STACK #180 Oct 2019

had changed his mind and was now cast for the lead. Sinatra filed a lawsuit against Spiegel which was later settled out of court. The plot of the film revolves around Terry Malloy (Brando), a likeable loafer who had an unsuccessful career as a boxer. He hangs around NYC's docks carrying out favours for union boss-racketeer Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). Following one of Friendly's orders, he realises too late that he was used to set up an uncooperative docker to be murdered. His guilt is compounded when he meets the dead man's sister, Edie (Eva Marie Saint). Unaware of Terry's involvement in the act, she and Father Barry (Karl Malden), a tough- minded waterfront priest, ask him to help them to bring the racketeers to justice. He tells them that if he talks his life wouldn't be worth a plug nickel. One of the racketeers is Terry's older brother Charley (Rod Steiger), a crooked lawyer working for the Mob. Friendly instructs Charley to see to it that his kid brother keeps his mouth shut or else. This leads to the movie's iconic scene of the two brothers meeting in the back of a taxi-cab. As they talk, Terry begins to see things more clearly than before and suddenly realises the true character of Charley, who had consciously manipulated him into losing his crucial boxing match years earlier. Brando now delivers his famous lines of DID YOU KNOW?: In 1952 both Kazan and Schulberg gave testimony before the House Un-American Activities (HUAC), in which they had named former movie associates as members of the Communist Party – although most of them were no longer members. Heavily criticised by many in Hollywood, On the Waterfront has been interpreted as justifying Kazan and Schulberg's cooperation with HUAC.

Fact: Brando's first Oscar nomination for A Streetcar Named Desire (also directed by Elia Kazan) marked the first of his four consecutive nominations for Best Actor (1951-54). A record he held for over 20 years until matched by Al Pacino.

Director Elia Kazan and Marlon Brando on location in Hoboken NJ

himself on the witness stand, clearly implies that it is far from being the end of high-level racketeering on the docks. On the Waterfront is a skilful piece of American film drama. It is Kazan at the peak of his career, at a time when he was most

agony and regret: "You was my brother Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. It was you Charley". A now thoroughly chastened Charley passes Terry a hand-gun telling him, "Here take it – you'll need Four of the eight Oscar winners for On theWaterfront : Bud Schulberg (Best Screenplay), Elia Kazan (Best Director), Boris Kaufman (Best Cinematography), and Richard Day (Best Art Direction)

capable of getting significant and compelling performances from his main cast of actors (who had all studied at Kazan's prestigious Actors Studio in New York) – especially Marlon Brando's ingenious and electrifying portrayal of Terry Malloy. His anguished interpretation of a passive dockworker, who transforms himself into a crusader against mob-controlled trade union tyranny, elevated Brando from a gifted newcomer to the most important actor in motion pictures. The movie was a critical and commercial success and received Fact: Elia Kazan admitted to being extremely nervous whilst filming on location near mafia operated businesses and hangouts. Local racketeers connected to the Mob were constantly watching the production and occasionally intimidating the cast and crew. When Kazan was nearly beaten up by one of the hoodlums, he employed an armed bodyguard for the rest of the location shoot. twelve Academy Award nominations. In a rare breakthrough for an independent production, it amassed five acting nominations and was the first ever to boast three nominees in the same category. Rod Steiger, Lee J. Cobb and Karl Malden were all nominated for Best Supporting Actor, which unfortunately split their votes. However, the film won a total of eight Oscars including ones for Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Elia Kazan, Bud Schulberg and Sam Spiegel.

it". Friendly has Charley murdered and his body is hung up in an alley as a warning to Terry. After finding his dead brother, Terry sets out to shoot Friendly, but Father Barry convinces him to fight Friendly by testifying against him in court. Terry's testimony will spell the end of Johnny Friendly. However, a brief scene in which an affluent looking man watches the hearings on television and switches it off when Friendly makes a fool of

The iconic taxi-cab scene with Rod Steiger and Marlon Brando

Join STACK ’s resident filmhistorian Bob J and our community of cinema buffs to have your say eachmonth in ' Bob J’s Classic Movie Club ' Facebook group.

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