2024 Blind Spot Series: East of Eden

Based on the novel by John Steinbeck, East of Eden is the story of a young man in the early 1900s during World War I who vies for the affection of his father who tends to favor his brother where he goes on a journey for his own identity. Directed by Elia Kazan and screenplay by Paul Osborn, the film is a take of the Cain and Abel story in which two brothers spar for the devotion of their deeply religious father as one of them copes with his own issues while learning about his estranged mother. Starring James Dean, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, Lois Smith, and Jo Van Fleet. East of Eden is a majestic and intoxicating film from Elia Kazan.

Set in 1917 North California in the town of Salinas and the nearby town of Monterey, the film revolves around a young man trying to win the love of his father while competing with his twin brother whom their father favors. It is a film that is really an interpretation of the Cain and Abel story as it plays into two brothers vying for their father’s affection with one of them being this pacifist, strait-laced figure with a girlfriend and is a lot like his father. The other is an angst-ridden young man who feels like he could never please his father no matter how much work he can do and such. Paul Osborn’s screenplay is largely straightforward in how it plays into the journey that Cal Trask (James Dean) endures as he feels like he doesn’t do enough to please his father where he would often venture out Salina towards the neighboring Monterey where he follows a woman named Cathy Ames (Joy Van Fleet) whom he realizes is his mother that had abandoned his father just after he and his brother Aron (Richard Davalos) were born.

Their father Adam (Raymond Massey) is a man that is devoted to God in his beliefs, but he is also someone who has ideas with his crops as he is a farmer and a draft board chairman. He had an idea in keeping vegetables fresh as he has a lettuce crop as Cal helps along with Aron’s girlfriend Abra (Julie Harris) who is often concerned for Cal and his moody behavior. Yet, a weather storm crushes Adam’s dreams though Cal has an idea to go into the bean-growing business with one of his father’s partners knowing that stock will rise in case the U.S. decides to go to war as a way for Cal to get his father’s money back. Even as he turns to Cathy for help where he learns about why she left him as it makes Cal more determined to help his father where even Abra learns about what he is doing as she starts to fall for him. Yet, the script would reveal that Aron would find a way to upstage Cal in some way as it adds this sense of entitlement to someone who does everything his father does but is unable to cope with reality.

Elia Kazan’s direction is truly wondrous in his approach to imagery and the compositions that he creates that almost look and feel like a painting in some shots. Shot on location in coastal areas of Northern California in Salinas, Salinas Valley, and Mendocino County as they are important characters in the film such as shots of Cal riding on top of a train that would go from Salinas to Monterey. Kazan’s usage of the Cinemascope format allows him to go to great lengths to create shots such as a train riding away towards its destination as it plays into Adam Trask’s promise of a great future. While Kazan does use a lot of wide and medium shots to play into the locations including a fair where the bond between Cal and Abra becomes closer. There is also an intimacy in some of the medium shots but also in the close-ups along with a few slanted angles that play into Trask’s dominance towards his son with Aron often sitting either beside his father or in the middle of a table but closer to his father. Kazan also plays into the many differences between Cal and Aron as the latter is often seen in a clean-cut look with the former sometimes looking disheveled.

Kazan also plays into the events of World War I as Cal knew that there’s money to be made as he hopes he can use the money he makes to regain the money his father had lost. While Cal is aware about the horrors of war as there is this sense of optimism relating to the U.S. entering World War I. That optimism is destroyed when some of the young local men are killed with Trask’s longtime family friend Gustav Albrecht (Harold Gordon) is harassed because he’s German. The incidents relating to Albrecht make things for Trask uneasy with Aron also unable to cope with the realities of war as his pacifism becomes unwanted. The film’s third act relates to not just Cal’s desire to win over his father’s approval as he had kept the knowledge of his mother secret from both his father and Aron. It also plays into a young man who is often overshadowed by his brother whose selfishness is unveiled leading to a breakdown and some harsh truths for a family who have kept too many secrets from themselves. Overall, Kazan crafts a riveting yet intense film about two brothers vying for the affection of their father.

Cinematographer Ted D. McCord does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as it is filled with gorgeous colors for many of the film’s daytime exteriors with some stylish lighting for some interior scenes in the day and night including some soft-looking shots as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Owen Marks does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some stylish transitional dissolves to help play into the drama . Art directors James Basevi and Malcolm C. Bert, along with set decorators George James Hopkins and William Wallace, do brilliant work with the look of the Trask family ranch as well as the home where Abra lives in as well as other locations within the town.

Costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone does fantastic work with the costumes from the refined look of Trask and Aron to a more rugged look that Cal has as well as the stylish clothing that Cathy wears. The sound work of Stanley Jones is terrific for its approach to sound in the way things sound from afar as well as some of the sparse moments in the film. The film’s music by Leonard Rosenman is amazing for its soaring orchestral score that plays into some of the film’s melodrama along with some moments of dramatic suspense as it is a highlight of the film.

The casting by Harvey Clermont is wonderful as it features some notable small roles and appearances from Lois Smith as a young waitress working for Cathy at her brothel, Timothy Carey as Cathy’s bouncer Joe, Lonny Chapman as a mechanic who showed Trask how a car works, Richard Garrick as Dr. Edwards who appears late in the film, and Barbara Baxley as a nurse late in the film who annoys both Cal and Abra. Harold Gordon is terrific as Trask’s friend Gustav Albrecht as a German salesman whom the Trask family is fond of as they try to protect him from the locals. Albert Dekker is superb as Will Hamilton as a businessman who teams with Trask in his refrigerating idea only for things to fall but still wants to help Trask out by teaming with Cal in growing beans as it would be profitable. Burl Ives is fantastic as the local sheriff Sam who knows about Cathy being in Monterey as he is also a close friend of Trask where he does what he can to help Cal with news about his mother.

Jo Van Fleet is excellent as Cathy Ames/Kate Trask as a brothel madam who wears gloves to cover her hands that are described as white as ivory as she is also the estranged mother of both Cal and Aron as she discovers the former searching for her where she agrees to help his father as well as make money into Cal’s bean business. Richard Davalos is brilliant as Aron Trask as Cal’s twin brother who is a lot like their father in terms of being strait-laced and not getting into trouble yet is also unable to cope with reality where he would neglect Abra and later use her to win his father’s approval and humiliate Cal. Raymond Massey is amazing as Adam Trask as a farmer/draft board chairman who is trying to be this idea of purity as well as being someone who prefer to see success through small things instead of bigger things despite some ideas that would prove to prosperous despite the realities he had to face.

Julie Harris is incredible as Abra Bacon as Aron’s girlfriend who is this beautiful soul that is always good to everyone while shares her own issues with her father with Cal which adds to their growing bond as her relationship with Aron starts to falter as she would fall for Cal and be sympathetic towards him. Finally, there’s James Dean in a tremendous performance as Cal Trask as a young man who is eager to win the approval of his father while is often tormented by his own flaws as well as having to compete with his brother. Even as he is always full of energy and is willing to work hard yet is often conflicted in wanting to win his father’s love but also hates him for favoring Aron whom he feels is always undermining him as it showcases Dean as this acting powerhouse that is filled with angst and determination to be loved and understood.

East of Eden is a spectacular film by Elia Kazan that features great performances from James Dean, Julie Harris, and Raymond Massey. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, its exploration of sibling rivalry, and an evocative music score by Leonard Rosenman. It is a film that is not just this intense melodrama but also a film that displays a young man that is yearning to be accepted for who he is from those who are close to him. In the end, East of Eden is a phenomenal film from Elia Kazan.

Elia Kazan Films: (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) – (The Sea of Grass) – (Boomerang!) – (Gentleman’s Agreement) – (Pinky) – (Panic in the Streets) – A Streetcar Named Desire - (Viva Zapata!) – (Man on a Tightrope) – On the Waterfront - (Baby Doll) – (A Face in the Crowd) – (Wild River) – Splendor in the Grass - (America America) – (The Arrangement) – (The Visitors (1972 film)) – (The Last Tycoon)

© thevoid99 2024

2024 Blind Spot Series: Splendor in the Grass

 

Directed by Elia Kazan and written by William Inge, Splendor in the Grass is the story of a young woman’s love for a young man from a rich family in Kansas has them wanting to take a big step as they deal with a lot of things in its aftermath. The film is a coming-of-age romantic film that explores two high school sweethearts who fall in love and embark on new places into their relationship as it would delve into chaos and heartbreak. Starring Natalie Wood, Pat Hingle, Audrey Christie, Barbara Loden, Zohra Lampert, Joanna Roos, and introducing Warren Beatty. Splendor in the Grass is a rich and ravishing film from Elia Kazan.

Set in 1928 Kansas, the film revolves around a relationship between a working class girl and a young rich boy who fall in love and want to take the next step into their relationship yet expectations and pressures from their parents about their individual futures and such would drive the couple apart and into chaos. It is a film that explores young love between two high school kids who are devoted to each other yet both of them are from different social statuses despite attending the same high school as well as their parents wanting to do something for their futures as well as wanting to keep them together. William Inge’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it opens with Wilma Dean “Deanie” Loomis (Natalie Wood) and Bud Stamper (Warren Beatty) making out in his car as the latter wants to go forward but the former is reluctant for the relationship to be sexual. Still, the two want to maintain a relationship with Stamper wanting to marry Deanie in the future yet his father Ace Stamper (Pat Hingle) has plans for him to take over the family business even though Bud knows he doesn’t have the grades to go to Yale.

While Deanie lives comfortably despite her being over-protected by her mother (Audrey Christie), she is eager to become Stamper’s wife though is still reluctant to lose her virginity while also having to watch the dysfunctional world that is Stamper’s family. Notably as his older sister Ginny (Barbara Loden) has returned home from Chicago from an annulled marriage as well as a getting an abortion done, which was illegal at the time, where she becomes a source of discord for the family. Even as her behavior would create gossip with Ace wanting to focus more on Bud’s future where he convinces Bud to break up Deanie temporarily as the result would be chaotic with Deanie becoming erratic over its break-up. The two would endure their own separate journeys where Stamper deals with the futility of expectations while Deanie goes on her own journey to discover herself.

Elia Kazan’s direction is evocative in not just the richness of its compositions but also in its overall presentation as it plays into a world where parents are expecting this great future emerging just a year before the Crash of 1929 that lead to the Great Depression. Shot largely at the Filmways Studios in New York City with exterior locations shot on Staten Island and High Falls, New York, Kazan creates a film that plays into a period in time where Prohibition was still happening though the rich were able to get alcohol through some illegal means and get away with it. Even as Kazan shows how Ace Stamper is able to get alcohol in those times as he is a rich man with oil wells and cattle ranches where he wants Bud to run these things in the future though Bud is more interested in just wanting to run a ranch. Kazan plays into this sense of generational gap involving Deanie and Bud against the expectations of their parents as Kazan’s unique compositions in his close-ups and medium shots play into the melodrama and dramatic suspense.

There are some wide shots in Kazan’s direction in the way he films scenes in Kansas including this waterfall area for the film’s first scene as well as a couple of key moments that would play into the Deanie and Bud’s dissolution. Kazan also maintains this air of sexual innuendo in the way Ginny presents herself as well as a scene of Deanie in a bathtub as she is talking to her mother as she would act erratically over what happened with Bud. It would play into this third act of Bud and Deanie living separate lives but also confront their own issues with themselves but also gain an understanding of what their parents want. Notably as Bud’s time in Yale produces poor results in a scene with him, his father, and Yale’s dean (Kermit Murdock) where Kazan definitely shows who is running the conversation as that person is starting to unravel with Bud caught in the middle. Its ending refers to a poem by William Wordsmith that Deanie struggled to read and comprehend in its second act as it would return as a way to express what she and Bud had endured but also the choices they would make as adults. Overall, Kazan crafts an intoxicating and exhilarating film about high school sweethearts whose love life is disrupted by the demands of adulthood and the expectations of their families.

Cinematographer Boris Kaufman does amazing work with the film’s cinematography in the richness of the daytime exterior locations as well as the usage of lights for some of the interior scenes at night along with an emphasis on low-key lighting for the exterior scenes at night. Editor Gene Milford does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the melodrama as well as some lighthearted moments in the film. Production designer Richard Sylbert and set decorator Gene Callahan do brilliant work with the interiors of the Loomis family home in its simple yet classy style that is a sharp contrast to the way more refined world of the Stamper family estate with all of its bigger rooms and such. Costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone does fantastic work with the costumes with the dresses that the women wear being a highlight including some of the clothes that Deanie would wear later in her life as well as the raunchy clothes that Ginny wears.

Hairdresser Willis Hanchett and makeup artist Robert Jiras do terrific work with the hairstyles that the women wear at the time including Deanie’s hairstyle in the film’s first and second act as well as a more refined look in the third act. Sound editor Frank Lewin does superb work with the sound in the way waterfall sounds from its location up-close and from afar as well as the way a room is presented in its location. The film’s music by David Amram is incredible for its jazz-like score that features some saxophone and piano to play into the melodrama and romance that includes some orchestral flourishes with a soundtrack filled with the music of the times.

The film’s marvelous ensemble cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Ivor Francis as Deanie’s psychiatrist Dr. Judd, screenwriter William Inge as the local pastor Reverend Whitman, Kermit Murdock as the dean of Yale in Dean Pollard, Phyllis Diller in her film debut as the famed performer Texas Guinan, Martine Bartlett as the school literature teacher Miss Metcalf, the duo of Sandy Dennis and Crystal Field as two of Deanie’s friends in Kay and Hazel, Charles Robinson in an un-credited performance as a young man that Deanie meets in a hospital in John, Gary Lockwood as a friend/teammate of Bud in Toots, Jan Norris as a slutty classmate of Deanie in Juanita Howard, and John McGovern as Doc Smiley who becomes concerned for Bud’s health following a collapse at a basketball game while also believing that Bud is being put into a lot of pressure from his father. Joanna Roos is wonderful as Bud and Ginny’s mother who is supportive of Bud’s relationship with Deanie though she has great concerns over her husband’s ambitions and the pressure he put on their son. Fred Stewart is superb as Deanie’s father Del Loomis as a man who runs a small shop next to the house as he is this low-key person that doesn’t try to cause trouble while is also doing what he can to make Deanie feel happy as he would also feel that his wife is smothering her.

Zohra Lampert is fantastic as Angelina as this young Italian immigrant that Bud meets in Yale as she would help him see things differently as well as be an important person to him later in his life. Audrey Christie is excellent as Deanie’s mother who is protective of Deanie as she also sees her as a young girl as she unknowingly would smother her as it would add to Deanie’s emotional and mental troubles. Barbara Loden is brilliant as Bud’s older sister Ginny as this young woman who likes to push her father’s buttons as well as be this ultimate rebel though it would also put her in danger including an attempted rape on her as she’s also gained notoriety for all of the wrong reasons. Pat Hingle is amazing as Bud’s father Ace Stamper as this rich oilman who expects so much from Bud to succeed him as he talks a lot while also making some bad suggestions as he would help play a role in Bud and Deanie’s break-up as he is really a complex man that is severely flawed and tries to control so many things in his life.

Finally, there’s the duo of Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood in tremendous performances in their respective roles as Bud Stamper and Deanie Loomis. Beatty in his debut performance has all of the attributes of a high school sports star in terms of its physiques and looks yet it is Beatty’s vulnerability that makes Bud compelling to watch as someone who is aware of his flaws and shortcomings as well as the fact that he doesn’t have his father’s ambitions. Wood exudes a radiance in her performance as a young woman that has an air of innocence but is also someone who had been too sheltered leading to an emotional breakdown and issues that would allow her to act out where Wood brings in that intensity to a young woman that is unraveling. Beatty and Wood together have this amazing chemistry as a young couple in love but one of them wants to get more physical but other isn’t willing as it causes problems with Ace getting involved as it adds to the drama as the two are a major highlight to watch.

Splendor in the Grass is an outstanding film from Elia Kazan that features great leading performances from Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, wondrous visuals, a fiery music score, and a story of young love and the expectations of adulthood. It is a film that explores two young people wanting to devote their love for one another only to cope with life changes and the move into adulthood as well as the demanding hopes of their parents. In the end, Splendor in the Grass is magnificent film from Elia Kazan.

Elia Kazan Films: (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) – (The Sea of Grass) – (Boomerang!) – (Gentleman’s Agreement) – (Pinky) – (Panic in the Streets) – A Streetcar Named Desire - (Viva Zapata!) – (Man on a Tightrope) – On the Waterfront - East of Eden – (Baby Doll) – (A Face in the Crowd) – (Wild River) – (America America) – (The Arrangement) – (The Visitors (1972 film)) – (The Last Tycoon)

© thevoid99 2024

2021 Blind Spot Series: A Streetcar Named Desire

 

Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire is the story of a woman who leaves her aristocratic world to live in New Orleans with her sister and brutish brother-in-law in a dilapidated apartment as her life starts to crumble. Directed by Elia Kazan and screenplay by Williams and Oscar Saul, the film is an exploration of a woman who wants to be something special but has a hard time dealing with the new world she’s in as well as the man who treats her terribly. Starring Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. A Streetcar Named Desire is a rich yet intense film from Elia Kazan.

Set in New Orleans, the film revolves around a woman who arrives to the city to live with her sister and brother-in-law in the hopes to regain her aristocratic lifestyle after some major losses in her life though her brother-in-law becomes troubled by her presence as he treats her cruelly. It is a film that explores a woman trying to maintain this illusion of being a Southern Belle as she left her hometown to find riches and such in New Orleans but she has to contend with this force of nature that is her brother-in-law. The film’s screenplay by Tennessee Williams that is based on his own play with contributions from Oscar Saul play into the plight that Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) is enduring as she hopes to retain this identity even though she lost a lot as she had quit her job as an English middle school teacher. Blanche’s arrival at the apartment home of her sister Stella (Kim Hunter) would have Blanche deal with the fact that Stella lives in this dilapidated apartment with her husband Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando).

The script also includes Kowalski’s friend Mitch (Karl Malden) who takes a liking to Blanche where he even considers marrying her so that neither of them would be lonely yet Kowalski thinks the relationship is a bad idea as he has suspicions about Blanche though his brutish behavior towards her doesn’t help matters. Even as Blanche is critical towards both him and Stella as it adds discord to their relationship where some of Williams’ dialogue do play into these emotions but also into Blanche’s own disconnection with reality as if she is imagining about the world she wants to be in. Notably as it adds to this contrast to the world that Kowalski and Stella live in that is lively but also simple where not everyone has everything.

Elia Kazan’s direction definitely has this theatrical presentation as it is set largely in this apartment complex in the middle of the French Quarter in New Orleans with part of that area and other nearby places are shot. While there’s a few wide shots in the film to get a scope of the location as well as the apartment in its cramped and claustrophobic feel as it does serve as a character in the film. Kazan’s direction is focused more on intimacy with the usage of close-ups and medium shots as the latter is used to play into the tension between Blanche and Kowalski. It’s not just this claustrophobic atmosphere that adds to the drama but also in how it plays into Blanche’s own mental state as the walls would close in around her as it play into her refusal to accept the reality of her situation. Even as she wears these stylish and glamourous clothing that is a total contrast to the simpler yet ragged look of Kowalski as the latter is this symbol of sexual ferocity. Kazan also uses the location as well as heat as this intense atmosphere that adds to the drama including some of the tension between Blanche and Kowalski.

One key scene outside of the apartment is a party scene where it’s focused on this conversation between Blanche and Mitch where the latter gets to hear her story as it play into the former’s old life but also her past as Mitch would fall for her unaware that of her troubled mental state. Kazan’s compositions and usage of long shots play into the drama as well as scenes of Blanche trying to play up this façade of a world where everything is lit a certain way and everything has to be glamourous yet she still has to contend with this more cynical reality that is Kowalski. Even as the tension would boil into the third act as even Stella becomes tired of both of them as she is caught in the middle yet she loves both her husband and sister. The climax that relates to this boiling tension of Blanche’s fantasy and the harsh reality of Kowalski would finally collide as it lead to some harsh revelations as well as a real sense of loss for everyone. Overall, Kazan crafts a riveting and exhilarating film about a fallen Southern Belle trying to start a new life only to collide with the dark reality that is her brutish brother-in-law.

Cinematographer Harry Stradling does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its stylish usage of shadows and lights for many of the interior scenes to help set the mood as well as play into Blanche’s refusal to see the reality of the world and who she really is. Editor David Weisbart does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the dramatic suspense. Art directors Richard Day and Bertram Tuttle, with set decorator George Hopkins, do amazing work with the look of the apartment as well as some of its exteriors as it help play into the atmosphere of the film as well as the claustrophobic tone whenever Blanche deals with reality. Costume designer Lucinda Ballard does fantastic work with the ragged look of Kowalski including his ripped t-shirts as well as some of the more glamourous look of Blanche that would become more ragged as the film progresses.

Makeup artist Gordon Bau does nice work with the look of Blanche from this attempt at a clean and refined hairstyle as well as the makeup to make herself look younger as it only play into this idea of a fantasy that she wants to hold on to. The sound work of Nathan Levinson and C.A. Riggs is superb for the atmosphere that it creates as it help play into the dramatic tension that occurs in the film that also includes sparse sounds of what is happening outside of the apartment. The film’s music by Alex North is incredible for its rich and eerie orchestral score that includes this theme for Blanche that is only heard by her as it’s chilling and offbeat while the rest of the music is soaring with its string arrangements that is mixed in with bits of New Orleans jazz.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from August Kuhn as a sailor Blanche meets upon her arrival to New Orleans, Richard Garrick as a doctor who appears late in the film, Ann Dere as a mysterious matron that only Blanche sees, Wright King as a young collector that Blanche meets in the middle of the film, Rudy Bond and Nick Dennis in their respective roles as Kowalski and Mitch’s poker buddies Steve and Pablo, and Peg Hillas in an excellent performance as the apartment complex landlady Eunice who often takes Stella in whenever Kowalski gets intense as well as someone who doesn’t like him much at all. Karl Malden is brilliant as Mitch as a friend of Kowalski who served in the war with him as he becomes fascinated by Blanche as he hopes to be with her as it’s a role that has Malden display some vulnerability and sensitivity but also someone who doesn’t take shit from anyone although he’s unaware of the trouble he’s in when it comes to Blanche.

Kim Hunter is amazing as Stella Kowalski as Blanche’s sister who finds herself in the middle of this conflict as she deeply loves both her sister and her husband while also dealing with her impending pregnancy and the chaos at her home. Vivien Leigh is phenomenal as Blanche DuBois as this former English middle-school teacher who was once this revered Southern Belle as she is trying to retain whatever glory she had as she has trouble dealing with her new reality where Leigh displays this air of charm but also anguish in a complex and dangerous performance. Finally, there’s Marlon Brando in an outstanding performance as Stanley Kowalski as this force of nature who doesn’t just exude raw sexuality in his appearance but also a rage of a man who feels threatened by Blanche as he would treat her with cruelty and disdain. It is this performance that is intense where Brando and Leigh do display a great sense of rapport in this performance as well as bringing in two different ideas into their performances that makes them a highlight to watch.

A Streetcar Named Desire is a sensational film from Elia Kazan that features tremendous performances from Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden as well as a breakthrough performance from Marlon Brando. Along with its claustrophobic setting, themes of fantasy vs. reality, its intense yet dark approach to melodrama, and Alex North’s exhilarating music score. It is a film that explore two different people having to live together as it explore some of the darkest aspects of human nature but also loss at its most extreme. In the end, A Streetcar Named Desire is an incredible film from Elia Kazan.

Elia Kazan Films: (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) – (The Sea of Grass) – (Boomerang!) – (Gentleman’s Agreement) – (Pinky) – (Panic in the Streets) – (Viva Zapata!) – (Man on a Tightrope) – On the Waterfront - East of Eden – (Baby Doll) – (A Face in the Crowd) – (Wild River) – Splendor in the Grass – (America America) – (The Arrangement) – (The Visitors (1972 film)) – (The Last Tycoon)

© thevoid99 2021

On the Waterfront

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/5/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg, On the Waterfront tells the story of a former boxer working for a mob-controlled dock until he decides to rebel with the help of a young woman and a priest. In this fight against the corruption, the boxer faces his demons and his past where he finds himself in more trouble with the mob. A film that rallies against authority, it is considered to be one of Kazan's greatest films as well as one of his best collaborations with Marlon Brando. Also starring Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, and in her film debut, Eva Marie Saint. On the Waterfront is a powerful, engrossing drama from Elia Kazan and company.

A series of murders near the docks over resistance against a mob-connected union boss led by Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). Working for Friendly is a former boxer named Terry (Marlon Brando) and his older brother Charley (Rod Steiger) as Friendly's lawyer. Terry does duties for Friendly but is unaware of what is the consequences when a young man named Joey Doyle was pushed off the top of a building to his death. While the police tries to investigate, the locals and those who work at the dock remain silent in order to not say anything against Friendly. Not wanting to be silent is Joey's sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint) as she turns to local priest Father Barry (Karl Malden) for help. Barry reluctantly decides to help the dock workers to speak out while Terry becomes smitten by Edie who he had a scuffle with over some tabs that she needed for her father.

Charley hears about a meeting held by Father Barry as Friendly wants Terry to attend the meeting. Barry reveals what he hopes to do as members of the mob storm in as Terry saves Edie from a beating. While Edie's father avoids a beating, Terry and Edie become close as she reveals that she wants to be a teacher. After learning that Terry has the same love for pigeons like Joey, she gets to know him more while asking questions about what he knew about Joey's death which he evades in order to give her a good time at a bar. When a couple of Friendly's men ask Terry to meet him, Terry reluctantly meets with Friendly and Charley as they know what Terry is doing with Edie. Especially as a man named K.O. Dugan is about testify until a supposed accident at a ship happened where Father Barry pleads his case to the people about standing up to Friendly. At the ship where Barry was talking about all that is going on were Edie and Terry who becomes tormented where he finally tells Barry what happened with Joey.

After finally confessing to Edie about the night of Joey's death, Terry is now targeted by Friendly as Charley decides to get Terry to stop talking. In hoping that Terry wouldn't talk anymore and get into trouble, he bribes Terry into taking a job where he wouldn't do anything but get paid. Terry refuses where he reveals all the potential he could've had as a prize fighter making Charley feel guilty as he decides to handle things with Friendly. Unfortunately, trouble comes ahead where Terry turns to Edie for help where something tragic would force Terry to stand up against Friendly but at a huge price until he decides to make a move that would please all of the dockworkers around him.

The film is a tale about a man who is forced to do things for his boss unaware of the consequences. Yet, around those who know what he is doing. He's been called a bum to the community for just taking money to lose fights or do things that he would be unaware of. Thus comes the world that Terry Malloy is surrounded by where his only moment of peace and comfort is to feed pigeons up on the roof where nearby is a pigeon coop that belongs to Joey Doyle. When Joey is killed because he was about to stand up against Johnny Friendly and his goons. Terry becomes tormented as it would take Doyle's beautiful sister and a hardened local priest that would be the people to say enough is enough.

In many ways, it's a film about redemption and standing up against the wrongs with the world. At the center of this story is Terry Malloy. A man who was forced to do things and then be tormented by all that's around him. Once he meets Edie, he tries to tell her about the way the world works but Edie isn't so easily swayed as she is determined to find justice for her brother's death. Even a man like Father Barry wants justice so there won't be any wrongs in the world as he approaches this resistance with a powerful presence where he would smoke a cigarette and get his hands dirty when it comes to confrontations. Yet, he's a man of great morals while he has a great monologue where talks about a man's death and how it impacts an entire community and those who work at the dock.

The screenplay by Budd Schulberg which is based from a series of articles by Malcolm Johnson about the dirty corruption that is going on in the docks from mob-controlled unions. The screenplay is filled with great dialogue, amazing development, and lots of heavy drama that goes on throughout the film. Yet, it's Elia Kazan's direction that really shapes the story into something far more powerful with its imagery and grittiness. Shot on location in Hoboken, New Jersey, there's a beauty and ugliness to the location as Kazan doesn't sugarcoat it one bit. At the same time, the camera is engaging with its close-up of characters and the locations they're in. With striking compositions that are memorable, Kazan's direction is definitely top-notch. Even as he brings intensity to some heightened moments of action and drama, there's a theatricality to it that is quite intimate in some scenes as if the actors are performing in a theater. What Kazan does overall is create a film that is engrossing in every scene and performance that goes on as he makes a film that is truly solid.

Cinematographer Boris Kaufman is truly amazing in its black-and-white photography. Kaufman's photography is striking in some nighttime exteriors where everything is black and grey with white lights in the background to convey some kind of dark, eerie tone for those scenes. The daytime exteriors have a mixture of beauty and grittiness while it has amazing shots of the Hoboken docks. The interiors, notably the bar is filled with a brightness that is beautiful though something doesn't seem right once it's near the pool hall where it's dark. Kaufman's work is truly exquisite as it has some of the best photography work captured on film at that time. Editor Gene Milford does brilliant work in the editing with the use of fade-outs, fade-to-black, and rhythmic cuts to help capture the dramatic intensity of the scenes and moments of intense action. Milford's cuts are stylized but also straight-forward in its presentation as Milford's work is truly stellar.

Art director Richard Day does excellent work with the look of the film from the bars, the church, and the outside locations including the pigeon coops as the production of the film has a grittiness while making it look real for its Hoboken locations. The sound work of Jim Shields is wonderful for its location sounds including the clangs that goes on in the docks and all sorts of noises as it captures that gritty world of the Hoboken docks. The film's score by Leonard Bernstein is phenomenal from its somber yet swooning pieces in the romantic moments involving Terry and Edie to the more intense, sprawling arrangements of the action scenes that goes on. With a wonderful orchestra, Bernstein's score is definitely one of the film's highlights as it is truly memorable and one of the best scores ever made.

The casting is brilliant with small roles from Pat Hingle as a dock worker named Jocko, Thomas Handley as a boy named Tommy who helps Terry with the pigeons, Tami Mauriello as a thug of Friendly's, James Westerfeld as the dock supervisor Mack, Pat Henning as K.O. Dugan, and John F. Hamilton as Edie's father. Rod Steiger is excellent as Charley, Terry's older brother and Friendly's right hand man. Steiger has this presence where he could be the guy to get Terry to get his act together. Yet, underneath all of his tough guy exterior is a man wracked with guilt over the fact that he put Terry into this world of crime. Lee J. Cobb is phenomenal as Johnny Friendly, the no-holds-barred, hard-talking mob boss who wants to have total control of everything. Cobb's performance is just magnificent in his tough guy demeanor and that sense of authority as he's perfect in just being a hard-*ss who thinks he's the boss.

Karl Malden is brilliant as the tough but sympathetic Father Barry. A priest who likes to smoke and drink beer while being someone in the community that's not willing to be quiet. Malden's performance is just amazing in every scenes where he's soft-spoken but a man with a conscience and that can guide someone to do the right thing. His best scene is in the ship where he talks about a man's death and the monologue he brings with such authority and passion is definitely Malden's finest moment. In her film debut, Eva Marie Saint is great as Edie Doyle. A determined young woman seeking justice for her brother's death while finding the soft, caring side of Terry Malloy underneath his quick-talking, street-wise demeanor. Saint's performance is dazzling as a woman who is a bit tough but also who doesn't know much about the dark world of the streets as she has a lot going for her as Saint truly exemplify the complexity and warmth of Edie Doyle.

Finally, there's Marlon Brando in one of his iconic performances of his career. In the role of the tormented Terry Malloy. Brando exudes all of the charm, wit, and struggle of that character along with someone who is troubled by demons and the fact that people call him a bum. Brando's performance is filled with a tough guy attitude who can talk fast, be tough, and not be someone to messed with. Yet, there's a softness in him as he deals with guilt and the fact that there's someone like Edie who he wants to connect with. Brando has great rapport with all of his co-stars while he manages to make Terry Malloy an unlikely hero. What Brando brings to the screen is charisma and a vulnerability that makes him connect with the audience as he has one of the film's most famous lines in cinema about what he could've been. It's truly one of the most marvelous performances captured in cinema.

On the Waterfront is truly an amazing, engaging, and sprawling film from Elia Kazan featuring an iconic, sympathetic performance from Marlon Brando. Along with a great supporting cast including Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, and Rod Steiger. It's a film that is a must-see for those new to Elia Kazan and Marlon Brando as well as anyone looking for great cinema of the 1950s and American cinema itself. With some great dialogue, an amazing story, and characters that people can relate to. It's a film that is truly timeless as it still manages to hold up more than 50 years since its release. In the end, On the Waterfront is a brilliant and heroic film from Elia Kazan and star Marlon Brando.

Elia Kazan Films: (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) - (The Sea of Grass) - (Boomerang!) - (Gentleman's Agreement) - (Pinky) - A Streetcar Named Desire - (Viva Zapata!) - (Man on a Tightrope) - East of Eden - (Baby Doll) - (A Face in the Crowd) - (Wild River) - Splendor in the Grass - (America America) - (The Arrangement) - (The Visitors) - (The Last Tycoon)

© thevoid99 2012