"I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let's face it."
- Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) to his brother, Charley (Rod Steiger), in the back of a cab
"You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am."
Major Awards:
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Actor: Marlon Brando
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (b&w)
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Cinematography: Boris Kaufman
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Director: Elia Kazan
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Film Editing
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Original Screenplay: Budd Schulberg
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Picture
Academy Awards 1954 -
Best Supporting Actress: Eva Marie Saint
Entertainment Reviews:
Chicago Sun-Times - 03/21/1999
"...A powerful and influential movie, one that continued Brando's immeasurable influence on the general change of tone in American movie acting in the 50's..."
Entertainment Weekly - 11/02/2001
"...ON THE WATERFRONT is Kazan's desire to justify himself to Hollywood and the world....Inarguably affecting..."
Total Film - 05/01/2000
"...It's a heavyweight actor's master class presided over by Brando as a punch-drunk former boxer..."
Premiere - 12/01/2003
"It's one of the towering performances in the history of the movies..."
Uncut - 12/01/2004
"ON THE WATERFRONT retains its righteous power and resonance. And Marlon is magnificent."
A.V. Club - 02/27/2013
"[T]here's a clear line from this film to the likes of MEAN STREETS and RAGING BULL. ON THE WATERFRONT has that same mix of the stylized and the offhand, the commercial and the thorny." -- Grade: A
Description by OLDIES.com:
Marlon Brando gives one of the screen's most electrifying performances as Best Actor in this 1954 Academy Award winner for Best Film. Ex-fighter Terry Malloy (Brando) could have been a contender, but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) on the gang-ridden waterfront. Terry is guilt-stricken, however, when he lures a rebellious worker to his death. But it takes the love of Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the dead man's sister, to show Terry how low he has fallen. When his crooked brother Charley the Gent (Rod Steiger) is brutally murdered for refusing to kill him, Terry battles to crush Friendly's underworld empire. Directed by Elia Kazan (A Steetcar Named Desire) and written by Budd Schulberg (What Makes Sammy Run?), this unforgettable drama about Terry's redemption is among the most acclaimed of all films.
Product Description:
Marlon Brando is Terry Malloy, an ex-prize fighter struggling against union corruption along the New York waterfront, in Elia Kazan's film classic. Malloy's battle takes him all the way to the witness stand, where he finds himself testifying against union leaders. The film was Kazan's response to his decision to turn in the names of his Hollywood contemporaries during Senator Joe McCarthy's anti-Communism hearings. Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, and Malden were all nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscars. Academy Award Nominations: 12. Academy Awards: 8, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor--Marlon Brando, Best Story and Screenplay.
Plot Synopsis:
Elia Kazan's compelling social drama was the winner of eight Academy Awards and marks one of Marlon Brando finest screen performances. Terry Malloy, a handsome but inarticulate longshoreman, gets involved in a labor scandal when a fellow dock worker is murdered. He knows that the victim was killed by the oppressive labor union for squealing to a commission investigating misdoings. Terry intends to keep his mouth shut and his job safe. But when Edie, the dead man's beautiful sister, comes to town, he must choose between his allegiance to a corrupt union and his loyalty to Edie.
ON THE WATERFRONT was an original selection to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989.
Eva Marie Saint's film debut.
Additional cast includes: Pat Henning, Tony Galento, Tami Mauriello, Don Blackman, Abe Simon, Arthur Keegan, Mike O'Dowd, Thomas Handley and Anne Hegira.
Film Collectors & Archivists: Alpha Video is actively looking for rare and
unusual pre-1943 motion pictures, in good condition, from Monogram, PRC,
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