1954's On The Waterfront was like a reunion for me, with pretty much the entire main cast having appeared in a movie I've already watched. We had Marlon Brando and Karl Malden (Streetcar Named Desire), Eva Marie Saint (North By Northwest), Lee J Cobb (12 Angry Men), and Rod Steiger (In The Heat of The Night) It makes me excited that I am starting to familiarize myself with these past stars. This film is very good, especially from an acting standpoint. Every performance that is given by the above actors is spot-on. I have to continue my Brando crush from Streetcar. He has a realizism about him that is hypnotic almost. Cobb is great in the bad guy role, and Steiger goes toe to toe with Brando in one of the films most famous scenes, the "I could'a been a contender" scene. I wish Steiger's role had been bigger because of that scene. They play it perfectly. Elia Kazan directed this film and I love how both this and Streetcar have such a real feel compared to other films from that time period. You feel like this was shot with actual long shore men as extras and in the bit parts. Malden is wonderful in this. I imagine him to be the nicest guy. The film won 8 Academy Awards for 1954, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Actor. The movie is an allegory for the HUAC hearings of the 50's, much like High Noon was. Brando takes the Gary Cooper role of being faced with a decision without the support of his friends or co-workers. Well, I've got to cut this one short and get started on my next film because I'm already a day behind on my catch-up schedule.
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