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 #140 | Won 8 Oscars. Another 21 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:

watching tv | blonde woman | thin woman | woman in night gown | night gown | 

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Taglines:

It walked away with just about every award there was - and it still could !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1954 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Bottom of the River

Filming Locations:

Court Street, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$910,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$9,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Horizon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The DVD version of the film has a Special Features section which shows some of the original promotional posters which state that the film is about "the redemption of Terry Malone". Marlon Brando's character's name was changed to Terry Malloy by the final draft.

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Goofs

Toward the end of the film as Terry is walking back into the work building, water puddles on the ground appear and disappear between shots.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

and introducing Eva Marie Saint

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Connections

Featured in Bullets Over Hollywood (2005)

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Soundtracks

Here Comes the Bride
(uncredited)
Written by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

Excellent performances; so-so story

Elia Kazan's "On the Waterfront" is frequently listed among the greatest of all American films. It concerns a longshoreman's inner and outer struggles in exposing the corruption of union bosses.

Unquestionably, the strength of the film is the acting. Brando's performance in particular is one for the ages. He won his first Oscar for this role and Eva Marie Saint also garnered an Oscar in her introductory film role. On top of that Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb & Rod Steiger all earned Best Supporting Actor nominations. These accolades give an idea of the level of talent on display here.

Kazan's direction is well done as he strives for a gritty, realistic look. Shooting on location was an important part of that. Leonard Bernstein's score, on the other hand, is often overbearing. There's nothing wrong with the music itself, only the prominence of it.

The main area in which I feel the film doesn't quite deliver is the story. The film does a fine job of exploring the characters but I find that the underlying storyline doesn't really work for me. The main premise is a good one but after the initial confrontation I began to lose interest. The self-consciously 'inspiring' ending doesn't help, either.

All things considered, I give the film high marks for the excellent acting and direction which, unfortunately, are in service of a merely average story.