On the Waterfront, movie, Loew's theater

march 27, 8.30 pm, Landmark Loew's Theater, JSQ
Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Pat Henning, Martin Balsam.
Directed by Elia Kazan. Written by Bud Schulberg.
(1954 107mins. B&W)

Based on a series of articles about corruption on the New York/New Jersey docks, “On the Waterfront” tells the story of Terry Malloy, a washed-up boxer played by Marlon Brando who is caught between the grimy, dangerous reality of his life and his unexpectedly unquiet conscience. Malloy unwittingly helps set up a fellow dock worker to be killed at the behest of the mob-connected head of the longshoremen’s union, played by Lee J. Cobb. In the brutal world of the docks, everyone knows what really happened to the murdered man, but no one is willing to talk to the police. And yet – Malloy’s conscience won’t let him simply forget what happened, a situation made all the more difficult by the fact he is falling in love with the dead man’s sister, played by Eva Marie Saint, who brings an unfamiliar touch of refinement into his life. Karl Maldon as a local priest is another beacon of decency in his life. Pulling at Malloy from the other direction is the college-educated older brother whom he looks up to -- a lawyer, played by Rod Steiger, who works for the corrupt union boss. The middle ground to which Malloy desperately tries to hold is steadily eroded away as he struggles with himself over conflicted feelings of loyalty, fear, decency, self-interest, love, failure and an awakened sense of self-worth – and he is driven relentlessly toward having to choose between keeping quiet or “ratting out” the union boss.

That “On the Waterfront” is one of the most powerful narratives ever filmed is due in no small part to the uncanny sense of truth it projects from first frame to last. And this, in turn, is largely due to the remarkable performances of its cast – from Marlon Brando’s extraordinary creation of Malloy, to the smallest nuances of the supporting players. That the movie was famously filmed on location on the real waterfront in Hoboken, N.J. greatly adds to this aura of truth by imparting an authenticity and immediacy that has never been equaled in any other major motion picture: the gritty, violent and strangely claustrophobic world it depicted was no set, but life itself. Leonard Bernstein's score imparts a very subtle operatic quality to the otherwise hyper-realistic film. The film is an extraordinary mix of coarse and refined elements – harsh realism and elegant art fused into a coherent and compelling whole.

“On the Waterfront” won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director for Elia Kazan, Best Adapted Screenplay for Budd Schulberg, Best Actor for Brando, Best Supporting Actress for Saint, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing. Fifty-six years later, it remains an extraordinary cinematic accomplishment. Don’t miss this chance to see it back on the big screen.