Kazan's Cinematic Justification
Elia Kazan is undoubtedly one of the more controversial figures of Hollywood's colourful history. Most of his actions were quite beneficial on the artistic front, but there is one biggie that made him a notorious figure to this day; his involvement in "naming names" to the House of Un-American Activities Commission. During the 40's and 50's, the US Government was in the process of cleansing the communist threat, and Hollywood wasn't immune to the probe. Kazan was one of the individuals who ratted on a number of alleged Communists; he himself was a member of the Communist party during the 30's, but left, supposedly, because he discovered how potentially evil the ideology was. It seems possible that a lot of the individuals he ruined through his testimony were comrades of his during his flirtation with the Party.
This leads us to On The Waterfront, a movie fraught with problematic issues. Of course, the film was a popular success; it won many Oscars, including the Best Picture of 1954, and it includes one of the groundbreaking performances of Marlon Brando. Yet it is also a film which apparently stirs up great reaction; take a look at the Internet, as I did the other day, and you will find articles from many self-righteous left-leaning and right-leaning individuals and publications taking potshots. From the left, much simpering and resentment that this Hollywood stoolie would dare make a film which glorifies yet another stoolie, while knocking down another cherished left-wing/socialist institution. And from the right, equal helpings of praise for Kazan holding up good-ol' American values.
Well, it's true; On The Waterfront is basically one man kicking another man already fallen, in a sense; maybe Kazan really meant it, or maybe he just wanted to save his career. If you had a lucrative contract pending at 20th Century Fox, would you keep your mouth shut on the basis of mere principle? Nevertheless, this is a pretty good movie, and all embittered Communists can forward their hate mail to me. Hardly anyone else bothers to respond to me; maybe some angry Stalinists can make my life a little bit better!
Brando plays Terry Malloy, an uneducated former boxer now ensnared in the corruption of the local union, supposedly representing the waterfront workers but really connected with the mob. The union is run by mobster Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), and Terry's own brother (Rod Stieger) is the union accountant, which, of course, means that Terry is already pretty deep in it as the movie begins, especially when he becomes an unwitting participant in a murder that Friendly's boys carry out against a man who threatens to inform. The murder kickstarts an investigation by the government to see if there are indeed any illegal activities involving the waterfront unions.
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