ON THE WATERFRONT

ON THE WATERFRONT

1954 (USA) 108 minutes

Directed by: Elia Kazan

Terry Malloy has been a pawn for others his entire adult life. A former boxer, he was controlled by his older brother Charley Malloy, who told him subtly when to take a fall in having big bets against him in return for a small cut. He is now a longshoreman working on the docks controlled by Michael Skelly, aka mobster Johnny Friendly, for whom Charley works in the upper ranks. In doing Johnny's bidding, Terry is not only assured work in the day-to-day calls but is given what are considered cushy jobs. Conversely, anyone who crosses Johnny in talking or threatening to talk to the authorities ends up in the morgue in what are considered "accidents". The latest such victim is Joey Doyle, who was considered a good kid and who was Terry's friend. Terry got Joey into the situation of being on his building's roof, from where he "fell", Terry not knowing Johnny's end goal of having Joey pushed off. Catholic priest Father Barry is the moral voice of the docks, he tries to get the longshoremen to talk about what they know in situations such as the cause of Joey's death. He is supported in this specific matter by Joey's younger sister Edie Doyle, who only wants the truth in what happened. Concurrently, Terry and Edie start to fall for each other, and Terry is served with a subpoena to testify in a commission investigating crime on the waterfront. Terry has to confront the matter of telling Edie the truth about what happened to Joey including his role which may threaten their relationship, the one good thing that has ever happened in his life, and in association with testifying against Johnny at the commission, which has its own consequences beyond his life being in jeopardy at Johnny's hands. 

1955 Academy Awards - Best Actor - Marlon Brando

1955 Academy Awards - Best Motion Picture

1955 Golden Globes - Best Actor - Marlon Brando

1955 Golden Globes - Best Motion Picture