OSCAR WILD DAY 8: ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)

This was one of the 11 films that I watched in the specialized college comp & speech course that started my journey with rating and reviewing films. I fell in love with it on the first viewing, and I am still mesmerized by it today. It pierces not only the barrier between entertainment and art, but also the barrier between storytelling and making a statement about the human condition. When big ideas are matched with dynamite performances, movie magic is born.

Once an up-and-coming professional boxer, Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) finds himself in a crisis of conscience after he realizes he is responsible for luring an otherwise decent longshoreman named Johnny to his death so he wouldn’t testify against mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). More useful for his muscles than his reasoning skills, Terry is told by his brother Charley (Rod Steiger), who is one of Friendly’s top men, to keep his loyalty where it pays well. Friendly runs the labor union, controlling who works, when, and how much extra over and above union dues it’s going to cost for any given longshoremen to be selected. Meanwhile, Johnny’s sister (Eva Marie Saint) teams up with a priest (Karl Malden) pronouncing righteous indignation at the corruption and manipulation of the dock workers by Friendly and his thugs.

The tug-of-war for Terry’s soul and for the fate of the waterfront longshoremen plays out brilliantly. Everything clicks for this film- the script is void of fluff (not even two hours long!), the cinematography frames everything just right, and the music adds to the emotional weight of every scene. Then there’s the acting. Brando puts his genius on display, giving the simple-minded Terry nuance, tenderness, and powerful character growth.

For all the accolades that Brando gets, Karl Malden is a force to be reckoned with in his own right. His character is the unapologetic, unyielding voice of reason. He represents the conscience and the soul of society, not only screaming out for justice but also with the audacity and willingness to be wounded or martyred for the sake of what is right. I think the only reason Malden didn’t win Best Supporting Actor for this film is because he split the vote with Lee J. Cobb, whose snarling demeanor and intense physicality as Johnny Friendly make for one of the most ruthless and realistic villains of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Amidst all this, Eva Marie Saint holds her own as the justice-seeking Edie. She’s not just a pretty face to rally around. No, she’s a driving force to hold accountable those responsible for her brother’s murder. She, Brando, Malden, and Cobb all create archetypes for future storytellers and actors to emulate: the soul-challenging female avenger, the tormented everyman, the personification of moral clarity, and the corrupt and powerful criminal (respectively). Few films before or since On the Waterfront wielded one or two of these kinds of roles as well as this film, let alone all four.

In the hands of a lesser filmmaker and lesser actors, parts of this film could have flopped as tired, clunky melodrama. What we got was game recognizing game and iron sharpening iron. Everyone rises to the occasion on this production. Throughout my work on this review, I regularly got sidetracked watching clips and just marveling at how well-executed every facet of this movie is. Only a few minor quibbles exist for me (like the falling body of Johnny clearly being a dummy), but in writing about how much I love this film, I feel conflicted. I may need to watch it again, because it may deserve my highest score. In the meantime, On the Waterfront stands tall as one of the greatest Best Picture winners and films of all time.

FINAL RATING: 4.5 out of 5