Movie Stats:
Released 1954 (Japan, a month before its U.S. release)
American, in English
Director – Elia Kazan (who also directed Gentleman’s Agreement)
Stars – Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Marie
Saint
Plot Summary:
A story of corruption and murder amongst a dockworker’s
union in NYC. Brando stars as conflicted stooge Terry Malloy; Malden as the
local priest Father Barry, who’s trying to get the men to do the right thing;
Cobb as union boss Johnny Friendly; and Saint as Edie Doyle, a woman trying to
solve the murder of her brother Joey, who was silenced for trying to speak out
against union corruption.
Bad Stuff:
If you’re a regular reader of my reviews, then you’ll know
I’m a little sensitive to how “romance” is treated in movies. There’s a
forcible kiss in this one, which, ugh, come
on.
Towards the end, Edie says some stuff that’s inconsistent
with her character. I was a little unclear on whether it was intentional, to
show how the events of the movie and her budding love for Terry have changed
her, or whether it was bad writing. If it’s the former, it’s brilliant. If it's the latter,
then it bothers me. I’m going to go with intentional(?).
During the big fight scene at the end, it’s laughably
obvious that it’s not Brando fighting.
Good Stuff:
Honestly, there isn’t much to dislike here. Consider the
above to be minor nitpicks. The writing, especially the dialogue, is generally fantastic.
So is the directing. The story is both interesting & engaging. I thought the ending scene was superb. Hands down, though,
the best thing about this movie is the acting. There are a lot of great
performances. I enjoyed Brando, of course. This was the kind of performance
that made him famous. Even better, in my opinion, was Malden. I was very
disappointed to discover that he didn’t earn an Oscar for this role.
My two favorite scenes:
Terry and Edie walking through the park together. Edie drops
her glove. Terry picks it up, brushes it off, and then begins to play with it,
eventually putting it on. I think this scene is incredibly sweet and subtly
gives viewers a glimpse into the true heart of Terry.
Terry and his brother Charley (Rod Steiger) in the cab.
Charley has betrayed Terry. The look on Terry’s face as he says, “Oh, Charley.
Oh, Charley.” Man, that’s a punch to the gut. The lines that follow are the
most famous lines of the movie.
The Verdict:
I’ve seen only two of the 1950s winners before. This is one
of them. However, I hadn’t seen it in about 17 years or so. I was genuinely
worried that it wasn’t going to stand the test of time, that I wouldn’t like it
this time around. I’m so glad that my worries were unfounded.
This is one of those “it’s a classic for a reason” movies.
It’s simply a phenomenal piece of filmmaking. You should definitely see it.
I give this movie 4.75 stars.
4 comments:
It is a good one! Glad you liked it.
I took a film study class in high school with an excellent teacher. Apparently, during the park scene, Edie wasn't actually supposed to drop her glove - it was an accident. When Terry (Brando) picked it up and started playing with it, her attempts to get it back were real. It's part of what made that scene so amazing - it wasn't all just acting.
My goodness, this movie has brought out the commentators. I have (ahem) not seen this movie, but I will, I promise I will.
When do you guess the forcible kissing scenes will not be in the movies? I'm guessing post 1980 the change will finally come.
Amy - That makes a lot of sense! That scene feels very natural.
P - Oh my gosh, you have to see this movie! I think you'd really like it. And I sure hope forcible kissing ends before 1980, but I won't hold my breath. There are 80s movies that I watched as a kid that, when I see them now, I'm wincing at all the misogyny.
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