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On the Waterfront -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 87)

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On the Waterfront is the classic Elia Kazan movie starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Lee Cobb, and Eva Marie Saint. It's about longshoremen dominated by the local mob, and one man's stand against them, thanks to a Catholic priest.
Brando stars in a classic role, and this video reviews and analyzes On the Waterfront for its themes and ideas, including "crucifixion" and social justice.
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Disclaimer: All reasonable comments are welcome, including reasoned disagreements. You will be banned for foolish talk, harassment, and hate speech on sight; it's a tremendous waste of life. I believe in freedom of association and, by extension, freedom of dissociation from you.

Опубликовано:

5 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 119

@AlonsoRules 3 года назад

Marlon Brando was an absolute master of his chosen craft

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

indeed.

@morgantylerv9406 2 года назад

I so Agree, Anthony.

@bigbandsrock1 2 года назад

I sob at the end every time. I’m 69 so have watched it numerous times in my life. I watched most of it again tonight and stumbled upon your post. Great job imparting to folks reasons to watch this brilliant film! Brando & Eva Marie Saint are mesmerizing! A giant classic to treasure! Turn off the TV people and watch something with real substance. We need a Terry today, I’ll tell ya! Thanks again for spotlighting this fantastic film who’s relevance is timeless!

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

you're welcome.

@bev9708 Год назад

I had never seen it and today I saw it was playing at my local cinema so I jumped on the opportunity!! I had always heard other actors raving about MB’s performance here … how lucky am I to see it for the first time on the big screen!!!! ❤

@skippylance1591 5 месяцев назад

"On the Waterfront" has long been one of my top 3 favorite all-time films--for many reasons, as named here. The superlative acting, the engaging writing...you name it; everything was so well done. Even like the music score a lot: it fits the action perfectly.

@thehatergamer2376 3 года назад

This is probably my favorite analysis you've done for a film on your channel! It made me like and appreciate the film that much more.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you!

@richardpaz8803 Год назад

This is one I never get tired of rewatching. It is truly a gem! I admire its theological richness. There was a time when it was commonly recommended to seminary students. I just love when the priest (Karl Malden) confronts Lee J. Cobb and his band of henchmen. His words are so powerful and dynamic. It's a homily full of spiritual dynamite and great truths. It's a scene that never ceases to inspire me. It is so well written. Matthews, I really appreciate your channel. Your reviews and observations are always helpful. Watching "great movies" is a good investment!

@dirkbenson8155 20 дней назад

This movie was shot in Hoboken, New Jersey. While going to college across the river in Manhattan (Hunter), I was fortunate enough to watch my first screening of this film in the warehouse at the end of the film where they lead Brando’s character. (1983) It was magical. It was a brilliant film. What a place to see it. (The mob boss’ pit had long been gone by then.) As is the warehouse now. But, ‘Wow!’ to quote a line.

@RichardRamsey-su7he 5 месяцев назад

My father died last Sunday, he was 89. His first date with my mom was the movie on the Waterfront. He was 20 years-old, 2 years later they were married.

@nimascolari1508 3 месяца назад

RIP pops. Wish you and your family all the best, man.

@johnmartin7919 7 месяцев назад

Leonard Bernstein's one and only film score, and a magnificent one at that - Kazan was so lucky to have his involvement. Bernstein decided he didn't enjoy the process of writing for film so never did another, more's the pity.

@phillipsmom6252 11 месяцев назад

Eva Marie Saint won best actress for this movie. She is 99 years old now. 👍

@blancheH7 7 месяцев назад

She's gorgeous here and in North by Northwest

@lennysmom 2 года назад

I liked the symbolism of the jacket (coat/mantel) and how it ends up being given to Terry.

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

yes! does it have to do with Joseph? I had never thought about it before.

@lennysmom 2 года назад

@@LearningaboutMovies I never thought about Joseph, just that whoever wore the jacket stands up to tell the truth.

@robinstevenson6690 9 месяцев назад

Cobb was also one of the main, featured actors in 12 Angry Men, which is regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made.

@kevzsabz8253 3 года назад

Dr. Josh sorry if i didn't comment on your videos lately. My my father was in the hospital and he just died today. I'm still depressed right now. Thank you very much for always interacted with me when i comment. You've always one of those people who have a genuine heart. I will watch a marathon on my dad's favourite films. This film is one of them. This was his favourite Marlon Brandon performance. 😥😥😥

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

I'm very sorry to hear that. Sorry for you. may he rest in peace.

@kevzsabz8253 3 года назад

@@LearningaboutMovies Thanks Dr. Josh ❤❤❤

@alexandervue9464 3 года назад

May he rest in peace

@raphaelkavanagh6950 8 месяцев назад

Marlon Brando, Lee j Cobbe, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint what a lineup, a super group in today's language. Saw it in the cinema several times and wanted a jacket just like Brando's. Have the DVD and my own projector now. Time has come to watch again after watching this review.

@jimiboii209 2 месяца назад

A feel good movie…. Very strong message. Me Working on the docks. This definitely hits home in ways. I’m 30

@kevzsabz8253 3 года назад

Marlon Brandon gives an electrifying and legendary performance on this Elia Kazan's thought-provoking melodrama. This film in particular helped permanently alter the cinematic landscape. I give this a 9.4/10. Overall this is one of the most iconic films of the 1950s. 😊😊👍👍

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

yes!

@countalucard4226 Год назад

Years before cable tv and VCRs I would go to NYC when The Regency (I believe was the name) I would go and see OTW. I always left so happy after seeing it again. Just the music while showing the opening credits was fabulous.

@robinstevenson6690 9 месяцев назад

Lee J. Cobb was a magnificent actor, and he won an Academy Award for his performance in On The Waterfront. One of the great actors of the 20th century.

@charlesoshea4803 5 месяцев назад

Cobb was great in this movie, but he did not win the Oscar. Cobb, Karl Malden and Rod Steiger were all nominated but must have split the vote to allow Edmund O'Brien win for The Barefoot Contessa, in what must have been a shock at the ceremony.

@VincenzoPentangeli 7 месяцев назад

Well written, directed, & acted. You don't see any of that anymore.

@MS-xi7zg 3 года назад

Excellent analysis of a fantastic film. This is a movie you can go back and watch again and again and still get something from it.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you.

@Kaizoku-o_PirateKing 2 года назад

Another fantastic review of a new personal favourite from one of my favourite channels!

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

Thank you!

@aspfproductions Месяц назад

You know its a great movie when you can rewatch it again and again. Great review, definitely one of my favorites too!

@travisgray8376 3 года назад

Yeah Marlon Brando is one of the greatest and when I have a top list of Actos Brando is always at the top he brought method acting to mainstream audiences I love on the waterfront great film

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

amen.

@morgantylerv9406 2 года назад

Most Definitely.

@nimascolari1508 3 месяца назад

The Taxi scene is one of the greatest pice of Acting, cinema photography, acting and scripts ever. It's phenomenal. The caged birds are a reflection of him. Potential to soar but limited by his environment and those around him.

@bOmBAsTiK Год назад

I really love your shot analysis and explanation of the "elevation changes" which I've never noticed before. Not as big a fan of this film thematically nor the overhyped performances (good, not great imo), but your visual analysis was superb. I realized that even Terry's plaid jacket resembles a metaphorical "cage" after watching your clip. For me, the taxi scene plays false, the soundtrack is overbearing and Lee J. Cobb gave the overall strongest performance. But I prefer Streetcar, Face in the Crowd, East of Eden and Splendor in the Grass over this melodramatic fare; although your video definitely pointed out some elements I hadn't considered. Great work, sir!!

@ajgiacobbe2859 3 года назад

Great review...this movie is my all time favorite....i watch it whenever I can..and the cab scene always hits me in the heart.....

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you.

@skippylance1591 Год назад

"On the Waterfront" is one of my top 3 movies of all time(!)--the other two being "Citizen Kane" and "The Seven Samurai."

@debbyb7337 4 дня назад

Thank you for your video summary of On The Waterfront. My priest talked about the movie this morning in his homily. I will have to check out the movie. Cheers

@LearningaboutMovies 4 дня назад

you're welcome.

@roaminronin7818 3 года назад

Thank you. Very spot on. This is one of my favorites. The conflict & acting are among the best. Iconic.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

you're welcome. Brando was and still is one of the best.

@GregHuffman1987 9 месяцев назад

reading a pauline kael book and she says on the waterfront was ambitious but that it was inconsistent and the director didn't understand the character

@JazzyHorn 9 месяцев назад

On The Waterfront is the greatest film ever made, hands down, and I have felt this way for my entire adult life. Perfect from the sudden beginning to the inspired ending. Legendary performances, music, cinematography, dialog, everything. Great synopsis of the film itself. I was surprised that you didn't mention the McCarthy hearings and Kazan's statement through this film about his testimony in front of the HUAC and subsequent treatment by the Hollywood establishment.

@eldorados_lost_searcher 3 года назад

A review of On thw Waterfront that doesn't bring up the cab ride? It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it works out. Seriously, thanks for talking about this underappreciated gem. Haven't seen it in too long, and searched for a review to see what sort of discussion is out there regarding it.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

I hope RU-vid has some discussion about this great movie and helps people like you.

@eldorados_lost_searcher 3 года назад

@@LearningaboutMovies Only thirteen so far, and yours is the most recent.

@seanohare5488 4 месяца назад

Very well said this film has such Great acting direction powerful and inspirational because it has Christian redemption

@cruddddddddddddddd 3 года назад

Awesome analysis. Haven’t seen this in too many years.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you.

@classicmodernfilms7602 3 года назад

I checked this film in my last semester psychology class for the theme of kindness. Nice review man. I’ve been out for so long. My bad if I’ve been to quiet.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you. Welcome back!

@hadinasrallah8928 Год назад

This and akira Kurosawas red beard gave me the same feeling. A meditation on being kind

@Katarzyna-lx3fo 11 месяцев назад

Cudowny film, mam na DVD...ponadczasowy, humanistyczny, głęboko poruszający ❤

@Castilda0311 4 месяца назад

Karl Malden was fantastic as a cotton gin owner in Baby Doll, a Kazan black comedy. Because of the sexual themes it was condemned by the Catholic National Legion of Decency. One of the most notorious films of the fifties.

@jimmyj1969 3 года назад

Elmer Bernstein's music being "a little bombastic" is an understatement!

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

heh.

@vin.handle 3 года назад

That is Leonard Bernstein. Elmer did To Kill a Mockingbird, among other films.

@jimmyj1969 3 года назад

@@vin.handle No, I'm reffering to Elmer. His style was often suitable (especially during 1950s), but often not.

@vin.handle 3 года назад

@@jimmyj1969 I take your point.

@unchainedwiththecapt 2 года назад

Watched this one for the first time last night. Great movie. I noticed Fred Gwynne was in it, but he didn't have any lines.

@Madbandit77 2 года назад

Him and Martin Balsam as one of the two Waterfront Crime Commission investigators. They're both uncredited in the film.

@kubricklynch 3 года назад

Great review! Love this film.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you.

@Danish_Panja Год назад

I really really love this film ❤️

@paulorlando5877 Месяц назад

I consider it the greatest film of the 50's maybe all time.

@user-it1ig8fn1r 2 месяца назад

Eva Marie Saint just turned 100.

@sanidhyasingh227 2 года назад

I have been reading Elia Kazan's autobiography A life. I think he is very frank and genuine writing about his life. He writes that On the waterfront was most closest and important to him. In the McCarthy era, he named many of his colleagues which ruined many lives. He was blacklisted and scorned for his actions. This film was a very strong emotional reply to those accusations he faced and in a way he tried to vindicate his own decision. I watched the film after reading the book and it is glaring to see how much influenced it is by his own life. Great movie, no doubt but it seemed like a shallow cowardly justification for his actions. I didn't like it because it is a celebration of a betrayal and inhuman act. Elia Kazan has influenced and altered cinema and acting more than any other individual in 20th century. He popularized the stanislavisky system of method acting, founded the actor's studio and introduced Actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean. A Streetcar named desire and East of Eden are masterpieces but On the waterfront is kind of conflicting because of its motivation. His autobiography is one of the most fearless and earnest I have read. It is a must read for anyone intrested in Cinema.

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

yeah, and Kazan is a great filmmaker who might be underrated today, yet his films are pretty fresh. Thank you, great comment.

@sanidhyasingh227 2 года назад

Also I just wanted to know your opinion on David Lynch's Dune.

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

I don't have a strong one. It's in the wake of Star Wars, so it looks like all of the imitators, and Lynch wasn't let loose enough. Is there a Director's Cut? If so, I've never seen it, and that would be the one to try.

@amazingcarson 3 года назад

Greatest Film of All Times!

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

many such opinions.

@Woozler554 10 месяцев назад

Very good analysis, and I agree 100% with your point regarding the religious overtones in this film. There is one rather obvious religious reference in this film that no one seems to mention. It comes up in the very last scene. Terry (the Christ figure) is abandoned by all of his friends and co-workers (disciples). He is beaten bloody by the mob (Romans). Yet the priest (Father) urges him to get on his feet and 'finish what he started'. He does so, taking and carrying his hook (cross). He climbs up the ramp (road to Calvary), stumbles (as Christ did), but completes his journey, with all the workers now following him.

@LearningaboutMovies 10 месяцев назад

thank you

@homoousias 3 года назад

Great analysis 🤓

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you.

@philipmcritchie7309 3 года назад

Loving your vids man. Similar tastes. Have you done a definitive top 25 or similar ??.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you. no, not a video yet. Whenever the new BFI Sight and Sound poll is released, I'll definitely cover that and give my vote (if I had one). Here's my letterboxd list of favorites: letterboxd.com/joshmatthews/list/my-favorite-movies/

@asanfeizi1335 Год назад

The film "On the Waterfront" was not actually made but discovered.

@jaime8318 3 года назад

You mentioned the acting. People even mention Marlon Branco's "method acting." Method actors tend to make small choices, trying to be subtle. They think that the most highly skilled actors are subtle. It's b.s. It's all measured decisions trying to be "natural". "Natural" is b.s. Look at all the great BOLD choices all of these actors make. Btw, all of these actors in this movie came from the theater. Lee J. Cobb worked with the legendary Group Theater. In acting, people think that you have to change acting style for the camera. Again, look at the bold acting choices all of these legends make in this great movie.

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thanks, though I never care what method any actor uses. As long as it fits with the movie's vision to create a complex work of art.

@CH0SEN_0NE 2 года назад

Awesome video. You have Pixar character eyes, dude lol.

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

thanks, I think.

@CH0SEN_0NE 2 года назад

@@LearningaboutMovies I meant it as a compliment. You just have big and expressive eyes.

@SexySkoChick Год назад

WOWEE! 😱 I'm Catholic and I 💖 Marlon 😍🔥😱🥵 HAVE yet to watch 😌

@morgantylerv9406 2 года назад

2 words make this movie Great, Marlon Brando!

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

that is usually the case. However, he was in a lot of stinkers.

@monzersaid 3 месяца назад

They were in New York???? I though they was from Hoboken New Jersey

@LearningaboutMovies 3 месяца назад

this could be correct. Please make this correction if the video made an error.

@TheChicKenHuman 2 года назад

U really need to add subtitles in videos. Great fan of your videos

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

Thank you. RU-vid does that automatically. You should be able to turn them on.

@TheChicKenHuman 2 года назад

@@LearningaboutMovies thanks for quick response. But in this video caption is available only in indonesian

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

I don't know why. RU-vid generates English-language captions for all videos. I'm not sure why you can't turn them on.

@ramonvazquez2588 Год назад

Muy buena escenas sin palabras musica muy buena

@womenandchildren Год назад

This is a good movie! I like it like the man on the video likes it!

@LearningaboutMovies Год назад

Thanks

@mattwade2629 3 года назад

Fantastic analysis. I've seen this movie a dozen times and somehow missed obvious Catholic/Christ-figure element. I always thought that Kazan made this film in response to the blowback he received from his peers for giving up names of "reds" in Hollywood to the McCarthy Commision. Maybe that's just the standard, surface, introductory film class explanation. Anyway, just discovered your channel and loving the content. By the way, did Karl Malden ever play a role where he wasn't a member of the clergy?

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

thank you, Matt. Yes, you are surely right that the McCarthy Commission is yet another angle on this movie. Malden did play many diverse roles. On this channel I have videos on two movies in which he was the villain: "One-Eyed Jacks" and "The Hanging Tree." Plus, of course, "Patton."

@paulorlando5877 Месяц назад

Acting,story,gritty location shots,but mostly acting.

@craigdgriffiths6206 3 года назад

Hey Dr Josh, do you have any plans to do literature review videos?

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

do you mean of written literature? I do have a bunch of videos of me teaching literature classes, though the camerawork is just my laptop cam and you can't see the students. I have kicked around starting a literature channel, ala this movie channel, but the problem is time and workload. I could just upload the videos I have, but the quality would be quite different than what this movie channel is currently producing.

@craigdgriffiths6206 3 года назад

@@LearningaboutMovies Thanks for your reply. Yes, I mean written literature. It would be good to see your reviews. All the best.

@SuckMyJohnson Год назад

Just saw this movie for first time last night. I enjoyed Brandos performance and Catholic outlook here. It’s a movie about selling your soul

@boncybenny9596 2 года назад

Where i can download the movie?

@LearningaboutMovies 2 года назад

go to letterboxd and look up the movie. They'll tell you where it is streaming.

@jimmyj1969 3 года назад

Great movie (objectively speaking) but too mush obvious christian preaching, too. Another similar movie I like is Martin Ritt's "Edge of the city".

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

this in a period where Hollywood really caters to the massive Catholic movie-going audience in the US. I guess somebody had to save the dockworkers from the mob. Interesting that in the Godfather movies, released twenty years later, the church is just there as backdrop with no power (or no will?) to do much about the mafia. thanks for that other recommendation!

@alexandervue9464 3 года назад

Do you have letterbox?

@LearningaboutMovies 3 года назад

Yes, should be linked in the description.

@user-ih8fn1uz6y 5 месяцев назад

Slapnutt

@TamSpreckley-ot9zw 16 дней назад

I always wonder why all the dockworkers, who clearly outnumbered Johny Friendlys small band of thugs, didn’t storm the bands retreat and beat the crap out of them, run them out of town. Especially after the murder of Joey. It’s a great film but it’s always bothered me that the few can make the mass cower with fear. Hundreds of stevedores or a few thugs. My money would be on the stevedores. Still Bud was brilliant in it.