On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront

Elia Kazan’s masterpiece On the Waterfront is a powerful drama about a man Terry Malloy played by Marlon Brando who resurrects from being a person who is lost in his morality to a hero and a leader to not just himself but to others as well. The film is about the fight against corruption and the entrapment of being D&D (Deaf and dumb) and the fight for fairness, equality and what is morally right.
In the earlier stages of the film Terry has been tricked into becoming a decoy for the planned out murder of Joey Doyle. Joey a longshoreman worker under Johnny Friendly (Lee. J. Cobb) who is the corrupted leader Longshoreman’s Union has decided to break out of being D&D and bring the truth out about the corruption of Johnny Friendly and his goons. Johnny being concerned about Joey breaking open the truth forces him to have Joey killed. Once that event has taken place it has triggered a turning point of the lives of all the characters from On the Waterfront.
When Edie Doyle played by Eva Marie Saint firsts meets Terry she feels curiosity towards Terry when they actually have a conversation for the first time. Edie in the beginning of the film is in complete agony in finding out about her brother’s death in which Terry later finds out that Edie is the sibling of Joey during the scene where they firsts meet outside of the dock fighting for work tabs. Terry and Edie are forced once again to be together due to the goons reeking havoc at the church where Father Barry (Karl Malden) has arranged a secret meeting concerning the death of Joey. When they are alone they have their first real conversation, which brings out many importance and symbolism regarding the rest of the movie.
In the park sequence Edie asks Terry “Which side are you with” because of her curiosity to solve the mystery of her brothers death in which Terry replies “Me? I’m with me” there was importantance in that dialogue because it shows the Terry is not evil and corrupted like the union, he is just...

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