On the Waterfront (1954) – the unmotivated hero’s origin in Classic Hollywood

My first entry is technically something I should have watched in my first year at university. We studied On the Waterfront in relation to performance in front of the camera and method acting, and despite me being pretty much asleep at that 9 a.m. screening on Friday morning in first year, I now realise how perfect of a case study this was for the subject.

Directed by Elia Kazan the 1954 motion picture stars the insanely talented Marlon Brando, who I will try not to talk about TOO much as I have a soft spot for him. It is a linear Classic Hollywood story with what I believe to be a traditional plot. Nothing surprised me as pretty much everything was presented on the platter for the spectator, but that does not mean the narrative was a let-down. Although the film start with a murder, the story rarely deals with the investigation of the crime, it is mostly used as a background to develop the character arcs and the tension between classes that is emphasised in the film. As a typical classic narrative, the plot provides us with a love story between the decent girl and the trouble maker.

So far the film provides us with aspects of the Hollywood story we’ve seen many times, however, the issues raised around class, Marlon Brando’s character and brilliant monologue about broken dreams, combined with what I found to be gorgeous deep focused shots are a mix that makes this, what some people would believe to be predictable story, into a film definitely worth watching. Despite its commonness, the narrative does provide tension, suspense and drama as the film progresses and character relationships are created or destroyed.

What also made an immense impression on me was the trope of the main character - Marlon Brando’s Terry Malloy. Terry is a man caught in the middle of a social and personal conflict as he tries to make ends meet. What is interesting is the fact that this persona could fit into the mould of the unmotivated main hero trope present in New Hollywood films though in a Classic Hollywood time and narrative this unmotivated persona goes through a change as he admits to his wrong doings and faces the man responsible for his misery.

Another feature of the film I found distinctive (or just imagine and read too much into, it’s very possible) is the framing of the faces. Emotion is very important in this film and every time a significant emotion is portrayed by someone the camera captures it beautifully. And this is where Marlon’s genius comes through. His method acting and improvisations showcase a full range of emotions in a very short period of time. His monologue with the infamous quote: “I could’ve been a contender” is an example of the way he conveys emotion with minimalist gestures and expressions. In conversations with Edie (Eva Marie Saint) he controls the pace of the dialogue, by small pauses, meaningful looks and unscripted gestures he is capable of conveying what his character feels for this girl to the audience.

Well, I hope this didn’t sound like as much of an essay as I thought it did. On the Waterfront is worth the watch if you do enjoy a traditional story about class, love and honour or if you like me sometimes just want to enjoy Marlon Brando’s face.