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Alessia 2021-11-13 08:01:23

From a sociological point of view, "The Dock Storm" exposes the gang activities and evil phenomena in the American dock society is superficial. Undoubtedly, the existence of corrupt politics is the reason why trade union leaders are able to perpetrate lawlessness and perpetrate all kinds of evils. The famous series "Crime on the Dock", which was the basis of the film, was a sensation after it was serialized in the New York Sun from November to December 1948, and it also won a Pulitzer Prize for its author Malcolm Johnson. This report reveals in detail the terrible background of two consecutive murders that occurred in the New York Docklands in 1948: the secret collusion between the wharf union leader, local politicians, and the police, the staggering amount of bribes, taps, looting, and loan sharking. And foot. The title of the script and the title of the film also stated that it was based on Johnson’s news reports. However, the above-mentioned vital social background was completely absent in the finished film, and the so-called "crime investigation committee" became corrupt. The opposite of the union leader and his gang.

The audience who understands the inside story is clear about the mystery. During the persecution of democratic progressives by McCarthyism in the United States in 1947, Schulberg and Kazan took the initiative to inform the Commission of Inquiry on African-American Activities and framed a large number of film circles as "red elements." For this, they received widespread contempt. The two of them have always had a lot of grievances about this, so when they co-produced "The Wharf" in 1954, they devoted all their efforts to defending the legitimacy of the "informer". Under the dominance of this sad and ridiculous personal attempt, the film treats Terry’s absence or not as the core issue of the plot: the success or failure of the fight against corruption and anti-corruption is related to the fact that the insider will not inform the official. . As a result, the insiders and victims pretended to be deaf for fear of Flandre’s cruel retaliation, which became the only reason why the evil phenomenon in the dock society existed and spread. And Terry's final awakening-he not only went to inform, but also publicly declared that he was an informer! ——Easily overthrew the rule of the gang. The clumsy actions of Schulberg and Kazan deliberately confuse right and wrong, and the damage to the social significance of the film is undoubtedly extremely serious, although it is not serious enough to make the film completely reverse.

In addition, the art of "Fighting on the Wharf" is mainly photography and performance, which is quite desirable.

The photography of "The Wharf" can be said to be an excellent example of the first test of documentary style in the history of American film. The film was shot on-site on the piers and streets of the Hobken Port area in New Jersey. The weather was overcast and cold, and the temperature was close to zero degrees Celsius. In order to fully express the environmental nature of this impoverished and sinister port area, photographer Boris Kaufman used black and white film in accordance with Kazan's intentions. Unfolding in front of the audience is a gloomy, colorless world: the monotonous brick house where the dock workers live, the trash cans that can almost smell the smell, the roof with TV antennas interspersed with the messy pigeon nests, the dark little ones. Lane, a small park with bare trees swaying in the cold wind, opposite the park is a lifeless church, a shabby union office on a moored boat, a smoky but depressing bar, and a heavy weight on the dock A huge pile of oppressive sense...All these metaphorical image symbols are in harmony with the course of the event, making the audience linger and unforgettable.

The dove is an important symbol in the film. Pigeons in black and white are always visible on the screen. The pigeons huddled in their nests reminded people of dock workers pretending to be deaf and dumb. Terry used a pigeon as a bait to trick Joey into getting onto the roof, but when he went to report, he was regarded as a pigeon trapping wild birds. A child who originally worshipped Terry, in order to vent his resentment towards the informer, broke the necks of all the pigeons he raised and threw the dead pigeon at Terry's feet. There are also many references to pigeons in the line: Terry said to Eddie, "There are eagles in this city. They are waiting on the roof to catch the pigeons and eat." When Terry told Eddie vaguely that love between the sexes should last a lifetime, he also took the dove as an example. However, they are obviously more symbolic in front of Kaufman's camera lens.

The actor's performance is delicate, appropriate, moderate and true, which is a commendable important feature of "The Wharf". Kazan himself is a famous stage director and an actor. As a stage director, he not only successfully directed many historical and contemporary dramas, but also first discovered the great artistic value of the works of the two most outstanding American playwrights, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, and put People who successfully put them on stage. Stage directors have always attached great importance to the great role of actor performance, and Kazan brought this feature into his film creation. Therefore, not only the main role, but also the extremely minor role in "The Wharf", he has to hire first-class actors to play the role. Actors such as Marlon Brando, Eva Maria Saint, Carl Malden, Lee Koub, and Rod Stagger need to say. There are only a few taxi drivers who don’t even have a line. The bartender of the lines and the investigators of the crime investigation committee are also well-known actors such as Nehemia Passov, Pat Hingel, Liv Eriksson and Martin Baltham. Acting. This actor team is without exception American "methodist" actors, which of course has a close relationship with Kazan's own performance concept. Kazan is a ardent admirer of Stanislavsky's performance system. In 1947, he and Cheryl Crawford co-founded the "Actor Training Institute" in New York in 1947 that uses the Strand system to train actors. Famous film actors from the "Actors Workshop" include Airy Wallach, Shelley Winds, Rod Stagger, Antoine Quinn, Montgomery Clift, etc., and Marlon Prynne Du and James Dean are among the best. The "methodist" actors emphasize the use of conscious acting skills to reflect the character and shape the character based on a deep understanding of the role to obtain a rich inner experience. This feature is clearly visible in the performance of the actors in "The Wharf".

Marlon Brando was actually acting when he played Terry. Regardless of clothing (short jackets and leather jackets), habitual movements (quick dressing and undressing, chewing gum in your mouth, and touching your cheeks when excited) to the tone of voice (unclear bite, unsatisfactory words, always It is muttering), which are all carefully designed to express the character's lack of cultural accomplishment, being a boxer, and kind heart. He has not changed in appearance, but he is obviously no longer the animalistic Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" or the strong and wise revolutionary leader in "Long Live Chaibad". A few scenes are particularly interesting and excellent examples of "methodist" performances. When Terry found out that he was an accomplice in the murder of Joey, his conscience was extremely disturbed, so in a scene where he and Frandley met in a bar, he was always in an inexplicable irritability. Brando's physical movements are in sharp contrast with Kaub's. Flandre pretended to be very warm and friendly, patted the workers' backs or shoulders affectionately, praised Terry's talents generously, and at the same time kept talking about his loyalty to the organization, using the boxing table from time to time. It is both an emphasis and an implicit threat. Terry's reaction was indifference, lack of interest, and obvious frustration. He didn't dare to protest clearly, but he couldn't get rid of the confusion in his heart. He felt that he was "not a human", but he couldn't resist the temptation of money. Brando is performing all over his body, not just showing his face like a genre actor. In a very long scene of talking with Charlie in the taxi, the picture was very monotonous. The camera kept shooting the two people motionless. The rear window of the car was hung with curtains, blocking the street view outside. At this time, it depends on the performance of the actors to attract the attention of the audience. Brando's performance is always restrained, although he expresses his resentment to Charlie excitedly and expresses his strong feelings, but never raises his voice and does not have a hot facial expression. When Charlie drew his gun at him, he just gently pushed the gun aside and snorted sadly, which instead made the audience more deeply appreciate the extremely painful and complex feelings in his heart. In those scenes that Brando played with Maria Saint, his hands were the most dramatic. They unfold slowly, as if they are constantly striving for the warmth of humanity and the return of love. For an outstanding actor, every part of his body can be an important means of expressing feelings on different occasions.

Rod Stagger, who plays Charlie, is known for playing the opposite role. He is good at leaving his own character and going deep into an unfamiliar psychological state. Generally speaking, Stagel doesn't like acting in movies. He can't bear the director's random editing of his performances on the editing stage. He is not used to filming intermittently, and he hates post-dubbing. He believes that an actor should be "a sensitive and talented person who has received performance training", and in order to learn self-control, "it is best to go on stage first, and then to act in a movie." His role as Charlie in "The Wharf" is not important, and there are not many places to play his acting skills, but he is very serious. Especially in the scene in the taxi, he knew that if he could not complete his mission, death awaited him. He should kill Terry in order to save himself, but he finally failed. At this time, there was fear in his eyes. When he let Terry get out of the car, he covered his face with both hands to prevent the driver or the audience from seeing his expression. This action is wonderful.

Schulberg and Kazan's handling of the ending of "Far from the Wharf" was a bit disappointing with the wonderful performances of the actors. From Terry to publicly questioning Flandre until he staggered towards the pier after being beaten up, Brando, Cobb and Maria Saint all had excellent performances. However, Terry's transformation is so sudden, and his Christlike spirit of suffering for the masses is so unfounded that no matter how brilliant and realistic performances are, it is hard to be convincing. The famous British director Lindsay Anderson believes that this bloody ending expresses a kind of "implicit (even subconscious) fascist thinking". Schulberg later rewritten the script of the movie into a novel. At the end, he removed Terry’s heroic behavior, and let him die sadly. He was pierced 27 times with a sharp pick. The body was placed in a lime bucket and thrown away. Into a swamp. The reason is even more intriguing.

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Extended Reading
  • Benny 2022-04-23 07:01:41

    At this time, black and white can focus on the tension of the actors. This film actually has a socialist inclination, I don’t know how it passed the censorship at that time.

  • Rowena 2022-04-23 07:01:41

    The part of the speech in the cabin was good, and I also came for Brando... a simple story, a story of resistance. "You lost a battle, but you won the whole war"

On the Waterfront quotes

  • Edie: Which side are you with?

    Terry: Me? I'm with me, Terry.

  • Edie: But Pop, I've seen things that I know are so wrong. Now how can I go back to school and keep my mind on... on things that are just in books, that-that-that aren't people living?