English Paper- On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront Film Analysis
On the Waterfront, directed by Elia Kazan, is effective as a film, if slightly overdramatic, by utilizing the literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements that compose this medium. Symbolism, a literary element, is used throughout the movie, even in idle chatting scenes between Edie and Terry: “You know this city's full of hawks? That's a fact. They hang around on the top of the big hotels. And they spot a pigeon in the park. Right down on him”. Dramatic elements such as acting are obviously high quality in the film, as it won Best Actor in Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role as well as three nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Oscars for 1955. Cinematic elements also added to the film’s effectiveness, although the music was a little overly dramatic. On the Waterfront may have a few faults, but it is a truly effective film
One literary aspect used effectively in On the Waterfront was symbols. Throughout the film, different sorts of birds are used to represent groups of people and their relationships to each other. The situation of the pigeons describes especially well the plight of the longshoremen workers. In several scenes, one views the pigeons trapped in their wire cages, which, although provide them with protection from the hawks, also limit the pigeons freedom. One even questions the protection they provide as in the end it is the cages themselves that allow Terry’s young protégé to kill them so systematically. The cages function in relation to the pigeons much as the union functions in relation to the longshoremen. Originally, the union was meant to be protection for the workers, and although it limited their economic freedom slightly by requiring them to pay union dues, it also protected them from being abused by the companies. However, much as the cages backfire for the pigeons, the union actually is the cause of the abuse and fear in which the longshoremen are forced to live in. Both the pigeons and the workers are both in similar difficult situations resulting from their captivity.
Theme is another literary aspect integral to On the Waterfront. The importance of self-worth is made clear throughout the film as Terry Malloy struggles to ensure that he is not “a bum”. At the beginning of the film, he doesn’t have a very high opinion of himself after the quick end to his boxing career as brought about by his brother: “I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.” Even after he has testified before the court as to the illegal activities of Johnny Friendly and avenged his brother’s death, he still does not feel complete or at peace with himself. He is drawn down to the waterfront, where the exclusion of the other dockworkers obviously affects him deeply, causing him to go down and challenge Johnny Friendly. Even with the progress he has made against the mob in favor of the workers, Terry doesn’t yet feel as if he has earned the respect he craves, and his treatment of the longshoremen simply reaffirms this for him. Even though he loses the fight, his confrontation with Johnny Friendly shows how Terry has truly grown since the beginning of the film, where he was willing to betray someone who he would call a friend. Now, he is backing up his claim to take down Johnny Friendly. His status alteration in the eyes of the workers is evident as they ignore Johnny’s commands to return to work, even pushing him in the water. However, the event that truly transforms Terry seems to be his walk to the warehouse. Especially significant is the Father’s specification that he makes it alone. He is showing his self-worth in this moment, earning for himself. As he yells to Johnny, distancing himself from that group: “You think you’re God Almighty, but you know what you are? You’re a cheap, lousy, dirty, stinkin’ mug!” By succeeding without the help and guidance of others, Terry can finally have some respect for himself; show that he is not “a bum”.
Dramatic aspects are also effective in On the Waterfront. Costumes are one element that is used symbolically to provide a better understanding of the characters. Terry’s various coats show his affiliations throughout the film. In the beginning, Terry is wearing his plaid coat, which, although it is not as nice as the coats worn by the higher ranked mob members, it does distinguish him from the other longshoremen, seeming slightly nicer, more styled. After he begins to spend more time with Edie, and he defends Father Barry at Dugan’s death, Edie offers him Joey’s old coat, showing his conversion to the side of the workers, as well as the line of previous owners as “canaries” that he is going to follow. Another costume item that lends insight into the characters is something so insignificant, it is easy to miss: the blood dripping from Father Barry’s head as he presides over Dugan’s death. This small trivial line that appears on his head after being hit by a can shows his true dedication to the workers: instead of hiding within his church as Edie accuses him of at the beginning of the film, he is risking himself for their cause. He proceeds to deliver a rousing speech, and Terry himself protects the Father from his supposed mob comrades. In a way, the blood from Father Barry’s head shows the conversion of both himself and Terry to the side of the workers. Obviously, props are a significant dramatic aspect in On the Waterfront.
Another dramatic element used to great effect in the film in acting. Although not an extremely likeable character, Eva Marie Saint does an excellent job portraying Edie Doyle in On the Waterfront. Edie plays a remarkably significant role in the fight against the union mob, yet Eva Marie Saint ensures that she seems delicate and prone to a breakdown at the same time. Edie convinces Father Barry to become involved in his community by scrabbling for a token for her father; she convinces Terry to forsake his brother and testify in front of a court; she refuses to return to school because she wishes to discover the truth about her brother’s death; she even supports Terry at the end as he makes his walk up to the door to start the workers on a new era of fair employment. However, Edie simultaneously seems like a delicate creature, helpless against the fervor of Terry, unable to call out his name as he stalks down the alley almost to his death. Although this fragileness becomes slightly irritating at times, Eva Marie Saint’s unfaltering balancing act of Edie’s faint nature and capable acts is impressive.
Lee J. Cobb is another actor who does a tremendous job playing Johnny Friendly, the mob boss. Although the villain in On the Waterfront, Cobb gives a sense of dignity to Friendly, providing a background and a motivation for his despicable behavior. At the beginning of the film, as Johnny tries to ensure Terry’s loyalty in the pool room at his bar, his speech about his rise from the bottom to the top is oddly persuasive, the phrase “If we can, we are entitled to it” sticking in one’s head. Another particularly effective scene is after the trial as Johnny and his gang return to the union house, as Cobb shows Johnny’s frustration as he sees no way out of this mess, his childlike technique of taking out his anger on the ineptitude of his men. Overall, Lee J. Cobb portrays skillfully the complete Johnny Friendly character, both the positive and the negative.
The main character in On the Waterfront, Terry Malloy, has become one the most well known characters in film history due to the epic performance by Marlon Brando. Brando captures the conflicted emotions that Terry is feeling so well that even someone who has never been in a situation of the same degree feels a connection to him. A few scenes affix themselves in one’s mind due to Brando’s representation. One scene, when Terry takes Edie out for a drink, is a light-hearted scene with darker aspects that comes across clearly. Brando shows the tension within Terry, between his attraction to Edie and care for her, and his guilt over her brother’s death, by the awkwardness in which the conversation progresses between the two of them. Rude comments by Terry make the audience cringe, but one does not feel anger at Terry for his inconsiderateness; instead, the viewer can see this is Terry’s attempt at helping Edie cope with her brother’s death and his own attempt at assuage his conscience. Brando skillful combination of earnest looks and artless comments portray this clearly for the spectator. The scene of the fight and Terry’s eventual triumph over Johnny Friendly is another that adheres to one’s mind because of Brando’s performance. This success by Terry, which has been expected from the beginning of the movie, could have turned out extremely badly: more of a cheesy affair than anything else. However, Brando keeps the audience absorbed by the determination with which Terry withstands the obvious pain and the independence which he gains as he walks by himself to the warehouse. The power of this scene is definitely due to Brando’s stirring performance.
Cinematic aspects are the final piece of the puzzle in On the Waterfront. Shadow is used effectively in the scene of Dugan’s death, as the net used to haul up the crates (the cause of the death) cast a shadow over the crowd assembled to pay their respect. It is interesting to note that this net doesn’t cast a shadow, or the blame, just on the mob members who arranged Dugan’s death, but on his friends and the people who cared about him. This effect shows how, by not reporting the crimes of the union, everyone present is in some way responsible for the demise of Dugan. Alternately, one could see the nets shadow as representative of the plight of the workers, as they are trapped by the mob member much the way Dugan was. Shadow is used extremely effectively in this scene. Another cinematic element used well in the film was the angle of shots. In the first scene, after Terry stops by Joey’s house to send him to the roof, one views the building through a low angle. This has a two-fold effect: it gives an ominous and powerful feel to the building and the actions of the mob, and builds suspense as to the events transpiring up on the roof, as the viewer is unable to see the action and can only hear the sounds. A high angle shot is also used to great effect in the scene at the docks as the boss chooses the workers for the day. After selecting the ones that he wishes to work, he scatters the tokens on the ground and the men go crazy. A high angle shot is used during this scene, portraying the men on the ground fighting for the tokens as low, almost pig-like, without respect for themselves as they are willing to scrabble around on the ground, much to the amusement of the mob members. The viewer is repulsed by the spectacle of grown men with so little self-respect and the lack of pity by the union. A third cinematic aspect in On the Waterfront is the use of sound, specifically in the scene where Terry confesses to Edie his role in the death of her brother. Although the camera focuses quite clearly on their heated discussion, one can only hear snippets of the conversation, mostly of Edie’s grief. The loud sounds of business of the waterfront, of the cranes and barges doing their work as usual primarily cover up the exchange between the two main characters, which may seem rather odd. However, one gets the sense in this scene that this struggle between what’s right and what seems easiest is not one that pertains only to Edie and Terry; instead, with the obnoxious sounds of the waterfront work, one is reminded that this conflict is being played out in everyone of the workers mind. In a sense, the specific words that Terry uses, or exactly how Edie expresses her grief: these details are not important. By omitting them, one can apply this clash of ethics to many people and many situations on the waterfront.
Much as On the Waterfront deals with the personal and public effects of a moral decision, Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons explores the multiple obligations one has both to family and to strangers. The main characters, Terry and Chris, share many similarities. Firstly, both Terry and Chris struggle to decide which party they have more loyalty to: those they know the best, or strangers. In Chris’ case, his father is the one that he has esteemed all his life. However, he also feels that the mothers of these dead soldiers have some right to know the cause of their child’s death. Unfortunately, Chris’ own mother convolutes this matter more by urging Chris not to turn his father in, even after her own son has perished in the war. Terry has a similar situation in that he is torn between his obligation to two groups: to the mob, which not only contains his brother but also a childhood mentor of his, Johnny Friendly (“He used to take me to ball-games”), and to his community as a whole, which would benefit greatly without the mob running the union. To complicate Terry’s decision, the only way that he could truly put and end to the illegal mob activity would be to go to the police, an action frowned upon by the community, so that in helping them, he would be earning their disapproval. Secondly, both characters maintain the added complication of a forbidden love. Terry is wooing Edie, the sister of the man whose death is on his conscience. Chris proposes to his dead brother’s girlfriend, Annie. Both of them use these leading women in their lives to help them make the right decision: Annie and Edie act as moral compasses. Thirdly, after both Chris and Terry chose the “hard way” regarding their ethical decisions, they experience both a win and a loss regarding their choices. Chris finds the internal strength to confront his father, who admits he is wrong. He, with the help of Annie, forces his mother to realize that she must forget the past. However, in the process his father feels forced to commit suicide, which is a terrible loss for Chris. Terry, after testifying in court, does not feel satisfied with his success. Instead, he seeks out Johnny Friendly to prove to him the man he is the “waterfront” way. Although he loses the fistfight to Johnny, becoming badly beaten up, he also wins the workers over to his side, which is evident as they refuse Johnny’s demands that they return to work and wait until their comrade Terry is with them. Both Terry from On the Waterfront and Chris from All My Sons share many aspects regarding their loyalties on a tough ethical decision.
Overall, the film On the Waterfront is an effective film. So much detail was paid upon the smallest things, adding to the depth of the film. It skillfully combined literary aspects such as symbolism in small things like props and costumes without weighing down the film, as it was still enjoyable to watch. The variety of shots used truly added to the impression upon the viewer, making the film more interesting and adding to one’s understanding of the characters. Terry was an enjoyable character to watch in that he wasn’t perfect, not even close. He was an awkward individual when it came to romancing Edie, he struggled to decide where his loyalties lay, yet in the end he triumphed. The famous scene where he makes his stand to his brother Charley is particularly affecting because Terry hasn’t truly shown and inclination to stand up for either side before this point, yet here his is convincing his brother to go to his own death. Another powerful (if slightly overemotional) scene was the walk from the union house to the loading dock, because even though Terry had lost, he won. He prevailed against Johnny Friendly, even when his community was not supporting him. My only criticism would be that the film was rather overly dramatic, with much of it seeming musical-like. Although in some aspects this may increase the effectiveness of a production, in this case I felt that it detracted from the film’s emotional appeal, as it made the characters and their struggles seem staged and harder to relate to. However, because of several stellar scenes I would have to say that On the Waterfront is an effective film in getting it’s message across.