On The Waterfront
My third time spending a couple hours with this all time great. I seem to like it more each time. My problem my first two watches centered around the ending. As with most films the more I watch it the more that lessens. The ending wasn't my favorite but it didn't bother me at all this time and it didn't seem to last as long. Like Streetcar, Brando is the driving force. I do want to give Kazan some credit for that though because I really feel that Brando's performances match up well when talking about Dean in East Of Eden. I call these performances mannered, and personally I love all three of these performances. Not only does Brando command the screen but he adds all these little quirks that make the performance so endearing. The way he puts his hands in his jacket, puts on Edie's glove, wears his grapple hook on his shoulder, and pops birdseed into his mouth. All this little nuance and quirk makes Brando and this film really something special.
The character is so special it almost makes his arc obsolete. That's not the case though, the way this character is written is excellent as well. I love that this character is so conflicted right from the start. It is obvious he has been thrust into this world and fits well in it, but he is not entirely sure it is where he wants to be. His main desire is to be content and he does whatever he has to do to achieve those means. He is very uncomfortable with the violence that goes on within the organization which makes him the perfect catalyst for change. I could possibly see people having a complaint about the way his relationship goes with Edie. It feels a bit under developed, but for me I was fine with it because I like the time we get to spend with some of the other characters as well.
I love Malden here, as I usually do. He is given more screen time than I remember and is given some really nice speeches. Special shout out to Malden, but all the supporting performances are really good. I recognized quite a few faces in this. Again, the cinematography is well executed if not exceptional. Kazan works well in small spaces but I think I always want a bit more of the landscapes in his films as well. You never get the feeling of a sprawling metropolis. Maybe this is on purpose and just speaks more to my taste in these types of films.
I have said a lot but I need to talk about the storytelling just a bit. I really like how this film builds. I mentioned before having slight problems with the ending that kept me in the 4/5 range with this film. Everything that comes before it is done so perfectly though. It is like a fuse that eventually has to blow something up. In that way I do think the ending works because of how well crafted the building is that comes before.
This is a movie I had a lot of love for coming in but I think it has grown in my estimation on this watch. Not quite Streetcar level, but pretty darn close.