COM 246
On the Waterfront Study Guide
On the Waterfront (1954)
Released by Columbia
Director: Elia Kazan
Screenwriter: Budd Schulberg
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hollywood was aggressively investigated by a Congressional committee called the House Unamerican Activities Committee, which claimed to have information about Communist infiltration of the movie industry. Witnesses from the industry, from producers to writers to movie stars, were called before the committee and subjected to intimidating questioning designed to prompt them to identify those who might have ties to the Communist party in the United States. Rumor and innuendo were as welcome in such testimony as hard facts. What was not welcomed was a hesitance to testify on the grounds that one ought not rat out one's friends and associates. Those who resisted the committee's inquiries were subject to harsh penalties. In particular, ten who flatly and openly defied the committee were jailed for "contempt of Congress." The reason for the reluctance on the part of many witnesses to name names was that those who were named usually found themselves "blacklisted," meaning that everyone in the industry understood that they were never to be hired. Dozens of careers were ruined in this way, leading to a great many suicides. Those who readily agreed to name names in their testimony were known as "friendly witnesses." When the political tide eventually turned, after the self-destruction of Senator Joseph McCarthy had given red-baiting a bad name, those who had been "friendly witnesses" often found themselves reviled in the industry as "stool pigeons." Elia Kazan, who directed On the Waterfront, was one such witness. Even now, half a century later, the bitterness over this divisive period in Hollywood's history continues to fester. When Kazan was given a special Academy Award a few years ago, many in the audience sat on their hands rather than applaud him as a way of expressing their distaste for his actions during the time of the HUAC hearings. On the Waterfront, a story about the courage shown by a man who informs on a corrupt mobster who runs a crooked union, is viewed by some as Kazan's response to those who condemned him for informing on others to Congress.
What is the significance of Terry's background as a prize fighter?
What is the significance of Joey Doyle's coat, which is passed on to Dugan and then to Terry?
What is the significance of Terry's pigeons?
How would you characterize a story in which these kinds of details carry such significance?
How does Kazin's camera compose the shots of this film? Are the shots, in the main, formalistic or realistic (see Understanding Movies, pp. 2 - 8)?
How are the sounds of the waterfront used to tell the story more effectively?
Does the acting in the film seem naturalistic?
How do the performances of different actors in the film differ from one another?
If On the Waterfront were remade today, who might you expect to be cast in the role of Terry Malloy? Charley Malloy? Johnny Friendly? Edie Doyle? Father Barry?
What does the film seem to say about the proper role of religion?
Does the film represent an appropriate parallel to Kazin's actions in testifying before HUAC?