On the Waterfront (1954)

Directed by Elia Kazan. Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, John F. Hamilton, James Westerfield, Leif Erickson, Fred Gwynne.

Compelling story of corruption and conscience, with Brando’s longshoreman and former boxer finding his loyalty to his criminal cronies (including big brother Steiger) being tested by the pressure to do right and testify before the Crime Commission. Cobb is the shady union boss; Malden the priest with a voice of reason; Saint the sister of a murdered worker, attracting Brando’s sympathy and affection. A showcase for well-crafted melodramatic writing with a purpose—the specific elements may be familiar, but they’re assembled with the precision of a craftsman; even more so, it features a trove of galvanizing performances (the main cast had no shortage of great pieces of acting in their careers, yet rarely were any of them better than they were here). No matter how many times someone watches it, the famous scene inside the cab always packs a wallop. Made in part by Kazan as a response to the negative reaction he received after appearing before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, a decision that remains hugely controversial to this day; less controversial is this film’s status as a masterpiece, marred only by a couple instances of overbearing use of Leonard Bernstein’s otherwise terrific score. Earned eight Academy Awards including Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress and Screenplay (by Budd Schulberg, based on Malcolm Johnson’s Pultizer-winning series of news articles).

97/100