The film On the Waterfront tells the story of a longshoreman, Terry Malloy, who intends to launch a revolt, expose the crimes of the owner of the port and ensure justice for the workers, together with the student Itty Doyle and priest Barry. Being one of the masterpieces directed by Elia Kazan in 1954, starring Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, this film earned him eight Oscars at the 27th Academy Awards ceremony. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Waterfront is a story about conscience. It's based on a real news story by Malcolm Johnson, about a union preying on dock workers who make a living on the waterfront. In this film based on a true story, we can see extreme realism never seen before in any film. Compared to the popular “film noir” of the time, the moral speculative color contained in this story seems to have a layer of discussion about the group's values. “Film noir” often focuses on the dilemma of the hero's individual moral choice, while On the Waterfront radiates individual confusion – success in the fight against the forces of evil should not be attributed to the protagonist's solitary efforts, but to the collective awakening of port workers. Kazan infuses the temperament of "film noir" into this film with an obvious quality of social criticism. Find a perfect meeting point between the search for the dramatic effect of expression and the realistic search for highlighting true charm. This story not only tells how these longshoremen overthrow the evil union, Kazan also includes two other plots, namely the awakening of Terry Malloy's moral conscience and his love story with Edie, in order to add inner emotional tension to the movie. This film applied a strong realistic style, particularly in shaping the lower class people who work and live in the dock, warehouse, and tavern. To make the audience live a life very different from the aristocratic luxury life of Hollywood. In terms of details, director Elia Kazan clearly adopts the style of documentary film, bringing dirt, roughness and even the smell of sweat into the camera. The film truly reflects the life, awakening and struggle of longshoremen. The more realistic the film, the more powerful and fascinating the actor must be. The actor's performance gives a real and impressive impact on people. In this way, the seemingly dark overall tone is offset by a brighter character, and this character is the soul of the film: Marlon Brando. She had a Romanesque face, sensual lips and a pair of breathtaking eyes that appear to be naked. No one could look at his expressive eyes without revealing the truth, because his eyes show all his feelings. Therefore, at the beginning of the film, although he appeared as a ruffian and eventually became a hero, this process was not abrupt at all. By changing your eyes you could understand how a normal worker who acted as an accomplice became a leader rebelling against the enemy. Just like the heroine of the film said that she saw something in his eyes, which was the truth. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay On the Waterfront is considered a work that Kazan created to defend himself. Shortly before filming began, Kazan testified before the committee, naming several colleagues linked to the Communist Party. This title of “informant” becomes the moral burden that cannot be alleviated in Kazan's life. Then, he intentionally uses Terry's role to make it clear that he is only temporarily influenced and used by the.