On the Waterfront (1954)
Like most of Hollywood, Columbia Pictures was moving into an era of independent production when producer Sam Spiegel brought them Budd Schulberg’s script about a longshoreman (Marlon Brando), standing up to the powerful gangster (Lee J. Cobb) who controls the waterfront unions. Kazan directed his cast — which also included Eva Marie Saint, Rod Steiger and Karl Malden — to create a gritty, hyper-realistic picture of working-class life infused with growing tension as Brando’s Terry Malloy stands almost alone against the crime and corruption. Released on the tail of the Senate hearings on organized crime, ON THE WATERFRONT was a smash hit that swept all of the major awards and captured eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Director and Screenplay, along with acting honors for Brando and Saint, in her screen debut.
d. Elia Kazan, 108m, DCP