Blog #2 On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront

            A film surrounded gang and mob activity is definitely something that peaked my interest. Knowing that Marlon Brando was in the film also made me excited to view the film. I was especially interested in comparing it with other mob movies such as The Departed, which is one of my personal favorite movies. Before seeing the movie, I was excited to see the growth and evolution of mob movies and compare the two movies a little bit. Other than previously viewing mob type movies, I had no background for “On the Waterfront.” This made me open to the film and the ideas in it. However, a little background may have helped me identify some of the actors and characters in the film. When that identification happens, the viewer can really focus on the film and the symbolism of the events in the film.

            Once again, the film was hard for me to track down. I ended up watching it online just as I had watched “Casablanca.” It was hard to keep my interest with a lot of other distractions around. Watching the movie in a theater would have been a much, much better option. The viewing environment has such a huge effect on the movie. If full attention is not paid to a film, the viewer can miss a lot of dialogue and meaning in the scenes. Therefore, a film can be much more intriguing and thought-provoking if there are no distractions. Also, the people you watch it with can really set a tone for the whole film. If the people you watch it with are willing to pay attention and not be distracting, the viewing experience is much more enhanced. I watched On the Waterfront alone, which allowed me to focus a bit more. The audio was a little quiet compared to other films I have recently seen, so again my interest level was affected by that.

            I have noticed that in many mobster movies, a religion aspect is used. In “On the Waterfront”, the usage of a priest presents a stark contrast. It seems that directors and writers of mob movies draw a thin line between the crimes the mobsters commit and having a deep belief in religion. I feel that they do this to create an emotional aspect for the viewer. They paint the mobsters as “normal” people much like the viewers, but the crimes they commit make them much, much different. This draws the viewers in because of the “common man” theme, but these men have a very dark side with criminal problems. I found it interesting that the film uses the aspect of D&D (Deaf and Dumb) when questioning people about the mob activities. I have seen this a lot in other films where mobsters won’t talk about the other mobsters, but this is the first film I have seen that has put a label on it.

            Once again, I was smitten by the lead female actress in a film. I thought Ingrid Bergman really popped in “Casablanca.” Eva Marie Saint is no different for me in “On the Waterfront.” She really stands out in her scenes in the film. While I didn’t find her overly attractive in the movie, her blonde hair accompanied with her acting and dialogue really pulled me into her character in the film.

            What made this film so interesting to me and I would imagine, other viewers, is the universal theme of personal struggles that the characters went thru with the union. Anytime there is death of a loved one, an emotional attachment is created with the viewers. These feelings of loss and mourning will last until the end of time, no matter how old the film is. There is a strong moral implication involved in this film because someone was murdered and people have information about the murder but, because of the mob activity, people aren’t inclined to talk. This is a great moral dilemma that creates the drama that good films are all about.

            Upon researching the film a little more after viewing it, I found that it was filmed on location in Hoboken, New Jersey in the slums and alleyways. I am not sure if this was standard practice in those days, but wow….did it add the realism of the film. I also learned that the film was based on a series of newspaper articles detailing the corruption on the water in some boroughs of New York. This just adds to the effect of the film for me. To know that it was based on a true story, adds to the great emotional effects of the film. I think that if a person knows that the events in the film they are watching are real or have a good chance of being realistic, they will be more emotionally invested in the film.

            As stated in the textbook “The Art of Watching Films,” Marlon Brando’s character achieves a triumphant victory in the film. Brando’s character Terry Malloy attains dignity by leading his fellow shore men against their corrupt union even though he reveals his personal feelings regarding failure about his boxing career. He feels like he isn’t anything because of his supposed failures in boxing. He seemingly tries to make that right by his work in leading his co-workers in rebellion in the film. This is highlighted in the book in Chapter 2 as the struggle for human dignity. Brando achieves his dignity thru a different avenue in the movie. He displays the courage he thought he didn’t have previously with the shore men.

            The ending was when it all came together. I felt a strong emotional attachment to Brando’s character Malloy. After testifying against his union boss Friendly, Brando is denied being hired as a shore man even though everyone else is hired. This really created empathy as well as sympathy for me and is a universal theme in the movie. Everyone feels bad for a person that is an outcast because they did what was right. The moral struggle really reached a head towards the end of the film. The people involved with the film did a great job of building up to last scene where the suspense and action reach an apex. The emotions that were brought out in me made this film a really good film. Brando and Marie Saint made the film for me. Their acting drew me in. I would recommend this film to a lot of people. The contrast in mob films is a significant one. There was a lot of focus on dialogue with a few action scenes, which seems to be reversed in modern day mob films. The very end of the film, where Brando appears to receive a job is the ultimate scene where the viewer leaves feeling good about the film. However, a big question remains, how did Terry end up? What kind of problems did he encounter after the fact? Overall, I would give this film a 7.5/10.