On the Waterfront (1954)

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

Malcolm Johnson (suggested by articles)
Budd Schulberg (story)
(more)

Release Date:

24 June 1954 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The Man Lived by the Jungle Law of the Docks!

Plot:

An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

Plot Keywords:

Union | Brooklyn New York | Shipyard | Brooklyn | Death Of Brother

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Terry Malloy
Karl Malden	...	Father Barry
Lee J. Cobb	...	Johnny Friendly
Rod Steiger	...	Charley 'the Gent' Malloy
Pat Henning	...	Timothy J. 'Kayo' Dugan
Leif Erickson	...	Glover
James Westerfield	...	Big Mac
Tony Galento	...	Truck
Tami Mauriello	...	Tullio
John F. Hamilton	...	'Pop' Doyle (as John Hamilton)
John Heldabrand	...	Mutt
Rudy Bond	...	Moose
Don Blackman	...	Luke
Arthur Keegan	...	Jimmy
Abe Simon	...	Barney
Eva Marie Saint	...	Edie Doyle
Barry Macollum	...	Johnny's banker
Mike O'Dowd	...	Specs
Martin Balsam	...	Gillette (as Marty Balsam)
Fred Gwynne	...	Slim
Thomas Handley	...	Tommy Collins
Anne Hegira	...	Mrs. Collins
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dan Bergin	...	Sidney (uncredited)
Jere Delaney	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Robert Downing	...	Bit (uncredited)
Michael V. Gazzo	...	Bit (uncredited)
Pat Hingle	...	Jocko (uncredited)
Scottie MacGregor	...	Mother of a Longshoreman (uncredited)
Tiger Joe Marsh	...	Longshoreman (uncredited)
Edward McNally	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
Johnny Seven	...	Longshoreman (uncredited)

Directed by
Elia Kazan

Writing credits
Malcolm Johnson		(suggested by articles)
Budd Schulberg		(story)
Budd Schulberg		(screenplay)

Produced by
Sam Spiegel	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Bernstein

Cinematography by
Boris Kaufman

Film Editing by
Gene Milford

Art Direction by
Richard Day

Makeup Department
Mary Roche	....	hair stylist
Fred C. Ryle	....	makeup artist (as Fred Ryle)

Production Management
George Justin	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles H. Maguire	....	assistant director
Arthur Steckler	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Shields	....	sound (as James Shields)

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Block	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Hill Johnstone	....	wardrobe supervisor
Flo Transfield	....	wardrobe mistress

Other crew
Roberta Hodes	....	script supervisor
Samuel Rheiner	....	assistant to producer (as Sam Rheiner)
Guy Thomajan	....	dialogue supervisor
Roger Donoghue	....	boxing coach (uncredited)
Dale Tate	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Horizon Pictures
• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Sunset Gower Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

The Hook (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Mexico:A | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1954) | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1985) | USA:Approved (PCA #16916) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Court Street, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Horizon Pictures

Trivia:

The leading characters were based on real people: Terry Malloy was based on longshoreman and whistle-blower Anthony De Vincenzo; Father Barry was based on waterfront priest John M. Corridan; Johnny Friendly was based on mobster Albert Anastasia.

Goofs:

Continuity: The label on the bottle of "Paddy" whiskey changes orientation in every other shot when Johnny Friendly is telling Charlie to straighten out his brother.

Quotes:

Terry: You know you're not too funny today, fat man.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Kazan's film constitutes an extraordinary tour de force of fluid direction and nervous, edgy acting…

"On the Waterfront" is basically the story of one man, Terry Malloy, a young dock worker with a little, and unsuccessful, experience as a boxer but not much intelligence or purpose… He wastes his time around the docks, vaguely discontented about his life and revealing a tender trace in his otherwise tough manner as he tends his pigeons caged on the roof of his modest building…

His brother Charley (Rod Steiger), a suave opportunistic lawyer, works for the local dockers' union, headed by Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), the arrogant mob boss…

Friendly takes affectionate interest in Terry and tries to make things easy for him… He also takes advantage of Terry by involving him in the killing of an uncooperative docker… Unaware of their murderous intentions, Terry sets the trap for the man who is thrown from a roof top because he allowed himself to be interviewed by a crime investigating commission…

Terry's alienation from the crooked union leaders starts when he meets the dead man's sister, Edie (Eva Marie Saint), and realizes the grief he has brought into her life… She asks his help in bringing the racketeers to justice, as does Father Barry (Karl Malden), a priest of complete goodness and rightness…

Brando's moral dilemma was superbly drawn in the film… He's an ordinary man finding the courage to stand up and be counted… As portrayed by Brando he is touchingly believable…

The rest of the cast is excellent:

Cobb is extremely good as the brute fury boss who intimidates the workers into silence, stopping at nothing to maintain his position of power on the docks...

Rod Steiger gives his finest performance as the clever and suave opportunistic lawyer who works for the local docker's union...

Eva Marie Saint manages to make the blood go through Brando's valves reviving and creating a heart that never existed before...

Karl Malden is hard and clear as the activist Catholic priest who continue encouraging other longshoremen to testify, inciting Brando to fight for his rights—regardless of the cost—rather than be a pawn in a ruthless system of bribes and killings...

"On the Waterfront" is one of the great American films, not only because it bravely spreads a strong light on the violation of justice, but because it is a powerful piece of cinema, which push forward a classic study of man's responsibility to his fellow man...

The film won eight Academy Awards...