But, of course, with two powerhouses like Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, how can it not? Much like the rhinoceros and tick bird, Brando and Saint play off of one another beautifully to create something that is mutually beneficial. Saint’s light and good girl attitude creates a wonderful contrast to Brando’s icy cold “tough guy” façade and helps the viewer appreciate the ongoing struggle. Perhaps the best scene in the entire film is the bar scene where Brando and Saint are able to remove themselves from other actors and truly show what they can do together. Just by viewing that lone scene, one can fully appreciate the entire struggle that is taking place. Of course, the debate between egoism and altruism has its not so subtle extremes too, exemplified by Karl Malden as Father Barry and Lee J. Cobb as Johnny Friendly. While Eva Marie Saint plays the more conservative and refined altruistic guide, Malden is able to let loose and go crazy with passion. Malden gives fiery speeches and takes action against the mob bosses, as opposed to Saint, who takes a more diplomatic stance on the issue. On the other side, Cobb takes the stereotypical “bad-guy” image to the extreme. By the end of the film, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he picked up a puppy and started sucking its blood. In addition, Cobb may have been an important tool in helping Kazan express his thoughts on the theme. Johnny Friendly is often more evil than necessary in order to get the viewer to see the greed and destruction that lie in egoism. There is much more to each character than there appears on the surface.

In addition to this fantastic acting, Kazan employs a variety of lighting styles that are able to truly define the mood for a scene. For example, in the scene in the beginning of the film where we are first introduced to Johnny Friendly, Kazan makes the entire scene very dark, with a small overhead light shining partially on Terry. This may be in part because it is a bar, but because of Kazan’s constant hinting at theme throughout the movie, it is extremely plausible that he is using light and shadow to demonstrate his tendency to favor altruism and cast egoism “in a negative light”, literally. However, on the other hand, in scenes that feature Edie, Kazan is always sure to make her illuminated and almost seem holy or divine, such as in the scene where Edie and Terry attend the wedding. In doing this, Kazan exposes his bias yet again, as Edie represents altruism. Clearly, both acting and lighting play a huge part in On the Waterfront’s success.

To complement the many other areas of film that On the Waterfront perfects, Kazan absolutely dominates the cinematic aspects of film, and when coupled with a deep and engaging story, helps the movie become a true masterpiece. Kazan is able to “feel” the story, so to speak, and as a result, creates a directing style that is visually exhilarating. One of the many surprisingly stimulating scenes is when Terry first meets Edie in the park. Although most directors would only capture the mundane and sappy walk together, Kazan is able to capture the terrific and exhilarating shoreline in the background. In doing so, Kazan hints that although Terry and Edie may be falling madly in love, they are still part of a bigger community and there is still a war to be fought. Many directors, on the other hand, would only use close-ups of the couple and turn an emotionally moving story into a sappy love drama. In addition to this unique and innovative take on a scene, Kazan demonstrates his mastery of the art of cinema in the scene on the docks where Dugan is killed by Friendly’s men. Father Barry and Pop Doyle rise out of the cargo hold of ship on a crane that is used to hoist crates, but this is not what is original. What is captivating is the way Kazan shoots this, with a low angle, from the viewpoint of the other workers. In this shot, Father Barry and Pop Doyle appear like saviors, rising from the ashes and ascending above the mob and workers, demonstrating altruism’s victory over egoism, Terry’s victory over Friendly. However, these shots would be lost and meaningless if there was not a powerful score to back it up and boy is there ever. Leonard Bernstein does not disappoint and delivers a selection of music that feels as if the power of a ban hammer has been released into sound waves and has ascended into your spiral ganglion. Just one of the many scenes where Bernstein’s music plays a crucial part in setting the tone is the scene right before Charley talks to Terry during the cab ride. As Charley exits the mob meeting house, loud, angry brass and the tenor drum blast out syncopated rhythms that throw the viewer off balance, yet at the same time, foreshadow the coming confrontation. By simply hearing the heavy music, one can imply that something big, dangerous, and plot changing is going to go down. Truly, Elia Kazan’s and Leonard Bernstein’s work supplement each other to round off this amazing piece of art.

Although seemingly removed from each other, All My Sons and On the Waterfront share many of the same characteristics and underlying themes. The strongest connection between the books is between Terry Malloy and Joe Keller. Both demonstrate changes from caring only about themselves and believing in egoism, to shifting over to altruism after seeing the devastating effects that egoism can have. Terry starts out in cahoots with the mob and receiving the benefits of selfishness, but after witnessing the death of Joey Doyle and the later murder of his brother, Charley Malloy, Terry realizes the error in his ways. After talking to Edie and Father Barry and learning about the crimes that the mob has perpetrated, Terry is finally convinced that he has a responsibility to society and wellbeing of his fellow man, as well as himself, and sets out to take down egoism in favor of altruism. This almost directly mirrors Joe Keller from All My Sons. At the beginning of the novel, Joe Keller, although he feels badly about what he did to Steve Deever, believes that he has a greater obligation to his family and his own prosperity than what is deemed right or wrong by society. As a result, he allows fractured cylinder heads for airplanes to go through to the army and 21 pilots die due to the error. This, combined with the fact that his son, Larry, killed himself after learning of his father’s involvement in the deaths, and that his other son, Chris, cannot forgive him for what he has done and refuses to accept his money, forces Joe to see the error in his ways. In one of Joe’s last lines before succumbing to his incredible guilt and killing himself, he utters, “Sure, he was my son. But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were, I guess they were” (170). In this quote, Joe realizes that although he may have an obligation to support his biological sons, he also must do what is best for the community because, in a sense, they are all part of his family. Although both protagonists come from extremely different backgrounds and are placed in dissimilar plot lines, they both share the transition from egoism to altruism.

On the Waterfront is often referred to as one of the greatest American films of all time, a title that is well deserved in the mind of this reviewer. On the Waterfront does something that not many films are able to do to: it dominates every aspect of the art of film. The plot is captivating, the cinematography is breath-taking, the acting is top-notch, and the score is heart-pounding. There is absolutely nothing to not like about this film. It truly has something for everyone and can grab even the pickiest of movie goers. The deep thinker can dive right into the thick and complex plot, the film buff can analyze the way Kazan works the camera and fully appreciate his skill, and the music student can sit back close his eyes, and let Leonard Bernstein’s magical score fill his ears with expertly crafted sound. However, I would not recommend this film to everyone. Some adults may find the themes and actions in this movie too strong or mature for young children, so in that case, there would be an exception. Other than tots and tykes, everyone should go see this film. It is truly one of those pieces that redefines film making for all generations to come.