On the Waterfront

ON THE WATERFRONT (PG)
D: Elia Kazan
Columbia (Sam Spiegel)
US 1954
108 mins

Drama/Crime

W: Budd Schulberg
DP: Boris Kaufman
Ed: Gene Milford
Mus: Leonard Bernstein
PD: Richard Day


Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy), Karl Malden (Father Barry), Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly), Rod Steiger (Charley Malloy)Eva Marie Saint (Edie Doyle), Pat Henning ('Kayo' Dugan), Leif Erickson (Glover)

One of the all time classic crime pictures, featuring one of Marlon Brando's very best performances as a former prizefighter, who, following the death of his brother, breaks ranks with a mob-connected docklands Union boss.

There's since been much made of the "method" style of acting utilised by the performers in this film, amongst the first of its kind to use the practice and often imitated since.

Though much of the film feels old-fashioned, or a homage to gangland pictures of the 1930's, this is simply a must-watch for any cinema buff.

9/10

Marlon Brando & Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront
Marlon Brando & Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront