On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront (in Latin America, Nido de ratas; in Spain, On the Law of Silence) is a 1954 American drama film directed by Elia Kazan and with a screenplay written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger and Eva Marie Saint in his film debut.

With a script inspired by a series of articles published by the New York Sun during November and December 1948, the plot focuses on union violence and corruption among dockers, while detailing widespread corruption, extortion and racketeering on the Hoboken, New Jersey waterfront.

On the Waterfront was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won eight, including Best Picture, Best Director for Kazan, Best Actor for Brando, and Best Supporting Actress for Saint.

It is considered one of Elia Kazan's best works and has frequently been listed among the best films in American cinema. In 1989, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Plot

Presentation of Marlon Brando in the trailer of the film.

The lives of longshoremen on the New York docks are controlled by a mobster named Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is a former boxer who works for him and has been a witness and indirect perpetrator of some of his misdeeds. When he meets Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the sister of a Friendly victim, a profound moral transformation takes place in him that leads him to regret his past life. Through Edie he meets Father Barrie (Karl Malden), who encourages him to go to court and tell everything he knows.

Cast

• Marlon Brando: Terry Malloy
• Karl Malden: Father Pete Barry
• Lee J. Cobb: Michael J. Skelly, alias "Johnny Friendly"
• Rod Steiger: Charley Malloy
• Eva Marie Saint: Edie Doyle

Awards

Oscars

Acknowledgments

The film is recognized by the American Film Institute on these lists:

• 1998: AFI's 100 years... 100 films – #8
• 2003: AFI's 100 years... 100 heroes and villains:
  • Terry Malloy – Hero #23
• 2005: AFI's 100 years... 100 phrases:
  • "You don't understand! I could have had class. He could have been a contender. It could have been someone, instead of a bum, because that's what I am. - #3
• 2005: AFI's 100 years of soundtracks – #22
• AFI's 100 years... 100 inspirations – #36
• 2006: AFI's 100 years... 100 films (tenth anniversary edition) – #19