On the Waterfront film review

On the Waterfront

In the movie On the Waterfront, directed by Elia Kazan, Terry Malloy struggles with his morals trying to decide if he should turn the mob in for their wrong doings. I think that this movie was extremely entertaining and effective. It showed Terry’s moral struggles and was a great example of ‘whistle blowing’. Both sides of the ethical dilemma were shown, but in the end Terry did the thing that was right and moral: he took down the mob. Not only did On the Waterfront excite and interest me, it helped me understand the ‘whistle blowing’ concept, and in that sense, the movie was effective.
Three literary elements depicted in the film are point of view, symbolization, and theme. The point of view was third person because there were no voice over narrations and no one character was present in every scene. However, even though the film is in third person, Terry’s emotions were conveyed well and he was made out to be the hero of the movie. Symbols in the film include the doves, Terry’s hook, and the work tickets. The doves symbolize the tender side of Terry and show that he is different from the rest of the mob as the other mob members would think raising doves to be a waste of time and child-like. Terry’s hook shows unity with the other work men since they all carry one, but it is also symbolizes the rights of the work men that Terry stood up for. The work tickets symbolize the power that the mob has over their workers. The tickets show that the mob controls the money that the men make and therefore control their lives. A theme depicted in On the Waterfront is that one man can make a large difference. Terry brought down the mob that was doing so much injustice almost single-handedly. He was just an average guy, as he referred to himself as a ‘bum’, yet he was able to make all the difference for the many people the mob affected. Another theme is justice; the mob got what they deserved for killing innocent people and committing illegal actions. Not only are there literary aspects present in the movie, dramatic aspects are as well.
Dramatic elements in On the Waterfront include actors, their performances, and costume and make-up. Marlon Brando, who played Terry Malloy, did a great job at his role and kept the viewer’s attention throughout the film. He had the ‘I’m just an average Joe’ attitude down perfectly and was a character that people could relate to and like. Lee J. Cobb, who played Johnny Friendly, the mob boss, was also a great casting decision because he had the whole mobster accent and fit the stereotypical idea of a mob boss. He was cold-hearted and had only his best interests in mind. He also looked the part: physically fit, middle-aged, and a square jaw. On the other hand, a casting decision that I disagreed with was the role of Edie, played by Eva Marie Saint, because she seemed cold and laid back. I would have liked to see some more emotion and passion from her, especially because she was the only main female role, but I don’t think that she embraced Edie’s character. Edie was supposed to be a nun, but she didn’t follow the rules of the church and she contradicted herself more than once which angered me. As for the costumes and make-up, I think that the film makers put a lot of thought into it. The blood on Terry’s face at the end was fake looking and a bit disgusting, but there were other aspects that can make up for that. The clothing that the characters wore was popular in the late 1940s and greatly added to the time period of the film. Pieces of clothing included fedoras and trench coats which contribute to the overall mob feeling and draw you into the movie. Johnny Friendly was smoking a cigar in at least one scene and it emphasized his “big man” character and showed how he didn’t have any remorse for the death of Joey Doyle. Dramatic aspects of the film pulled the movie together and set its dark, secretive mood.
Cinematic aspects, such as the use of shadow, camera movement, and camera angle, add meaning to On the Waterfront. In more than one scene, there will be a shadow on someone’s face or the scenery, giving the feeling that there is a secret. Closer to the beginning of the film, Edie and Pop Doyle are standing in front of a brick wall having a conversation and their shadows are cast upon the wall. The shadow gives the notion that their conversation is to be private and not overheard by anyone. As for camera movement, there is a rack focus when Terry is walking to the pier. The camera shakes around when it is showing Terry’s view, demonstrating how beat up he is and how hard it is for him to walk each step. The rack focus helps show how much effort Terry is putting forth and the kind of determination he has, making him a hero. Lastly, there was a definite flat angle when Terry and Edie were talking at the restaurant. The angle shows that they understand each other and trust one another. By analyzing the cinematic elements in depth, we are better able to comprehend the main idea of the movie.
Both On the Waterfront and Arthur Miller’s All My Sons deal with the concept of ‘whistle blowing’ and many similarities can be drawn between the two works. Parallels between Joe Keller and Charley Friendly are that they both knowingly committed wrong doings, resulting in the deaths of innocent people. However, Joe Keller feels remorse towards the end of All My Sons and Johnny Friendly shows no remorse throughout On the Waterfront. Terry and Chris are alike because they both had to make the ultimate decision of whether to blow the whistle or not in the end of the play and movie. Terry followed his morals by standing up for the working men and turned the mob in while Chris’s decision was tougher to make because it was his own father he would be selling out. Chris told his father that he had the intention of turning him in, yet he wasn’t able to go through with it because Joe shot himself. Both Terry and Chris were heroic because they followed their morals and blew the whistle. Edie and Annie can also be compared because they were stuck in the middle of the moral dilemmas and helped the protagonists, Terry and Chris, come to conclusions as to the actions they should take. Annie loved Chris despite the fact that Joe had put her father in jail and Edie fell in love with Terry even though he was associated with the mob that had killed her brother. However, as the movie continues, Edie realizes that Terry had a role in Joey’s death and she refuses to speak to him until she sees that he never meant to hurt Joey and he wants to fight the mob. Annie still loves Chris because they find the truth about the planes and Chris knows that his father’s actions were wrong. The story lines and issues that each character deals with are extremely similar in On the Waterfront and All My Sons.
I recommend this movie, On the Waterfront, to everyone mature enough to comprehend it. The film describes an interesting time period in American history and will captivate the audience. The movie gives the viewer a lot to consider, like, what would you do if you were in Terry Malloy’s situation? Terry was just an average guy who wanted to see justice served, and with his determination, he succeeded and brought down the mob. On the Waterfront is a classic movie that teaches the idea of doing the right thing no matter how difficult it may be and I think that is a great life lesson that people struggle with every day.