Best American Film of the 50s?
Yea, I think so.
shareEasily.
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MovieChat Forums > On the Waterfront (1954) Discussion > Best American Film of the 50s?
Not only the best American film of the 50s, but also my favorite acting performance in any film being Terry Malloy played by Marlon Brando. In my mind, the single greatest performance by an actor in the history of film.
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I would definitely agree that "Vertigo" is better, although we're really asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin here. The films that have been mentioned are all masterpieces that everyone should see.
Brando's performance is up there with the best, but I still think Falconetti in Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" is the best performance ever. Check it out if you haven't.
The onlt competition would be Sunset Boulevard or Singing in the Rain. But in my opinion it is the best, Brando is incredible.
shareWell, for many years I regarded "On the Waterfront" as the best American movies of the 1950s, but that changed a couple of months ago when I saw "Sunset Boulevard". But "On the Waterfront" is a true classic, and undoubtly my second favourite 1950s movie, and the main reason is Brando, delievering the best performance by an actor in history of motion pictures... I think.
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A lot of the greatest movies ever made were released in the 50s, but this is certainly one of the best. There are a few, namely "Singin' in the Rain," Sunset Boulevard," and "Vertigo" that I have to place above it though.
It has one of the greatest performances ever put on film, in my opinion.
Note: The above comments are exclusively my opinion.
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"Sunset Boulevard" was fine, but it was too much an illustration of an overfed and self-conscience world of priviledge and the overpaid citizens of a false environment. There's no doubt that the world of "Waterfront" confronts ordinary people far too often, its issues are far more challenging and real. My union days are marked with disillusionment and frustration...the idea of Labor dealing in equality with Capital have drifted away to Oz for all I saw. Such promise and so little to show for it now for the working man. I'm now a right-wing entepreneur, but still long for an honest labor movement in the United States that can deliver the chance of upward mobility to its dues-paying members, instead of being a lacky for the politically-correct falseness of the Demorat party.
"Could be worse."
"Howwww?"
"Could be raining."
I'm now a right-wing entepreneur, but still long for an honest labor movement in the United States that can deliver the chance of upward mobility to its dues-paying members, instead of being a lacky for the politically-correct falseness of the Demorat party.
The way to build a stronger labor movement is through laws that are more favorable to labor, which is what the Democrats (or elements of the Democrats, at least) support. A fully successful labor movement doesn't just magically happen on its own; there was a labor movement in this country for decades, but it did not achieve major success until the 1930s, when it enjoyed the backing of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Democratic Party.
So if you're pro-labor, you pretty much need to be pro-Democrat. Otherwise, you're trying to have things both ways. share
I'd have to say Sunset Blvd. is my favorite from the fifties. But this and Rear Window are tied for second place. Albeit, an extremely close second place.
shareIt's a contender!!
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I like your comment, Petey! :)
OTW may very well be my favorite American movie of the 50s. The only other one I might put up there with it is "Vertigo", but it's hard for me to say that for sure now because though I remember really liking "Vertigo" when I saw it, that was many years ago and I was basically a kid, so I would want to watch it again before comparing it to "On the Waterfront". If asked for my favorite movie of the 50s in general (not just American movie) I would say "Ikiru", a Japanese film, is my favorite movie of the 50s and of all time. "On the Waterfront" is easily in my top 10 of all time, probably top 5.
Most definatly the best American film of the 50s. Some great world cinema (and Hollywood cinema), but in my opinion On the Waterfront is THE Hollywood film of the 50s.
shareLove On the Waterfront, but I prefer Pickup on South Street or Kiss Me Deadly. Then again, I've always been a noir fan.
"If you knew how I felt now, you wouldn't act so adult now." - The Replacements
The major American films of the 50's were:
-Sunset Blvd
-Vertigo
-The Searchers
-Some Like it Hot
-Singin in the Rain
-Rear Window
-The Third Man
-Bridge on the River Kwai
One the Waterfront may have some competition, but it should get a pretty decent rating. Oh, and The Seventh Seal was also in the 50s, but its not American.
Several years later - The Third Man came out in 1949.
I'd add Marty,
All About Eve
A Place in the Sun
High Noon
From Here to Eternicy
The Caine Mutiny
The Ten Commandments
Ben Hur
12 Angry Men
Blackboard Jungle
Rebel Without a Cause
The 50s were a great decade for films - I think partially because they had to draw people away from their TV sets.
I think Sunset Boulevard, The Searchers, and All About Eve are even better.
It's no knock on On the Waterfront. The film is a masterpiece.
"Dry your eyes baby, it's out of character."
Sunset Boulevard is by far the best film of the 50s. I also like Vertigo and A Streetcar Named Desire. On The Waterfront is a good film but it is made great only because of Marlon Brando.
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My favorite film from the 50's is "The Searchers" but "On the Waterfront" is a very close second. Those are two of my favorite films of all-time.
shareIn my opinion it is.
"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?" Taxi Driver
In a Lonely Place, 1950. My favorite movie of the 50's (or atleast of the ones I've seen) and Bogart has never been better. Totally underrated and fantastic.
shareAs much as I love In a Lonely Place and try to reference it as much as I can on these boards, it's second to Vertigo as my choice for Best American Film of the 50s, because it's probably the most profound, romantic, visually stunning and most imitated film of almost any decade.
I once did some unlicensed tree surgery. I foolishly performed an abortion on a peach tree.
All About Eve? not even close. I thought the movie was dull compare to the great Sunset Blvd.
shareDefinitely one of the most influential films of the 50's and a great classic but then the 50's being the final decade of Hollywood's Golden Age has so many films that rank among the best.
Like The Searchers, Vertigo, The Naked Spur, Imitation of Life, The Tarnished Angels, Rear Window, Bigger Than Life, Singin' in the Rain, Some Came Running, The Big Heat, Anatomy of a Murder...it was a great decade.
On The Waterfront is unique in that it's a film that's essentially new. All the actors have little to none connection with the classic stars. It's a new film in every sense. One of the few films that reflected the lives of the society that comprised itself of it's audience in a direct way.
"Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs." - Nathanael West
Anatomy of a Murder
Please tell me how this is a film of the utmost importance, because, frankly, I see it as nothing more than a standard courtroom drama. Aside from good acting (though surely nothing spectacular), there's not a whole lot you can say about it. I love such films, and was perplexed when my viewing concluded; nothing mind-boggling or thought-provocative, no clever twist to bank on...it was thoroughly average.
Witness For the Prosecution, which preceded it by two years, was a MUCH more impressive package in every respect, and deserves mention before Anatomy of a Murder.
One also can't deny the impact Tennessee Williams's plays had on American cinema ( in particular their pushing of the sexual envelope), and I would not hesitate to put Sweet Smell of Success atop any list of great films from the 50's.
And for me personally, Clift's two seminal films A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity (especially the latter) figure prominently in there, much to your chagrin.
"...if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street." ~ an irate Tarantino share
Please tell me how this is a film of the utmost importance, because, frankly, I see it as nothing more than a standard courtroom drama. Aside from good acting (though surely nothing spectacular), there's not a whole lot you can say about it. I love such films, and was perplexed when my viewing concluded; nothing mind-boggling or thought-provocative, no clever twist to bank on...it was thoroughly average.
Well that's exactly why I liked it. The fact that it didn't have any fancy plot or pseudo-clever profundities is what makes it so great. It simply shows how a courtroom functions. Which is more difficult to accomplish artistically than simply doing a thriller plot with a twist strapped on to it. And it's also a fascinating exploration of puritanism and masculinity that's quite ahead of it's time. It's also the start of Otto Preminger's final phase where he was interested in institutions and how they worked. This led to Advise and Consent one of the few films which shows how Washington works(making it an important classic to revisit this year for obvious reasons) and also The Cardinal, a film that analyses the Catholic Church as a political insititution.
And the acting is GREAT...James Stewart, George C. Scott, Ben Gazzara and the underrated Lee Remick. I agree it's not spectacular. It's not supposed to be. And the music by Duke Ellington is out of the world. And Saul Bass' titles are excellent too.
One also can't deny the impact Tennessee Williams's plays had on American cinema ( in particular their pushing of the sexual envelope),
But that was being pushed by Preminger, Wilder and Hitchcock, all three unconnected to Tennesse Williams. He was more influential in terms of psychological realism. Still the best Tennessee Williams film of the 50's was Baby Doll and Suddenly, Last Summer and that's two films. A Streetcar Named Desire is nothing other than a filmed recreation of the original stage production. And the stage production was more influential than the film itself.
And for me personally, Clift's two seminal films A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity (especially the latter) figure prominently in there, much to your chagrin.
Well I liked Monty Clift best in Wild River, his only film for Kazan and The Heiress, great complex performances that capture the humanity of his performances. A Place in the Sun is watchable as a vehicle for Clift not as a film and certainly not as an adaptation of An American Tragedy. He's also quite good in The Misfits and Freud for John Huston.
...and I would not hesitate to put Sweet Smell of Success atop any list of great films from the 50's.
It's a great film. Although I find the dialogue too arty. But great performances. Especially Tony Curtis as this thorougly rotten human being. I actually like Robert Mitchum's preacher killer in The Night of the Hunter more than him.
But the 50's cinematically speaking was a great decade. You had Minnelli, Preminger, Sirk, Ray, Fuller, Mann in their most prolific years and Hitchcock at his best in that decade. Then Ford and Lang in their final most pessmistic and gloomy phase though Ford would only give his final testament in his late bloom of creativity in the 60's. Hawks was pretty good too(though as is the case with picking his best films, it's difficult to pick his best decade). I am not familiar with Raoul Walsh...the only weak director was John Huston who struggled making crappy commercial films to fund his dream projects but he hit his great period in the 60's and didn't look back until his last film - The Dead in the 80's, also his best film.
Oh and Orson Welles too. The 50's along with the 30's is my favourite decade of American sound cinema. The 40's are special but I never quite connect with that period as these two decades.
"Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs." - Nathanael West
On The Waterfront is unique in that it's a film that's essentially new. All the actors have little to none connection with the classic stars. It's a new film in every sense. One of the few films that reflected the lives of the society that comprised itself of it's audience in a direct way.
... not new in every sense. Actually, I'd say that On the Waterfront is a film with one foot in 'newness' and the other in 'oldness.' Some of the narrative devices, cinematic techniques, and romantic sentimentality are quite 'old.' When blended with the newer elements, they make for a film that, while memorable, can suffer from slight inconsistencies and discrepancies. If you'd like, I go delve into further detail.
I'd also note that On the Waterfront reflected the lives of some people in American society, not all. There is certainly a strong dose of social realism, but all (or most) Americans were not gritty longshoremen or the manipulated members of corrupted labor unions in seedy urban locales. share
Some great American fifties films that have gone unmentioned: Winchester '73 (Anthony Mann, 1950), Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951), Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges, 1954), To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955), The Tall T (Budd Boetticher, 1957), Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958), The Defiant Ones (Stanley Kramer, 1958).
shareAnd I forgot about Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956).
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