On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront is an action, romance, and gangster film all rolled into one. This fabulous movie didn’t have a single boring moment. I greatly enjoyed viewing it, and while I was being entertained, I was also being taught important life lessons. The film, On the Waterfront was very effective at delivering succinct, meaningful messages: do not lie and honor your responsibility to society. Terry Malloy tries to get away with lying to everyone about Joey Doyle’s death. He claims he doesn’t have information about the death of Joey, even though he was a collaborator in the murder. He finds out that his lies only cause trouble; Edie doesn’t like him, Father Barry is in danger, and more people are being killed on the waterfront. Terry realizes that he has stronger responsibilities to society than to himself. While attempting to save his own life, he comes to the realization that there are more people endangered by the mob than just him. He has the power to avoid more deaths resulting from the mob’s ownership of the pier by telling the truth in court. With just a few words from Terry, the mob won’t have control of the waterfront and Edie will once again love him. The message is clear and easy to understand for any viewer, making it an effective film.

On the Waterfront is set at the docks in New Jersey across the river from Manhattan. The environment is brutal and seedy. Everything is grimy and dirty; even the people are grimy from their harsh lives of work on the waterfront. Throughout the film, birds frequently appear as symbols. Terry has a coop of pigeons he takes care of for Joey after his death. These pigeons describe Terry’s personality. As the birds are kept in a cage, Terry is stuck in a cage of fear and guilt. Terry doesn’t like being under Johnny Friendly’s instruction, but he is afraid to leave this position. Toward the end of the movie, Terry is again symbolically represented through birds. Terry tells the Crime Commission of Johnny’s involvement in Joey’s death. Birds are noisy animals; like the birds, he is speaking out. The major theme of On the Waterfront is the importance of making moral choices based on social responsibilities. Terry is faced with the decision to save himself or tell the Crime Commission about Johnny Friendly being in charge of the docks, effectively saving others. He knows the moral thing is to rat on Johnny, but then Terry would have a good chance of being killed by Johnny or one of his henchmen.

Costuming is an important dramatic aspect of this film. It shows the environment in which the people working on the docks live. They have dirty, holey jackets that show the low-wage lifestyle the men live. Edie’s clothing also represents her personality. She wears modest black dresses, as she is in a Catholic school. She is not petty and vainglorious; instead she is concerned with others. Her focus throughout the film is to figure out how Joey died. Terry’s actions are shown through what he wears. Through most of the movie, he wears a plaid jacket, but after testifying in court, he dons Joey’s coat. Joey was killed for trying to speak out against Johnny Friendly, but Terry finally accomplishes this without being killed. Terry honors Joey by wearing his coat.

Marlon Brando did a fantastic job acting as Terry Malloy. Terry is a boy who simply wants to find himself. He sees what he wants to be, but cannot quite reach his aspirations. Terry knows the morally upstanding thing to do is to tell the authorities about the mob’s influence at the docks, but he doesn’t want his own life to end. He has another dilemma as well. Terry doesn’t know how to tell Edie about his involvement in her brother’s death. While watching the film, you can see the indecision and confusion on Brando’s face. He does a wonderful job acting out Terry’s mild stupidity and confusion. Brando is also very good at gaining sympathy from the audience. It is difficult to watch the clod and not feel sorry for the way he is treated by the mob and his coworkers at the docks. While trying to count money for Johnny Friendly, the mob boss, he finds it too difficult. The other men in the room ridicule him for his stupidity and the viewer feels bad for poor Terry. He also evokes sympathy when he is speaking to Father Barry. Brando wrinkles his forehead in worry when he speaks about possibly losing Edie. Brando plays up his part as Terry and makes the audience’s hearts reach out to him in sympathy. When Terry is very determined to accomplish something, Brando has a look of set determination. When he plans on going to the docks to fight Johnny Friendly, he knits his eyebrows and frowns. By looking at Brando, it’s obvious that he can’t be stopped by anyone or anything. Marlon Brando’s facial expressions show Terry’s moods throughout the movie.

Another well acted part is Edie Doyle played by Eva Marie Saint. Saint acts shy and polite just as a girl in Catholic school would; however, she sometimes boldly jumps out of this stereotypical shell. When Edie and Terry escape from the ambush during the secret meeting with Father Barry, Edie acts nervous and shy. Her eyes dart about when she begins to speak to Terry but soon she becomes bolder and surer of herself as she speaks to him. Even though she seems sure, she is still a bit wary of Terry. When he begins to walk her home, she holds back, unsure of Terry’s motives, but she eventually decides to go with him. Saint plays Edie’s personality perfectly.

Father Barry is also wonderfully acted by Karl Malden. The Father wants to determine the cause of Joey’s death and the unfairness on the docks. He knows Johnny Friendly and the mob are involved, but he wants the workers’ word to be sure. Malden acts stern with them to get information he wants. He tries to get information from everyone, but when Terry tries to tell him about Johnny Friendly, he ignores him because he dislikes Terry and has more important things to do. Once Father Barry realizes what Terry is trying to say, he changes his disposition completely. Malden’s cold shoulder turns into complete attention to Terry. Malden’s actions show Father Barry’s emotions.

Cinematic aspects accentuated important parts of the film. Low camera angles were used to show the superiority of Father Barry. As he is lifted from a ship hold after Timothy Dugan’s death, everyone is watching. Father Barry is raised above them, forcing them look up in order to see him. The working men and the mob are seen as inferiors to Father Barry. Sounds are also used as cinematic element in On the Waterfront. While Terry is telling Edie about his hand in Joey’s death, a fog horn blows. The horn represents Edie’s hurt and anguish from what Terry is telling her. Another cinematic aspect is used in the composition of scenes. When a man from the Crime Commissions office comes to the rooftop of the apartment buildings, Terry is in the pigeon coop while he is outside. The wall of the cage represents the mental wall between Terry and the officer. Terry doesn’t want to tell him anything, so he puts up his guard and tries to ignore him.

On the Waterfront is very similar to All My Sons in many ways. Multiple characters from each share motives and personalities. Joe Keller from the play is much like Terry Malloy from the film. They both want to do things for themselves instead of for others. Joe wanted a happy family, so he jeopardized soldiers’ lives by sending out cracked airplane parts. Terry wants to keep his job at the dock and stay alive, so he doesn’t tell the Crime Commission about Johnny Friendly’s involvement with the jobs on the waterfront. Both men want the best thing for themselves, but they are different as well. Joe goes along with his selfish scheme, but Terry changes his mind and testifies against Johnny in court. Other similar characters are Chris Keller and Father Barry, who both serve as foils to Joe and Terry. They believe decisions should be made based on social responsibilities. Chris is angry at his father for sending out broken parts, and Father Barry dislikes how Terry is keeping to himself instead of telling the Crime Commission what he knows. The moral dilemmas stated here are also similar. They deal with making moral decisions based on social and personal responsibilities. The resolution of this problem differs between On the Waterfront and All My Sons however. Terry decides to make his decision based on his social responsibility while Joe makes his based on personal responsibility.

On the Waterfront is about Terry Malloy who works for the mob boss Johnny Friendly. Johnny’s mob controls the docks on the waterfront and decides who gets to work. Terry helps the mob to murder Joey Doyle who wanted to tell the authorities about Johnny’s involvement with the docks. Terry falls in love with Joey’s sister Edie and decides he must do the right thing. He risks his life and tells the Crime Commission about Johnny. Terry and Johnny fist fight and Johnny wins the battle, but Terry hasn’t yet lost the war. Terry leads the dock workers to a ship and thus declares that they are free from Johnny’s authority. On the Waterfront includes Terry’s inner struggle with his ethical dilemma as well as the outer struggle when Terry and Johnny Friendly fight. I believe most people would enjoy this film because it has a little bit of everything. Terry’s inner struggle makes viewers think about the movie as they watch. Many people would have a hard time deciding what to do if they were in his position. This movie is also worth seeing because it shows viewers another point of view on life. Most people have a hard time connecting with Terry Malloy because he isn’t very bright, but seeing how he handles his dilemma shows how intelligence isn’t always the most important thing in life. Morals can be more important than intelligence. This film is an insightful, worthwhile film for everyone, so I highly recommend it.