On the Waterfront

This movie is amazing! I haven't really been a fan of Marlon Brando up until now, but wow he is simply stunning in this film. At first I thought this was just an extension of his performance in A Streetcar Named Desire being broody and alcoholic, but this was much more subtle, owing in part of course to the famous 'I could have been a contender' scene in the back of the cab. This movie of course is layered with implications from the 'naming of names' by director Elia Kazan in the 1950s in Hollywood, but all political themes aside, it is a great story of the human spirit even in those who claim to have lost their way. I love how even in the end Terry refuses to play the good guy and hangs on the threads of his bad guy persona despite being completely abandoned by the mob and the other longshoreman--the scene in which Champ strangles all of Terry's pigeons is heartbreaking. It is said that Brando's performance was the inspiration for James Dean's Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause and if you think that was a good film, DEFINITELY go see this!