{2jtab: Movie Review}

Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront won 8 academy awards in 1955 and could still win those awards if released, as is, today.  This is more than just a movie.  Kazan’s ability to capture reality is more than just magical; it’s his talent.  On the Waterfront’s verisimilitude is – even 60 years later – nothing short of inspirational.  Maybe it’s the bite of the wind in Hoboken, New Jersey.  Maybe it’s Kazan.  Regardless, the aching power of On the Waterfront comes from its ability to turn its Hollywood stars – from Karl Malden to Marlon Brando – into very real and very ragged people.

Written by Bud Schulberg, On the Waterfront is the captivating inner story of dockworker Terry Mallory (Brando) who is a ruined prizefighter and unfortunate pawn in a wharf-side racketeering joint coordinated by Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb).  When the guilt Terry feels after luring a union snitch out of hiding and straight to his death begins to gradually eat at his consciousness, he begins to chart a redemptive journey that will forever change the lives of a convent-educated blonde, Edie (Eva Marie Saint), a cigarette smoking priest, Father Barry (Malden), and his brother, Charley (Rod Steiger).

Schulberg’s literary set-up is exactly what classic stories are made of.  This is where most of today’s films – even the good ones – fail; it’s in their script.  Schulberg pulls no weak punches here.  No connection goes unexplored.  And his drama includes the bitter chill of the docks.  There is not a single phony line of dialogue in the entire thing.  His scripted execution is perfection itself and gives Kazan the framework to make On the Waterfront an unforgettable experience of transcendental film.

Kazan supplies his actors with enough peppered slang to make the scenes – in their homes, their bars, their streets, their parks, and on their docks – authentic and, even if it does only contain one actual scene of waterfront work, On the Waterfront succeeds in creating a reality where most films are content with only mimic.  One gets the feeling that every character is a portrait; every person capable of anything and all, whose faces match the steely chill of the air, are hardworking victims of an unfair system that rewards the rich and powerful only.  They are the god-fearing; they believe in second chances.  Their greedy bosses – criminals themselves – do not.

Adding to the verisimilitude of the picture is the work of Russian born cinematographer Boris Kaufman.  His work is natural beauty.  Iconic and stark, he strips the decency away and exposes the fanged wind of the location and presents images that are dangerous and real.  There’s a quiet roar in the many over-the-shoulder shots of two people separated by background and social barriers that only complicate their attraction for one another.  Of course, I am talking about Saint and Brando.  Brando’s method acting – aided by Steiger’s too – is matched only by Malden’s sermonizing performance as a priest on the edge of losing his flock and his sanity.  To suggest that Malden could make even an atheist bare testimony to the power of Christ’s love is indeed an understatement.  He is a force here.

I could go on and on about the brutal beauty of On the Waterfront but, truth is, no words could ever do it justice.  This is a film that must be seen and felt.  American filmmaking seldom gets any better than this.

{2jtab: Film Details}

MPAA Rating: This title has not been rated by the MPAA.
Runtime: 108 mins.
Director: Elia Kazan
Writer: Budd Schulberg
Cast: Marlon Brando; Karl Malden: Budd Schulberg; Rod Steiger; Leif Erickson
Genre: Classic; Drama | Crime
Tagline: A story as warm and moving as GOING MY WAY...but with brass knuckles!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Some people think the Crucifixion only took place on Calvary. Well, they better wise up!"
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: July 28, 1954
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 19, 2013

Synopsis: An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

Component Grades Movie Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

DigiPack / The Criterion Collection

Available on Blu-ray - February 19, 2013
Screen Formats: 1.66; 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit); English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Criterion’s 1080p transfer of On the Waterfront redefines the term clarity.  The biggest treasure; however, is that you get three different transfers.  Since it appears all three presentations have been sourced from the same master (with a few minor variations, such as contrast) they are all generally the same in terms of quality. Source wise they’re all close to flawless, only presenting a few minor nicks and marks. Film grain has been left in place and it is rendered nicely across all three, though it’s actually more noticeable in the widescreen versions of the film, which I assume is because the original 1.33:1 image is more-or-less being blown up. The widescreen 1.85:1 presentation can present a bit of compression noise in the rendering of the grain in places but otherwise not much to fault the digital transfers on. They all cleanly render the image, don’t appear to present any edge enhancement, deliver solid black levels, clean and distinct gray levels, and superb contrast. The images across all three are crisp and sharp, never going soft. Crushing is also never an issue and details come through clearly in many of the film’s darker sequences.  All three presentations of the film also appear to come with the same linear PCM 1.0 mono and DTS-HD 5.1 surround tracks. The original mono track is more than likely the one most will want to go with and it’s certainly a fine presentation. It manages to deliver a fairly dynamic presentation, with great range in dialogue and music, both of which are clear. Music also comes off fairly clean without any distortion.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Ported over from Sony’s previous 2001 DVD edition is the audio commentary by Richard Schickel and Jeff Young.  The two talk about the various aspects of the film, from its presentation of its characters and people, to the long history of the production, and to the performances, specifically Brando’s method acting and the impact he had and they also address the political side of the film.

Special Features:

First of all it must be noted that Criterion presents Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront in multiple aspect ratios over two dual-layer Blu-ray discs. The first disc presents the film in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1 while the second disc presents the film in its theatrical aspect ratios of 1.85:1 (for theaters that had widescreen capabilities) and 1.33:1 (for the theaters that didn’t.) All three versions of the film, which look to be all sourced from the same 4K master and framed appropriately, are presented in 1080p/24hz.  The supplemental material begins with a 18-minute interview between Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones about the impact of the movie.  Following that is Elia Kazan: An Outsider, a 54-minute interview about the director and his work.  A new 45-minute documentary on the film’s production,”I’m Standin’ Over Here Now”, is included.  Criterion has also managed to get a new 12-minute interview with Eva Marie Saint, who made her movie debut with this film.  Adding to their overwhelming material is a 12-minute interview with longshoreman Thomas Hanley, a 26-minute interview with author James T. Fisher, a 26 minute interview panel with Richard Schickel, James Lipton, Patricia Bosworth, Jeff Young, and actors Rod Steiger and Martin Landau talking about the famous scene between Brando and Steiger in the cab, and a new 21-minute visual essay about Leonard Bernstein and his score.

Also included on the supplemental disc is a feature that goes over the ratios and they do point out the advantages, like how the full frame version can give a better idea of the surroundings in exterior scenes but the widescreen version offers tighter framing in the more intimate moments.  Criterion has put together an impressive and outstanding edition, with some great supplementary material and a fantastic presentation, no matter which aspect ratio you watch the film in.

• Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones (18 min)
• Elia Kazan: An Outsider (54 min)
• "I'm Standin' Over Here Now" (45 min)
• Eva Marie Saint (12 min)
• Elia Kazan (12 min)
• Thomas Hanley (12 min)
• Who is Mr. Big? (26 min)
• Contender: Mastering the Method (26 min)
• Leonard Bernstein's Score (21 min)
• On the Aspect Ratio (6 min)
• Trailer (3 min)

{2jtab: Trailer}

{/2jtabs}