On the Waterfront (1954)
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A disgraced prizefighter must choose between his safety and his conscience in a world of union corruption.
The story
New York prizefighter Terry Malloy's career was cut short when he purposely lost a fight at the request of mob boss Johnny Friendly. Terry now works for Friendly's labor union as a longshoreman while his older, more educated brother Charley is Friendly's right-hand man. The film focuses on union violence and corruption among longshoremen, while detailing widespread corruption, extortion, and racketeering on the waterfronts of Hoboken, New Jersey. The narrative follows Terry as he becomes entangled in the dangerous reality of the docks, where he is pressured to participate in the criminal activities of the local syndicate.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Terry Malloy, a prizefighter who threw a fight for mob boss Johnny Friendly, works as a longshoreman under Friendly's control. After Terry is forced to witness the murder of a coworker, Joey Doyle, he is coerced into silence. However, his growing feelings for Joey's sister, Edie, and the influence of Father Barry, who is trying to organize the dockworkers, begin to change his resolve. After a series of tense confrontations and the death of his brother Charley, Terry decides to testify against Friendly. Following the hearing, Friendly is indicted. In a final confrontation, Terry stands with the other workers against Friendly's thugs, ultimately choosing to stand by his principles and no longer betraying himself.
- First release year
- 1954
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Elia Kazan
- Writers
- Budd Schulberg · writer
- Cast and characters
- Marlon Brando · Terry Malloy; Karl Malden · Father Barry; Lee J. Cobb · Johnny Friendly; Rod Steiger · Charley; Pat Henning · not specified; Eva Marie Saint · Edie Doyle
- Genres
- crime drama
- Themes
- alienation; corruption; integrity
- Tone and mood
- tense; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; labor movement; whistleblowing
- Source material / true-story basis
- Crime on the Waterfront by Malcolm Johnson and the screenplay by Budd Schulberg.
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- A critical and commercial success, it is considered one of the greatest films ever made and is noted for its significant impact on acting styles.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 99% · scale: percentage · review count: 111; Metacritic · score: 91 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · won; Academy Award · Best Actor · won; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · won; Academy Award · Best Director · won
- Production trivia
- The musical score was composed by Leonard Bernstein, his only original film score.; The film was one of the first 25 films to be deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress.; The film was filmed over 36 days on location in various places in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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