On the Waterfront (1954)
(Elia Kazan, US 1954, 108 min., 35mm)
Academy Awards at 90. Marlon Brando gives a spectacular performance as an ex-prizefighter who faces off against a corrupt union boss in this dynamite drama about the deplorable working conditions on the New York docks. Columbia studio head Harry Cohn objected to the film’s location shooting in Hoboken, New Jersey, and predicted box-office doom, but On the Waterfront proved a sensation on its release. The misty, shadowy docks were brilliantly captured in black and white by cinematographer Boris Kaufman, Leonard Bernstein provided the haunting score, and Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, and Lee J. Cobb round out the powerhouse cast.
This multiple Academy Award winner took Oscars for Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture.
Also showing: Saturday, January 13, 7:30 p.m.