Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront serves as a powerful, albeit complicated reminder of a strange time in Hollywood history, though that isn’t saying much. The film abounds with artistic merit, yet separating the art from the artist(s) is an especially difficult case here. Coming up on the its 51st birthday, there’s no better time for a retrospective on when the cold war meets Hollywood’s golden age.
First off, I’m gonna dive into some of my favorite shots.
Shadows, depth, mood, and visual storytelling are used with complete mastery over the medium. Boris Kaufman shoots using outdoor locations with Mitchell BNC cameras. The black and white filmstock is perfectly grainy and rich and exactly what On the Waterfront calls for.
Kazan, a student of acting himself, was known to go for realism in his actors performances. Terry Malloy played by the late great Marlon Brando is a complex and flawed hero. Self proclaimed bum with a tough exterior and plenty of heart. Edie Doyle played by the seasoned veteran, (checks notes) first time actress Eva Marie Saint. Both of which won academy awards for their performances. Terry, a dock worker with mob connections, learns the errors of his ways and fights for justice. A classic underdog story with a pro union/anti corruption message and therein lies the controversy. To get to the fundamental issues we have to look to 1938 and the formation of HUAC.
The House Un-American Committee was formed by Texas politician Martin Dies Jr. Investigators took aim at organizations and private individuals with suspected communist ties. The suspects were often put on trial and subsequently blacklisted. During the early 1950’s there was an especially inflammatory politician by the name of Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was famous for his baseless public accusations which brought on the so called second red scare. The era of McCarthyism was especially tough on the film industry. On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan and writer Budd Schulberg testified as ”friendly” witnesses before the HUAC. Kazan, a Turkish born Greek, admittedly was a member of the communist party early in his career with the Group Theatre. While refusing to name names initially, in 1952 Kazan gave up eight members of the Group Theatre who had been communists. These members include Clifford Odets, J. Edward Bromberg, Lewis Leverett, Morris Carnovsky, Phoebe Brand, Tony Kraber, Ted Wellman, and Paula Miller. Budd Schulberg gave out the names of fifteen suspected communists.
The film leads up to the dramatic testimony of Terry when he speaks out against mob boss Johnny Friendly at a great personal risk. He exposes the truth and says what so many are afraid to say. Though Budd Schulberg contends the film was about the trials of longshoremen, many in and out of the industry viewed it as Kazan’s defense to speaking up. In one of the many memorable monologues, Brando’s Terry Malloy confronts Johnny after the testimony saying “You think you’re God almighty, but you know what you are? You’re a cheap, lousy, dirty, stinkin’ mug and I’m glad what I done to you”. If this is in fact a defense of Kazan, it’s unabashed to say the least.
An absolute masterpiece of a film tarred with the legacy of a director who sought to defend his actions. It’s important to understand the time and context of his actions, yet it’s even more important to understand the consequences of them. Multiple of the group members Kazan named were either blacklisted completely or coerced into giving up names to avoid the same fate. In 1999 Kazan was presented with the lifetime achievement award by the academy where several audience members elected to silently protest. Despite the complex legacy, On the Waterfront is made with incredible skill from a one of the most influential directors of Hollywood’s golden age.
Available on Max and Criterion.
