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On the Waterfront (1954)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 6/03, 7/05, 2/07, 7/11, 4/19

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7/05: On the Waterfront is one of the most important, influential films made.

The best and the greatest ever, Marlon Brando is spectacular and in a class of his own. Recently, AFI did a marathon of 100 Best Quotes, and Brando's "I coulda been a contender" was ranked number 3. Really, it should've been number 1, and it's famous, influencing an entire generation of great actors. During the program, Robert Hays commented the scene made him cry every time he saw it, not because it's sad, but because it was so good.

Now, what is the definition of The Method? It's simple: Marlon Brando. Why can't it be duplicated by the others? They aren't Marlon Brando. Let's examine the famous taxicab scene for a second: Rod Steiger pulls out his gun. Ideally, the person sitting next to him should act surprised and then be scared by the sight of it by putting up his hands. But not Brando. He just looks at the gun like he can't believe his own brother and turns his eyes in a fatherly way onto him before delivering the immortal lines. That wasn't in the script; Brando did that on his own.

All in all, because of what Marlon Brando did in On the Waterfront, the landscape of acting had been forever changed.

2/07: No matter how many books I've read about watershed moments in the annals of motion pictures, Marlon Brando's performance in On the Waterfront is never credited.

Marlon Brando did not act; he became Terry Malloy. Along with A Streetcar Named Desire, what Brando did in On the Waterfront puts him in a class of his own. In short, there's Marlon Brando, and there's everybody else.

All in all, any time I think of timeless movies with great performances, great scenes, and great lines, On the Waterfront is among them.

7/11: The sole reason to watch On the Waterfront is Marlon Brando.

All in all, On the Waterfront is a top ten masterpiece.

4/19: Because of his performances in On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando can rest easy if anyone wants to question his place among greatest actors ever.

These movies are electrifying, having influenced at least two generations of actors. I've read autobiographies written by actors, and nearly all of them cite Malon Brando as their hero, looking up to him because they saw the realism in his craft. There's a big difference between pre-50's and post-50's films in terms of acting. The latter is more realistic because the thespians finally immersed themselves into the characters instead of cardboard cutouts. To Brando's credit, many became better actors for it.

There are numerous outstanding scenes, but the greatest of them all is the taxicab scene. It's as good as acting will ever be. A remarkable scene is when Brando played with Eva Marie Saint's glove after it was accidentally dropped, which happened for real, and just carried on with the conversation as if it's no big deal.

All in all, there's Marlon Brando, and there's everybody else.