On The Waterfront (1954)

I think it was about halfway through the movie that I realized the acting was something to behold as groundbreaking and even electrifying. I stopped the movie after the priest's speech to the dock workers (an absolute high point in the film) to see if the actor, Karl Malden, won the Supporting Actor Oscar for that year. Although he did not (surprising), what was even more surprising was that he and two other actors (Lee Cobbs and Rod Steiger) also received Supporting Actor nominations. To add to this, both Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint won the Actor and Actress categories. Aha, Sherlock, proof that the movie's acting really did have something exciting going on. The story, you see, is nothing extraordinary; a man unites against the mob and stands up for the common worker. I did not know, however, that the movie stands as an allegory for Elia Kazan's testimony against fellow Communists within Hollywood. What an interesting idea, then, to find a reason for "ratting out your friends", something that the gangsters in Goodfellas would never do.

While not fully impressed with Eva Marie Saint, Marlon Brando is something to see. I know that's not really news, but he does possess a warmth that lets you in as fast as it pushes you away. It's like hovering near a fire: it draws you in, but stand too close and the heat snaps you away from it. Certain actors like Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson possess a masculinity that defines their character; Brando is the same. And what's interesting about all three of these actors is the sensitivty that intermixes with their hyper machismo. Brando seems to whisper half of his lines, a boxer with a broken heart. I can't tell if his Terry Malloy's eyes are welted up from previous boxing matches or welted shut from the sadness that his character continues to give off.

His "I coulda been a contender" speech is startling because the parodies of it are so different than the actual speech. If only most people who knew the line in popular culture knew what he was actually talking about, who he was actually talking to, the line would have so much more resonance than just a catch phrase. It hurts for him to admit what he was, and what he has become. The film has moments like the taxi scene, and the priest's rousing of the men, and the final showdown that really lift the movie into the inspirational category. It's always a good thing when you';re sitting in your chair, secretly cheering for one guy against another. You don't see that much more in Hollywood; the lines have blurred too much. I think this is the movie that Rocky Balboa grew up watching.