On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront is a great classic with great character depth and development.  Terry Malloy (Protagonist) is an ex-boxer/prize fighter who works for a labor union on the docks.  This film’s main theme is about Malloy’s “Struggle for human dignity”. (Pg. 27 of text, “The Art of Watching Films”) While watching the film, I noticed that a lot of emphasis was put on an appeal to our moral sense. The entire movie, Terry is wrestling with an internal conflict about know what is right and just to do; and keeping quite, staying on the good side of the films antagonist.  One particular example from the film was when Malloy was being pursued by the authorities about the death of Joey, in which he kept telling them that he didn’t know anything about it when in reality he was influential in setting up Joey’s murder.  In this particular instance, Malloy let the comfort control his mind over doing what is right.  In the end Malloy does finally tell the authorities what happened and his role in it. 

As far as the artistry of the movie goes, I’m glad it was shot in black and white, because I feel it works as a contrast between good and evil evident in the film.  In an article reviewing a book about On the Waterfront, Sue Bower notices more artistic scenes in the film.  She discusses the scene when the truck is bearing down on Malloy as he finds his brother hung in an alleyway. She states that it “gives the film a claustrophobic feel.”( ON THE WATERFRONT. By: Brower, Sue, Journal of Film & Video, 07424671, Winter2007, Vol. 59, Issue 4) This claustrophobic feel as quite a bit to the uncomfortable scene of seeing his brother killed by the mob.

Stephen Schwartz in the article”Arthur Miller’s Proletariat: The True Stories of On the Waterfront, Pietro Panto, and Vicenzo Longhi. By: Schwartz, Stephen, Film History, 2004, Vol. 16” talks about why this isn’t a classic film and why it is overrated.  Although he brings up interesting comments on the political aspects of the film, I don’t feel that’s enough to discredit the message/theme of this film.  I feel, unlike he, that this is an instant classic because it’s a story that we can all identify with, maybe not in the exact setting as Malloy is in the film but we all feel this internal conflict of right and wrong.  Watching the film, you can see how these opposing sides are fighting for Malloy’s allegiance. As Phillip Lopate put it in his article on the film, “Every scene, every action, every bit of dialogue contributes to the drama of Terry Malloy’s transformation from complicit bystander to active witness against evil.” “On the Waterfront (Motion picture). By: Lopate, Phillip, Cineaste, 00097004, Spring2002, Vol. 27, Issue 2”  Since everyone deals with right and wrong at any level in their daily life, I honestly feel that Malloy’s struggle can relate to people regardless of time or demographic.  A lot of different character analysis can be done on the supporting roles in this film but the most identifiable character is definitely Terry Malloy.