Key Facts
full title · On the Waterfront
director · Elia Kazan
leading actors/actresses · Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger,
Lee J. Cobb
supporting actors/actresses · Pat Henning, John Hamilton, James Westerfield, Leif
Erickson
type of work · Motion Picture
genre · Gritty gangster film; authentic social reality film
language · English
time and place produced · 1954; Hoboken, New Jersey,
and New York City
awards · 1955 Academy Awards:
· Winner, Best Picture
· Winner, Best Director (Elia Kazan)
· Winner, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay (Budd Schulberg)
· Winner, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marlon Brando)
· Winner, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Eva Marie
Saint)
· Winner, Best Cinematography, Black and White (Boris Kaufman)
· Winner, Best Film Editing (Gene Milford)
· Winner, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black and
White (Richard Day)
· Nominated, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Lee J.
Cobb)
· Nominated, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Karl Malden)
· Nominated, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Rod Steiger)
· Nominated, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
(Leonard Bernstein)
· 1955 Golden Globes:
· Winner, Best Motion Picture, Drama
· Winner, Best Director (Elia Kazan)
· Winner, Best Motion Picture Actor, Drama (Marlon Brando)
· Winner, Best Cinematography, Black and White (Boris Kaufman)
· 1954 New York Film Critics
Circle:
· Winner, Best Film
· Winner, Best Director (Elia Kazan)
· Winner, Best Actor (Marlon Brando)
· 1954 National Board of Review:
· Winner, Best Picture
· 1955 Directors Guild of America:
· Winner, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
(Elia Kazan)
· Plaque, Assistant Director (Charles H. Maguire)
· 1955 Writers Guild of America:
· Winner, Best Written America Drama, Screen (Budd Schulberg)
· 1954 Venice Film Festival:
· Winner, Italian Film Critics Award (Elia Kazan)
· Winner, Silver Lion (Elia Kazan)
· Nominated, Golden Lion (Elia Kazan)
· 1955 BAFTA Awards (British
Film and TV):
· Winner, Best Foreign Actor (Marlon Brando)
· Nominated, Best Film from Any Source
· Nominated, Most Promising Newcomer (Eva Marie Saint)
· 1955 Bodil Awards (Denmark):
· Winner, Best American Film (Elia Kazan, director)
· 1989 National Film Preservation
Board:
· Registered, National Film Registry
date of release · July 1954
producer · Sam Spiegel
setting (time) · 1950s
setting (place) · Hoboken, New Jersey
protagonist · Terry Malloy
major conflict · Terry Malloy must decide whether to inform the Waterfront Crime
Commission about the corrupt leadership of the Longshoreman’s Union,
which would risk his employment and his life, or to stay silent,
which would poison his conscience and have untold effects on his
life.
rising action · As Terry Malloy struggles with his decision, his blossoming relationship
with Edie Doyle, the passionate support of Father Barry, and the
revealing taxicab conversation with his brother Charlie all push
him toward realizing that he has only one choice for his own conscience.
climax · When Johnny Friendly’s gang murders his brother Charlie,
Terry realizes the inescapable cycle of union corruption and vows
to make the union pay whatever the cost, now that he’s felt the
pain personally.
falling action · Though in his rage Terry wants to murder all the goons
he can find, Father Barry convinces him to rise above their level
and testify in court to the Waterfront Crime Commission the next day,
which he does. He then goes down to the docks to confront Friendly.
themes · Informing as the correct moral choice; the transforming
power of faith; power corrupts
motifs · The rooftop as retreat from the world; Crucifixion
dialogue; “D & D”: Deaf and Dumb
symbols · Hudson River; pigeons; hooks; gloves
foreshadowing · Joey Doyle sticks his head out of his apartment window
to answer Terry Malloy’s call from the street, and that answer brings
his death. Much later, Malloy finds himself in the same position,
sticking his head out of Edie’s window to answer a dark call from
the street, which leads to the discovery of his brother’s corpse.
· Kayo Dugan wishes daily that the stevedores could
unload crates of crisp Irish whiskey instead of bananas, which they
unload every day. The day a ship finally arrives with a cargo of
Irish whiskey is the day the gang murders Dugan on the job—by dropping
a crate of whiskey on his head.
· After Joey Doyle’s murder, Pops Doyle gives Joey’s
jacket to Dugan, suggesting that perhaps now Dugan has a mark on
him. After Dugan’s murder, the jacket is given back to Edie. On
the final scene at the docks, Malloy grabs Joey’s jacket and wears
it in front of all.
