You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda
been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.
Earlier today, I checked to see what was on at The Showroom cinema. It was a nice surprise to see that at 3.30 there would be a screening of "On The Waterfront" (1954). Over the years, I may have seen snatches of this iconic film but I am sure I had never previously watched it from beginning to end and certainly not from a cinema seat.
"On The Waterfront" first came out seventy years ago to rave reviews. It won oscars aplenty - including "Best Film", "Best Director" and "Best Supporting Actress" for Eva Marie Saint. Marlon Brando's masterful performance earned him the "Best Actor" award.
Film techniques have come a long way in these past seven decades but sitting in the darkness of The Showroom, I was still enthralled by the story that unfolded on the screen. Set in New York and focusing on what we in Britain call dockers, the film explores shady practices amongst the longshoremen. Union leaders control the labour scene and men are advised to be "d & d" - deaf and dumb, even keeping schtum about questionable deaths.
Supported by Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint) and Father Pete Barry (Karl Malden), Terry Malloy (Brando) manages to find the courage to fight back against the thuggish, controlling union bosses and to lead New York's longshoremen towards a happier, less fearful future.
The imaginative musical score was entirely by Leonard Bernstein and it added greatly to the overall atmosphere of "On The Waterfront".
If more great films from the past were screened at The Showroom, I would love to go and see them - including "Rebel Without A Cause", "Citizen Cane" and "Gone With The Wind". Watching them on television sets could never be the same.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/XiVsP8w