On the Waterfront 1954
This is another legendary movie that somehow I had never seen, so I was glad to finally get a chance to borrow it using a Screen Pass, getting to see the 4k version (which seems to have primarily preserved and enhanced film grain). Given the level of acclaim for this movie (8th on the 1997 AFI Top 100 list) it is hard not to go in with overly high expectations. I had recently watched Twelve Angry Men which a lot of people compared to this movie (maybe since they share cinematographer Boris Kaufman) so I kind of expected a stagey drama, a little preachy, and probably dark. Instead a lot of the movie is a romance between Marlon Brando and Eve Marie Saint. Instead of over the top acting, Brando is pretty understated and realistic, a guy questioning his role in life, but certainly not afraid to go in whatever direction he decides to go. And the movie isn’t as preachy as I feared, really almost more of a mob movie from the perspective of mob victims. Karl Malden is great as usual, almost too easy for him, and Eve Marie Saint seems a little overly glamorous, but does a great job. I wasn’t crazy about how the movie ended, but maybe I’ve seen too many movies with witness protection programs. I do like how Brando is manipulated into testimony when the agent brings up his boxing. The movie relies on character development so it is nice they can work that in, leading up to the big “contender” speech, which I had no idea took place in a car. The movie is a little slow, but it spends time on establishing characters and motivations, which pay off in the end.
Written: 05 May 2021
Owned on: Digital