On the Waterfront (1954)

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

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

Budd Schulberg (screenplay), Budd Schulberg (based upon an original story by)

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb

Top Rated Movies #183 | Won 8 Oscars. Another 22 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlon Brando	...	Terry Malloy
Karl Malden	...	Father Barry
Lee J. Cobb	...	Johnny Friendly
Rod Steiger	...	Charley Malloy
Pat Henning	...	Kayo Dugan
Leif Erickson	...	Glover
James Westerfield	...	Big Mac
Tony Galento	...	Truck
Tami Mauriello	...	Tillio
John F. Hamilton	...	'Pop' Doyle (as John Hamilton)
John Heldabrand	...	Mott
Rudy Bond	...	Moose
Don Blackman	...	Luke
Arthur Keegan	...	Jimmy
Abe Simon	...	Barney

Storyline

Terry Malloy dreams about being a prize fighter, while tending his pigeons and running errands at the docks for Johnny Friendly, the corrupt boss of the dockers union. Terry witnesses a murder by two of Johnny's thugs, and later meets the dead man's sister and feels responsible for his death. She introduces him to Father Barry, who tries to force him to provide information for the courts that will smash the dock racketeers.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | longshoreman | waterfront | ex boxer | pigeon | 

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Taglines:

The Man Lived by the Jungle Law of the Docks!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elia Kazan later remarked that the biggest problem he encountered with his actors was getting them on set on time (the weather was so cold, most of the actors didn't like to hang around the set for long).

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Goofs

In the church scene when the meeting is broken up by the thugs outside there is a long shot with the characters trying to decide which way to run and you can see a boom mic bouncing around for a few seconds at the top of the screen.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Johnny: [to Terry] You take it from here, Slugger.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown over a bamboo-type mat background.

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Alternate Versions

Starting on 29 February 2004, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) channel plays this film in a widescreen aspect ratio of (1.85:1). This is despite the fact that the Columbia Tri-Star DVD (Release Date: October 23, 2001) is produced in only the Academy Standard (Full Screen or Pan&Scan) aspect ratio (1.33:1). Presumably, the intended ratio is (1.85:1).

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Connections

Referenced in James Dean (2001)

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Soundtracks

Here Comes the Bride
(uncredited)
Written by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

Powerful every time I see it

Back in the early 1950's, after a movie had run its course at the theaters, it did not go to video. Nor did it go on prime-time TV, as that concept came up many years later. Instead, they put it on afternoon TV, sometimes around dinner time. Well, that's when I'd come home from high school, and got to enjoy free black and white classics such as "High Noon" and "On the Waterfront".

It made a moviefan of me for life. I remember the effect of "On the Waterfront", as I remember thinking about Terry Malloy in that final scene, "Wow, that guy's got guts! I wish I could be like him." Being just a typical Midwestern teen, I didn't know who Marlon Brando was, but I just was fascinated by this life of these good and bad people, on the tops of buildings and in the cold, wet streets and alleys of this far-away place near the waterfront.

Now, every time I watch it, years later, I still love it. Yes, there is definitely an attempt to make Terry into a Christ-figure at the end. That's no coincidence that he stumbles from having been beaten to a pulp, to walk and carry a hook on his shoulders, to lead others to a better life. (In the book by Budd Schulberg, by the way, Terry disappears after testifying and what is thought to be his body is found floating in a barrel of lime. But he has become a legend on the waterfront.) I love the powerful Elmer Bernstein score (glaring for our present tastes, but back then, exactly what people expected to hear during a drama -- you've got to wonder what a future generation will say about the constant replays of fairly irrelevant pop and rap songs as themes during most movies today, dramatic or comedy).

And being raised in a Catholic home, I found Father Barry to be a great dramatic figure, one of the only times I saw a priest portrayed as a gritty, brave, heroic person, not afraid to mix it up with the common folks in the parish. He smoked, drank and slugged it out. And he was not afraid to die for the right reason. Folks, that's true Christianity at work. And that's powerful.

A classic. A must-see. 10/10

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1954 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Hook

Filming Locations:

5th Street Pier, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$910,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Horizon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1