On the Waterfront--discussion

This film is set during an era of union corruption something today while still prevelant within many industries “they” have learned to be more discreet. The first viewing of the film failed to hold my attention the opening didn’t really gather up my attention early on, small dock house next to a very large ship seemed irrelevant.  As the men left going different ways, it left me wondering what this movie was about. With the setting during the mid-50s, the media had no influence on me about this film. Today’s films, plot, music, and even cinematography is often discussed prior the films initial showing.

Director brilliance, I found that in one of the early scenes between Marlon Brando and Karl Malden, director Elia Kazan used a boat whistle to cover up the salty language within their conversation. Brando was explaining his involvement in a set-up murder; a few minutes later the Kazan again uses this technique to again cover the vulgar language while Brando confessed to Eva Maria Saint that he saw who pushed Joey off the roof. Today’s films use of salty and/or vulgar language isn’t covered up, it’s used to enhance various moods, web site “Askmen.com” lists the top 10 most vulgar movies.  http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-worst-movie-edits-for-tv.html.

James Berardinelli reviewed the film in July 1954, “Over the years, many critics have praised On the Waterfront for having what has been called a nearly perfect screenplay. Written by Budd Schulberg (based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles by Malcolm Johnson that originally appeared in The New York Sun), the script has the unmistakable ring of truth (despite the altered, upbeat ending). For the most part, it neither proselytizes nor preaches, and deals with its central subject with a candor that many movies of the era lacked. Watching the film today, some fifty years after its initial release, it requires little effort to span the half-century between now and then; Schulberg's screenplay makes it easy to understand the situation, even though the entire political climate has undergone a major upheaval since then.” Two thumbs up.