Review of On the Waterfront (1954) by Filipeneto — 03 Nov 2020

"On The Waterfront" is a classic that instills respect in any cinema lover. The way the film explores the dialogues and interpretive skills of the cast is the best it has: the actors have excellent material and were brilliantly directed by Elia Kazan. The result is evident: a film that is a work of art and a piece of culture and memory, which won eight Oscars at that time (Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Black-and-White Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Editing), which is always an achievement.

The story is very interesting and revolves around the control that a small group of criminals have over a New York dockers' union: after the murder of a docker, young ex-boxer Terry Malloy begins to distance himself from the mob boss Johnny Friendly and, greatly encouraged by Father Barry, chooses to denounce what is happening to the authorities, aware that he will pay the consequences.

The strongest point of the film is its excellent story, and the eloquent and excellent way in which the cast worked and performed, reinforced by memorable and extremely high quality dialogues. The film is full of quotes worth mentioning and anthological moments, such as the great and tense dialogue between Terry and Friendly in the back of the taxi or Terry's suffering and pain-filled walk, even in the final part of the film. I have always said that a good story and capable actors are the key to making a great film, and "On The Waterfront" is proof of my idea: without artifices, effects and decorations, it focus on the essential things and get everything it want.

The great cast is excellently directed by Kazan, who achieved with this film one of the most impressive and remarkable works of his career as a director. Marlon Brando is a good actor and achieves stardom with this film, where he was still far from the roles of the sunset of his career. Lee J. Cobb is very good in the role of mobster: discreet, he gave the character a personality that swings dangerously and quickly between sympathy and brutality. Eva Marie Saint is extremely effective in her role, although the film is poorly tailored for female characters and she appears only to be the love interest of Brando and the sister of the dead docker. Karl Malden brings to life the most human and most influential character in the entire film: a Catholic priest who does not shy away from using the pulpit to fight what he believes to be evil and wicked, even if he eventually has to suffer.

Technically, it is an extremely discreet film. There are no visual or special effects that go far beyond the most basic. The cinematography, in black and white, is very good and is loaded with a very welcome elegance. The sets and costumes are equally good and are in accordance with the period, the environment and the social context. The soundtrack is not particularly impressive, but bets on elegant and pleasant enough jazz themes.