"Story of the Wharf": Fight against the violent persecution of the underworld and break the stubborn interest structure

Laverne 2021-11-13 08:01:23

"The Wharf" reflects the struggle between various forces on the New York pier in the early 1950s, with Marlon Brando playing the crew and fighting against evil forces. The drama conflicts in the film are handled extremely well. The film is adapted from a report about the dock written by the New York "Sun". The artistic style is semi-documentary. The location is all shot on site. Almost all the scenes are dark, bleak and cold, and are very consistent with the theme. The film won the 27th Oscar for best picture, best director, best story script, best actor and other 8 awards.
This film truly reflects the life, awakening and struggle of dockers. It is a passionate accusation of corruption and tyranny within the American trade unions. It can give a glimpse of the American society. "The Wharf" is also a masterpiece of American director Ilya Kazan, produced in 1954. The performances of the actors in "The Wharf" are so outstanding that the five actors in the film are Marlon Brando, Carl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Marie Center, and Rod S. Tegel has been nominated for Oscars. This film reflects the love produced in the process of resisting the violence of the underworld. Appreciating this film can give people a feeling of intoxication. This is a very classic American film.
The main content of "Story of the Dock" is about a docker who can stand up and testify against the crime of exploiting and maiming workers by the upper ranks of the union. Roosevelt once mentioned the four freedoms of human society's ideals, namely, freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. But the dock workers in the film are clearly threatened by hunger and fear. Every morning, they flock to the front of the union. Only those who are related or lucky have the opportunity to be appointed to work. The rest of the people, If I didn’t work, I didn’t have a day’s wages, and I was threatened with a day’s starvation. Calculated by our common sense, dockers are paid by piece or by the hour, and all workers are hired. On average, everyone has a little less money, but they can guarantee that they will not go hungry. This guarantees the maximum labor and labor of ordinary workers. The right to seek compensation, workers can avoid the danger of want, but those upper-class trade unions who rely on this kind of means to control workers will break their sense of superiority in dominating people, because since everyone can have a job, naturally there is no need for it. Look at the faces of the upper ranks of the trade union. The upper ranks of the trade union are obviously not willing to lose their "noble" status and status. Controlling the workers, putting a tight curse on the workers, so that they dare not easily resist, the fundamental purpose is to protect the dirty exploiting interests of the upper ranks of the trade union-these upper ranks deduct money from each worker in the name of "contributions." The trade unions, which were supposed to protect the interests of workers, actually exploited workers like capitalists, and ordinary people can only leave them at their mercy. Otherwise, if you resist a little bit, you may be deprived of your job opportunities, or you may lose your life. Ordinary people can only live under this kind of oppression and survive. How can they break this vicious circle of interests?
At the beginning of the film, a worker (Joy) who was going to prove their crimes to the court was booby-trapped. Everyone docker knows what's going on, but no one comes forward. They have become accustomed to living in such an environment, just asking for their own food and clothing. Regarding this crime, they just think it’s a matter outside the window. As long as they follow the set set by the gang and pay the money on time, they will be fine, gang Only deal with those nosy people, as long as you don't be the nosy people. But what the nosy people are striving for is a fairer treatment for all workers. Isn't this universal human nature? People seldom take actions that cause immediate harm to themselves for the sake of illusory justice and justice. Even if this kind of morality and justice is realized, it can produce tangible benefits for themselves. This conservative human nature makes people accustomed to numbness and walking away when facing misfortune and injustice. Only a very small number of people have the courage to be the first righteous, and most people will not even make a move of solidarity. Therefore, the warrior who is willing to commit hardship with his own body to break the vicious circle of interests can only be a lonely tragic hero most of the time. And like the deep throat in the Watergate incident, he can expose the truth and go to war against the president, but he can conceal his identity and retreat all over, which is a good ending.
The masses, most of the time, are just a group of people who are willing to accept because of their success. If he understands this and can devote himself without hesitation, then he is truly a noble person. However, the struggle is not only the rare idealists who uncovered the shady, but it may also be some ordinary people with courage. If the former comes from reason, then the latter is often driven by emotion. The protagonist Terry in the film is the latter. He was originally a good-natured young man. At first, he was used to lure his friend Joey to the murder, but when he knew the whole story, he was stubborn and struggling with his heart. His sister Yiti fell in love, which exacerbated the self-blame of his conscience. Under the guidance of the priest, he planned to come out to prove the crime of the gang. His brother Charlie was not able to persuade him, so he was brutally killed by the gang. Terry wanted to seek revenge. In the end, the priest was led to the court to testify against the gang's crimes. But because of his betrayal, Terry was deprived of his job opportunities by the still existing gangs and unions until he declared war on the unions on his own, the union masses chose to stand by his side, and the gangs and unions were abandoned.
At the end of the film, the masses finally awakened, a typical Hollywood awakening. There is a very interesting arrangement of details that are easily overlooked in the film, that is, a short section is cut in the middle of the scene of the court. A big fat head is facing the camera watching the live broadcast of the court, watching the trade union generals. So he turned off the TV and told his subordinates to say that he was not there if Johnny called. After the subordinates asked, he said that he would not be there in the future—the mastermind behind the scenes was just a small piece of money-gathering turf. Without breaking one's muscles and bones, rights and corruption will survive as twins! The ending of the film seems to tell people that only by establishing a clean and fair trade union can the interests of workers be protected. But where to find motivation to break the stubborn interest structure is a question left for people to think about in the film. What is the least costly and most sensitive method? In the face of the silent majority, can only the sacrifice of the warrior promote social justice? Perhaps what is needed is the freedom to criticize and comment, the freedom to denounce current malpractices and avoid fear. A sane society should guarantee this, because only in this way, can we get rid of the parasitic tumors on the body of society at a relatively small cost, so that society can have a better tomorrow.
This film is another collaboration between director Ilya Kazan and Marlon Brando after "A Streetcar Named Desire". In addition, there is also Eva Marie who looks exactly like Cameron Diaz but is quieter than her. Senter (but the latter only won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), Carl Malden and the very arrogant Rod Steiger in the future starred, of course, the performance is impeccable! Because of this, Ilya Kazan used a lot of close-up and close-up shots of actors in the film. Even for black and white films, there are a lot of close-ups, especially when shooting a dialogue between two people. To the point! The most exciting segment in the film is the segment between Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Cent in the bar and the segment between Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger in the car. The previous segment made this The rather masculine and dark film has some gentle and warm temperament, and the latter section reveals more of Terry's life, and also makes Terry's later transformation appear authentic.
"The Wharf" can also be reminiscent of "Angry Bull". Brando's Terry and Robert De Niro's La Motta have both fought boxing, and they also have a secret inner world. Neither of the two films portrays the personality of the two fighters, but is as complex and full of power as the bottom of the ice. Under Terry's sullen temperament, it is the reflection and self-blame of his conscience, the desire and expectation of love. The former is slowly awakened under the priest’s mission, and the latter is able to resist evil under Yidi’s love power. Original instinct. Marlon Brando's performance is calm and successful, successfully de-dramatizing Terry's image, but at the same time expressing the character's complex inner world full of tension. This reminds us of Robert De Niro, of "Angry Bull", of "Taxi Driver", of Martin Scorsese. Therefore, Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro can become the "greatest actors" in film history. Similarly, Ilya Kazan and Martin Scorsese also deserve the honor of "the greatest director". . And the excellent combination of two pairs, one directing and one acting, appeared one after another, like the reincarnation of history, or like a movie about the reincarnation of history.

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

    At the end of the film, Terry and the gang leader did not take advantage of the head-to-head duel at the wharf, or even completely at a disadvantage, but his fighting spirit inspired the working class and made the former gang lose their power. This kind of spiritual victory can also be said to have a great ending. Reunite.

  • Elinore 2022-03-27 09:01:04

    The blood and tears of American labor.... Marlon Brando's appearance here is not very good-looking, although I can see some enchanting, and my character is relatively cute, but it is not very good-looking and what's going on with the eyebrows..." In "A Streetcar Named Desire", the sexiness is a mess.. so I think it has changed a lot

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?