Back at it...

...with one I wrote about last year.

Corruption pervades this stop on the quest to watch the AFI Top 100 (10th Anniversary Edition).

Because of course it does.

Film 65

65.  "On The Waterfront" (AFI Rank #19)

This film was ranked #8 the first time the list of Top 100 films came out, back in 1997.  It, and "The Graduate" were the only two booted from the top 10 in 2007, and both settled in at the bottom of the next 10.  The list shuffled a bit, and "Vertigo" and "Raging Bull" wound up in the top 10.  Of course, none of that means anything, but I feel as if both films that were downgraded suffer because...well...because they've aged a bit. 

Starring Marlon Brando at the height of his powers, and directed by Elia Kazan, this film tells the perhaps over-simplified story of mafia influence on the docks in New Jersey, and the crushing burdens borne by the union longshoremen.  

The film sets its tone immediately, as our protagonist, the well-meaning but relatively street smart Terry Malloy shouts at a buddy of his to meet him on the roof, as Terry has had one of his friend's cherished racing pigeons return to him.  From the street, we can see that there are other people waiting for Joe Doyle on the roof, and in a few moments, Doyle is launched from the roof, crashing dead on the ground.  Later in the film, Terry talks about hawks in the city, and how they wait on the rooftops for pigeons, and we get our first real "ah-ha" moment of symbolism.  Combine that with the multitude shots of Terry in the pigeon coop on the roof, or looking at him from inside the coop, but the ever present chicken wire lets us know that Terry ain't no hawk.

The principle bad guy in this film is Johnny Friendly, played, in typical fashion, by Lee J. Cobb.  Friendly has been skimming off the top of the union dues, as well as extorting the men for extra protection money for years.  His control over the men is absolute, and they all find themselves so desperate that they will do just about anything to get a button to work that day.  More symbolism...there's a moment when the union buttons are thrown over the workers' heads, and they scramble, pecking at them on the dock....like pigeons.  They claw and scratch at each other, just trying to get a day's pay.  It's haunting imagery.  
Thrown into all of this is the kid sister of Joe Doyle, Edie, played by Eva Marie Saint in her (Oscar Winning) film debut.  Also inserted into the plot is the Father Barry (Karl Malden), the well-meaning local parish priest who sees his flock behaving like beaten men, and exhorts them to rise up and fight the crooks.  He fills their heads with the righteous idea that the laws of the United States can help them, and that if they trust him, he can help them stand up to Friendly's bunch.  

It is funny, at this time, for me, anyway, to know that one of the things that Hollywood wanted this film to portray was the mafioso as communists.  Oligarchs, yes, but communists?  In this day and age, there is nothing about what goes on in this film that feels like anything but runaway, unchecked capitalism.  Thugs with power get more and more power from beating down the workers.  What about that was in "The Communist Manifesto?"  Oh.  I know.  That THOSE kind of people were actually the enemy of the communists.  It is truly terrifying that our political discourse was so weak that no one actually bothered to check, just asked for the shift.  It is more sad that I'd bet a bunch of people today still wouldn't get how misguided thinking the bosses are communists still is.  

Acting in this is ambitious, to say the least, and Brando methods all over the film.  His movements, his business, everything comes from a place of thinking about it, then making it just flow from him.  Kazan called it the greatest male performance on film.  I'd say Kazan is crazy, and that Brando has one better all by himself, not to mention outstanding pieces of film acting like DiCaprio in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?," or Ed Harris in just about everything he does, or DeNiro in...well....everything DeNiro did before he got too DeNiro-y.  Not even mentioning old masters, those are just the modern ones.  Yes, Brando is great in this.  If I wanted to teach a class, and use an example, though, it wouldn't be this performance.  I'd reference it, but I'd demand my class watch "The Godfather."

The most famous scene in this film is a taxicab ride featuring Terry and his older brother, Charlie, one of Friendly's high ranking officers in his little enterprise.  In this scene, Terry explains to Charlie that his life could have been different if he'd been allowed to fly free.  Instead, he had to take a dive in a fight, because that's what Johnny needed, and Terry was discarded, a tool to be used by Friendly any time he needed him.  Terry, of course, can no longer stomach his life, and under threat from Charlie, does not bend.  Charlie, sympathetic to his kid brother, lets him out of the cab, but then is killed later, for betraying Johnny.  

I'm not going to give away any more, but the ending is a heartwarming, if melancholy moment.  The boy winds up with the girl, he helps break the machine, and things get better, we presume.

Filmed in Black and White when it didn't need to be, Kazan presents us with haunting imagery throughout this film.  Kazan was a master Broadway director, and he brought his ability to paint pictures to his work in film.  This is the second of his films I've watched this year, the first being "A Streetcar Named Desire."  While that felt like a play...so did this one...but not...all at the same time.  There were many intimate moments in this one can't get on a stage, yet there was grandeur at times, especially in a long shot of Edie and Terry as he confesses to her his involvement with her brother's death.  

It's terrific.  

I don't know that this film is on my "MUST WATCH" list for me in the future.  I've seen it a couple of times now.  I am glad I did, and I think you should, but I can maybe be done with this.  I'm not sure how much more I'm going to find the next time.

Thanks for reading.  

Ebert here.  He's got a different spin on the communist thing.  One I hadn't really considered, but yeah, I get it.  

I'm caught up now.  I've been really sick, so I haven't been able to get on with the list, but I'm hoping to knock at least one or two out this weekend.