On the Waterfront

**_Popular quasi-film noir early in Brando’s career_** A former prize-fighter (Marlon) wrestles with his conscience as a longshoreman on the Hudson River across from Manhattan and the Empire State Building. He finds himself attracted to the sister (Eva Marie Saint) of a murdered dockworker while his lawyer brother (Rod Steiger) defends the corrupt Union boss (Lee J. Cobb). Karl Malden is on hand as a concerned local minister. "On the Waterfront" (1954) is an iconic B&W crime drama that won myriad awards when it came out. It’s a seminal socio-political noir and one of Brando’s three big hits in the early 50s, along with “A Streetcar Named Desire” and, less so, “The Wild One.” I cite those movies because this is cut from the same cloth, just with the milieu of the Hoboken docks in the shadow of the Big Apple. Why it’s not included on lists of film noir is a mystery. Although it’s understandably old-fashioned and a little melodramatic, there’s enough human interest, especially the potential romance, and you can’t beat the authentic setting. I particularly like the rooftop perspective with skyscrapers in the distance in many scenes (reminiscent of Spider-Man comics from the 1960s-1980s). The flick supports being a “stoolpigeon” against corruption and was director Elia Kazan’s answer to those who denounced him for identifying eight Communists in the industry before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1952. Despite its renown, Brando seems pudgy and somewhat unappealing. I thought he improved in later (better) movies, like “Désirée,” “The Young Lions,” “One-Eyed Jacks” and “Mutiny on the Bounty,” even “The Fugitive Kind,” “Morituri” and “The Night of the Following Day.” The flick runs almost 1 hour, 48 minutes, and was shot on the shores of Hoboken, New Jersey. GRADE: B-