BEFORE: From factory workers to dock workers - I sort of shamed myself into watching this one, as opposed to another crappy comedy where people play waiters or something - I've seen several sub-par comedies already this week, so maybe I should watch a well-respected Hollywood classic. From the list of films that I hate to admit I haven't seen, like "Cool Hand Luke", "Rebel Without a Cause", "The Philadelphia Story" and "Midnight Cowboy".
THE PLOT: An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.
AFTER: I found this a little bit hard to follow, I don't think they explained exactly why the dockworkers union was so corrupt - or maybe they did, I had a little bit of trouble keeping my eyes open. I could easily see the connection between the longshoremen in this film, waiting on the docks for work, and the Mexican migrant workers seen in last night's film.
Of course Brando is the main reason to watch this film, and the 2nd and the 3rd. Karl Malden comes in 4th, I suppose, since he's got a soliloquy of his own, standing over a dead dockworker and proclaiming how his death was a "crucifixion". But Brando's rant in the back of a taxicab is the equivalent of Hamlet's "To Be or Not to Be" speech. People who don't know the whole Hamlet plot still know that line, just as everyone knows the "I coulda been a contenda..." scene, without knowing the full context.
Terry Malloy, played by Brando (last seen in "The Freshman") feels guilty over his part in the death of another dockworker, who was going to testify about corruption on the docks. Malloy lured him to the roof with the promise of returning one of his homing pigeons, and he was pushed off the roof. But the dockworkers and most of the neighbors have learned to be "D&D" - deaf and dumb - when it comes to this sort of thing.
For his role in the killing, Malloy is given a "loft" job, the equivalent of today's no-show job, and is then sent to spy on Father Barry (Karl Malden, last seen in "Nuts") who is trying to organize opposition to the mob on the docks. Eventually Malloy feels guilty about his role as a "bum" while he falls for the sister of the dead man. And the symbolism of the pigeons (as in stool pigeons) comes into play later in the film.
It's good to have context, it's good to cross a Classic Film off the list. And I didn't know there was a movie character named "Johnny Friendly" - that was one of my aliases, I used to give that name sometimes when making restaurant reservations, as a goof...
Also starring Rod Steiger (last seen in "The Hurricane"), Eva Marie Saint (last seen in "Superman Returns"), and Lee J. Cobb.
RATING: 6 out of 10 crates of bananas
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