On the Waterfront (1954) and the failure of the Trade Union movement

  

Let us admit it the trade union movement as a revolutionary force in society is a failure. It is a reactionary force and narrow minded in its progressive agenda in bringing about definite change within the society. It is now a means to aggrandize political power and to enrich the so called leaders of the movement thereby inviting the good old fashioned corrupt movement within society. Lenin called the heads of such movements the labour aristocracy. Some of these trade union leaders even go on to achieve ministerial/senatorial posts and even to achieve the ultimate prize of national leader.  They therefore become petty bourgeois idealists and make several compromises with the advanced bourgeoisie class who they were originally opposed to in the revolutionary struggle over wages and  control over the surplus product. There are still the militant sects however a lot have been diluted and riddled with apologists for the system. They become scrubs and mild reformers who in old age lament about their failures in bringing about serious change.  When I say the trade union movement I am referring to the international movement and the parochial/nationalist movement. International within the context that the principles are adhered to by all and national based on cultural differences. On the Waterfront, which is one of my favorite films, captures the failure of the trade union movement in spectacular fashion. By the end of the film the movement is returned to the workers but one takes it with a dose of scepticism as the same old corrupt manifestations might rear their ugly head once again .The greatness of this film lies in its historical document of this movement. Vulgar and senile film critics speak in typical deranged analyses about the elements of the film that have not aged well as a justification for some of the reasons why it will not be considered as great as previously thought. I am sick of these naïve and putrid forms of analyses because by saying that elements have not aged well is to say that films should not have been made until the 1970s. 

The film made due with the technology that was available and so it is foolish to compare this film by today’s standards. You measure the greatness of a film by its interconnectedness within the composite that is filmdom and the role played by the film as a progressive force for the art form. The film is not only great for the famous ‘I coulda been a contender ‘scene which featured Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy and Rod Steiger as his older brother Charley ‘the gent’ Malloy.  The film is great on a whole as a document of the failure of the trade union movement. The failure of the movement is due to the infiltration of the mob, represented by organized crime or just some particular individuals who take advantage of the genuine struggle, that use the trade union movement either as a means to aggrandize political power or to enrich themselves by pilfering the wages of the workers who pay dues to the union which in this film is represented by the long shore local on the pier where the workers load goods onto the ships for export or unload them as imports that will be circulated within the U.S economy. The infiltration of the mob into the trade union movement is legendary and contemporary. The mob is not only represented by organized crime, as is typically thought, but by those without power trying to attain it through conciliation, violence or deceit or other means. The mob itself is considered a motley assortment of individuals with their own agenda who oftentimes unite in a power struggle hence why organized crime is associated with it. (see my review on Mean Streets for a discussion of the mob economy) Organized crime exemplifies these qualities well and so the mob is considered a vehicle for organized crime which mirrors the petty bourgeois government normally in power. When the proletariat unite in the form of associations such as the trade unions they are no longer representative of the mob because they achieve some measure of social standing. Anyone is part of the mob especially if their social standing is not significant. 

The film is about Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), an ex boxing fighter, who testifies against the corrupt Longshore local headed by the gangster, John friendly (Lee J. Cobb). The path to his testimony is a turbulent one however because initially he is up in arms with Friendly’s organization and even orchestrates indirectly the murder of another longshoreman, Joey Doyle, who intended to testify against Friendly to the waterfront crime commission. I say indirectly because he didn’t know the man would be murdered. As the last man to see Joey Doyle alive he eventually becomes involved with his sister Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint) and this makes Friendly’s organization worried that he will testify against the organization in court under a subpoena that is issued to him because he was the last to see Joey Doyle alive.  Only after his brother Charley ‘the gent’ is killed after first failing to convince Terry to walk away and not testify and secondly for failing to kill Terry, out of compassion, who decides to go ahead and testify.   As a result of jarlie’s murder Terry gains even more impetus to challenge the Friendly organization. After his testimony Terry now joins forces with the other side of the fence represented by the workers and by challenging Friendly and what he represents he gets salvation not for himself, who everyone considered a bum, but for the workers who witness firsthand the fall of the corrupt manifestations within their trade union. Terry has allies in the form of a priest, a turned collar, played well by Karl Malden, and in Edie Doyle who help to steer him onto the path of liberation by discovering the truth.

In this review I will discuss briefly the ideal of the trade union movement that emerged in the nineteenth century during the so called industrial revolution or the rise of the  capitalist mode of production  over  feudalism.  I will also discuss how the movement has crumbled under its ideal and only represents small gains for the proletariat while failing to deliver the promised overthrow of the bourgeoisie class. The workers product, where the paid portion is handed to the worker as wages representing his necessary labour and the unpaid portion is handed to the capitalist as surplus value, is the basis of the trade union movement. The capitalist cannot pay the worker for the full product of his labour because he would have no profit or, to be more accurate, he would have no surplus value that will be translated into profit on the basis of the capital advanced. The trade unions try to arrange for more of the workers product to go towards wages or necessary labour and less to the capitalist.  When the mob represented by organized crime (afterwards referred to as the mob) infiltrates the trade unions then they take a portion of the product paid to the workers in the form of dues or loans forced upon the workers or by stealing goods from on the wharf as their cut. The mob also gets their share by allying with the bourgeois class and thereby forcing the workers to accept less of their product and have them hand over more in the form of surplus value to the dominant bourgeois allies of the mob. They do this by making them desperate for work which means they will accept the absolute minimum wage. This is typical of the mob economy. The rise of Terry Malloy from bum to champion is another great turn of the film which is in the tradition of another great film The Grapes of Wrath (1940) although the context is a different one. I will discuss his rise within the perspective of the workers/ the proletariat reclaiming their rights and giving them the opportunity to canvas as a whole and so elevate their class consciousness as they challenge the capitalists. I will discuss his bum status from the perspective of his alliance with the Friendly organization. The only problem with this film, which is only an indirect one, is that even though workers do reclaim their rights to bargain for their wages does it mean that the cycle will repeat itself again simply because a revolution in the mode of production is never forthcoming? Stagnation always seems to set in with the unions because they are narrow in their reform agenda and so opportunists always seem to emerge and take advantage of the movement from a political perspective.

On the Waterfront, deservedly, won 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture (Sam Speigel producer), Best Director (Elia Kazan) and Best Actor (Marlon Brando). Until this day few films have addressed the plights of the proletariat/working class as poignantly as it is here portrayed in this film.

The Trade Union movement: successes and failures throughout history

When I speak of the successes and failures of the trade union movement throughout history it is in reference to what the movement represents for the proletariat class as a whole. The Trade Union movement emerged with the consolidation of rule by the bourgeois class from the late 18^th to nineteenth century. The rise of the bourgeois class throughout Europe saw the dismantling of feudalism or rule by the aristocratic landowners who dominated the serfs and the various small landowners throughout their domains. This is why World War 1 is an epochal historical event. The Monarchy represents the last bastion of feudalism in modern day society.

 The capitalist mode of production is represented by high levels of  labour productivity on the part of the variable capital which is represented by the workers that create a wealth of commodities for sale in the market; the growth of the technological apparatus through scientific innovation which represents constant capital and the massive accumulation and concentration of capital or wealth in the hands of a few members of the dominant bourgeoisie. There are spin offs into the financial markets in the form of the various stock exchanges, the various markets where commodities circulate, the commercial and investment banks, credit agencies, government taxes, public debt etc as sources of investment and expenditure. The wealth of the dominant bourgeois class is accumulated through the surplus value/unpaid labour time generated by the working class/proletariat during the working period which is added to the capital advanced/means of production which includes raw materials, machinery/technology/infrastructure and wages/paid or necessary labour time of the workers. The workers product is summed up where the paid portion is handed to the worker as wages representing his necessary labour and the unpaid portion which is unpaid labour time is handed to the capitalist as surplus value.  This surplus value is then translated into surplus profit or the profit on the capital advanced. More is produced than is necessary for the worker to live. The rate of surplus value and profit differ when the matter of pricing comes into play and so the costs of production are factored in the analysis. The basis however for the constant valorization of capital is surplus value or unpaid labour time. The more the workers demand the less value added to the capitalist coffers.  

Now reference must be made to the proletariat for the impending revolution of the capitalist mode of economic production will be led by them. The class struggle we will have with us always. The class underneath will succeed the ruling class of the day. We saw this where feudalism was smashed by the bourgeoisie that languished under the landed aristocracy. The French Revolution is one great example of this epoch making event. In order for the dominated class, which exists under the sway of the ruling class, to lead a successful revolution it must be united. This would explain the basis of the trade union movement which originally represented the response of the workers to the increasing exploitation by capital. The increasing exploitation of capital is represented by the constant valorization of capital through increased labour productivity which diminishes the time necessary to produce a particular product. The less necessary labour time it takes to produce a product the more surplus value that is generated by the capitalist during the working period. The increase in productivity increases the quantity of commodities that are ushered onto the market scene although the unit value of this quantity decreases in value simply because it requires less labour time to produce it as previously due to advances in technology. The increase in labour productivity also generates the creation of machinery or technology which absorbs this productivity. The increased turnover in the markets are also a necessary element in the process. As a result of this absorption by machinery workers are cast out and become redundant and join the ranks of the industrial reserve army. The industrial reserve army lies on the fringes of society and becomes the reason why capital can keep wages down because competition amongst the workers becomes fierce and so those that are working are forced to work twice as hard for the same or less pay simply because others are waiting in the wings. In times of abundant investment however wages do go up as capital requires workers to offset the boom and so valorize capital. This is the case until they become redundant and are cast out again when either the investment dries up or when there is a crisis of production/overproduction due to the overwhelming amount of commodities that eventually glut the market. There is also the tendency of the rate of profit to fall.  This is the consequence of a boom that has run its course and speculators can no longer speculate on the stock market regarding future production. The concepts of sale and purchase which remains the basis of exchange within the market and which involves  consumption, which is either unproductive or productive, becomes forcibly removed and so capital investment in this particular sphere will run its course and will probably run to some other sphere of investment. Regardless of these elements of crises the trade union movement is formed in order to create an association of workers and prevent the further reduction of wages below the level considered necessary for the livelihood of particular workers in a particular industry. This movement has not really achieved much in this case because most of the increases handed to the workers are simply in step with inflation. These trade union movements are essentially political movements and speak to the fact that the workers eventually realize, although faintly and not fully in its scientific form, the basis of surplus value/unpaid labour time and that it represents the source of wealth for the capitalists that dine with their fancy cocktails and live in the most decadent luxury. If the capitalist paid the worker  for the full product of his labour then he could not live in luxurious filth which weakens the body and dulls the senses. This clearly becomes obfuscated due to the massive accumulation of capital and the various spin offs into the stock exchange, government taxes and debt and the profits generated by the  banking sector etc as well as through the booms that characterize the growth of the middle class ( a group of idealists). 

The formation of the trade union movement therefore demonstrates that the workers are cognizant of their exploitation by capital. The principles of the movement then become applied to most spheres where wages are paid even in the unproductive spheres. I say they are unproductive because they absorb revenue and do not directly create new revenue sources. (This is not a moral issue so it’s not personal) In poorer countries for instance, where the industrial capital base is inadequately developed, the trade union movement applies to most spheres within the State which is the dominant force within the economy i.e. the state acts as the great accumulator within the economy and so the various unproductive groups employed by government form their own unions or federations to canvass for wage increases. These unproductive groups include teachers, policemen, soldiers, medical staff, politicians, idealistic intellectuals in the state run university etc. They impoverish the government, the burgeoning capitalist class and the petty commodity producers, that form the backbone of the economy,  who pay the taxes and fund the debt  to the government so that it can accumulate.  The funds accumulated through the sale of raw materials from the poorer countries  is also accumulated through the state and so the workers that generate surplus value are represented by unions affiliated to the political parties that are either in power or are in opposition. Raw material production is the primary productive element in these poor countries and the industry in question is owned either by the state or an international capitalist company which is usually wealthier than the poor nation itself. In these poor countries the trade union movement can be a vehicle for state power. It is the same in the poor sectors of the rich industrialized nations however within the boundaries of the impoverished nations the trade union movement is linked with the state which either canvasses on behalf of the populace against the international capitalist or local commercial capitalist or are formed amongst the government workers that form groups (based on their profession) to force the government to allocate more of the tax revenue or public debt in their direction. Those nations that have a semi industrial base do not have a developed trade union movement outside of state influence as most of the wealth outside of the government is located primarily in the commercial and money lending centres such as banks and insurance companies.  The productive spheres, apart from raw material productions, in poor countries are normally centred on the petty commodity producers that are also independent producers opposed to each other like vendors or small shop owners or small scale agricultural producers. These independent producers cannot unite within a trade union because they are not united as a group where each man produces for him or self or where each man exploits him or herself. In rich nations the proletariat is able to unite under the bourgeoisie because of the social combination of labour required for industrial capital. In poor countries the workers cannot unite as petty commodity producers where most individuals are their own lord and master and likewise their own servant.

The trade union movement that developed in Britain during the 19^th century  did achieve some marked gains under capital in response to the increasing exploitation of the workers. The government in this case acted on their behalf and aided in reducing through legislation the length of the working day for each worker. The reduction moved from 12-16 hrs to 10 hours per day and then later on 10 was reduced to 8 in most countries (see capital vol.1). France now has a 36 hour work  week.This forced capital to adopt the shift system or the payment of wages by the hour/piecemeal or based on the amount the worker was able to produce in a given time. This was all done in accordance with the intensification of the labour process where a high level of output was required by factory owners.  The reduction of the working day has been enjoyed by most workers today where you are required to work a certain amount of hours such as 40 hours per week by law etc, the ability to have the weekends to rest, minimum wage acts and so on. Child labour is also a crime in most nations and all these advances are due to the effect of workers’ movements which, in conjunction with the state, forced the savages of capital to recognize their claims, in reducing the rapacious valorization of capital which engrossed wealth in the great factory owners and their cronies engaged in stock trading and those in the bank and investment institutions. This valorization of capital has contributed to the wealth of nations.  This is all done through the generation of surplus value/unpaid labour time from the workers and so the workers are bound to associate on such grounds because unpaid labour time implies exploitation.  Prior to these advances the capitalists would not hesitate to have the workers degrade themselves for menial wages and also include child labour  as a cheaper alternative to adult labour. They would also have workers, who were mired in debt, to work like slaves in the factories for penurious wages for 14 hours a day sometimes. This extension of the working day allowed capital to valorize itself and so generate wealth never before seen in history.  The absolute surplus value generated in such a case was enormous as a result of capital’s ability to extend the working day and the rate of surplus value generated on the basis of the amount of workers under the command of the capitalist. The movement by the workers to limit the extension of the working day and to increase wages so that workers can live with more security spread from England to continental Europe and the USA which was to succeed Britain as the world’s great industrial power in the twentieth century. It now applies everywhere as most people have adopted the tenets of capitalist production.

Then why did the movement go downhill? Why after all these advances in forcing the government  to regulate the limits of the working day  and prevent the excess of capital from taking so much of the workers’ product did the movement fold and become stagnant? The answer is straight forward: the movement was compromised by an anti revolutionary position. The trade union movement in the rich industrialized nations, where the working class is fully developed, has stagnated as a result of the movement becoming one where the leaders can aggrandize political power within the sphere of bourgeois influence. These are the people Lenin referred to as the aristocrats in the labour movement. The movement clearly highlights that the dominant bourgeoisie has fully secured control over the means of production. The trade unions have become petty bourgeois movements where once in awhile when a crisis has hit and workers are concerned about their livelihood they agitate for an increase in step with inflation or they refuse cuts on the basis of maintaining the value of the wages they already have. The workers walk around with placards and go on strike for about a week and get a minor increase which satisfies their appetite for the meantime, and then they go back to work and allow themselves to be exploited until again they become fed up. It seems that they have accepted their position in society and have accepted that this is the system and so they too resist change particularly as a significant amount of them become a part of the middle class and become a part of the state machinery. Some of them even rise through the ranks and become capitalists after accumulating their wages and taking loans from the great investment houses and producing a great commodity to be sold in the market. America is a great example of this failure of working associations simply because the myth of opportunity has set in even among those cast out on the fringes of society and who form the basis for the relative surplus population.  There is always a possibility to achieve that American dream through education etc or the possibility that you will accumulate enough money through savings to make it out of the slums. What those on the fringes realize is that force becomes necessary to advance the negative force of deceit, physical domination and intimidation. This is where the mob represented by organized crime sets in as it uses the associations as a means to aggrandize its wealth and uses it as a means to collude with the dominant capitalist class so as to advance 

The trade union movement begins to run its course as a result of its naïve, anti-revolutionary and narrow understanding of the revolutionary struggle. On the Waterfront documents this struggle in magnificent fashion as the workers seek to reclaim their association from all these negative political influences.

John Friendly infiltrates the Longshore local

            In this film Mob boss John Friendly and co. have successfully penetrated the Longshore local union on the waterfront. Their position is entrenched through nefarious activities. They engage in all the deleterious policies associated with mob as it exploits those menial members of the working class on the fringes of society with intimidation. They make money from the dues paid to the union and usurious loans forced upon the workers so that they can keep their job when the working day is called. With regards to the goods that come with the ships that dock on the ports the mob confiscates some of the goods for its own use and sell it in their own shops and stores where they charge more than the average price or more than enough in order to make a profit. They can afford to charge because they sell it in the poor neighbourhoods where the people make do with what they see particularly if the mob knows that a particular commodity-which is oftentimes a basic  food item- is in high demand.   On this basis they decide who works on particular days so as to keep the workers in line and so remove the security of their livelihood. This is clearly ironic for a workers’ association is supposed to provide a sense of integrity and security for its members. The mob in this film reinforces their position in the Longshore local by physical violence. If the members dare to talk (they are known as canaries) they are silenced by being murdered or beaten to the extent where they refuse to talk  and remain D&D (Deaf and Dumb). Most members prefer to remain D&D as this will make them feel secure in getting work and providing for their families. In this film the friendly organization has become so entrenched that a crime commission has been appointed to investigate activities on the waterfront. The mob has covered their tracks from the perspective of physical materials and so the primary outlet for the commissioners is via testimony from witnesses to the nefarious forms of exploitation performed in the Friendly organization of the local union. It is an important union because the pier bustles with activities as ships dock with goods to be exported or imported. If the goods are to be exported the workers will load the ships with the various goods that are to be taken to distant markets. When ships arrive with imports the goods are to be off loaded and so carted away into the domestic market of the US. The workers do the on and off loading. It is a job that requires little skill and so the workers of this union represent the least skilled workers of the working class or its most basic form. If capital had its way all workers under its umbrella would be in this menial position performing simple, cheap labour. These men therefore do not have the necessary education or social standing to speak up for themselves or they allow themselves to be so cowed that they believe that it is useless. They are concerned primarily with their day to day living as it is a struggle to survive on the fringes of bourgeois society where money is lord and master/slave driver.  The greatness of this film is that they highlight the anonymous capitalist or politician that partners with Friendly as he seems to benefit from the exploitation. This capitalist or politician probably owns the pier or has some significant form of controlling interest or he pays the wages or he has some political influence. When Friendly keeps the workers in line by having them work for starvation wages this automatically benefits the mysterious capitalist because the rate of surplus value/unpaid labour time will increase significantly. The mob, or those seeking to cuddle with those in power, are instrumental in stemming the class consciousness of the proletariat because they keep the workers in line through intimidation and if they seek to squeeze the capitalist for some favour they can organize the union to strike and force the capitalist to acquiesce. 

            When this film opens Friendly is enduring some testing times due to the efforts of the crime commission who are seeking witnesses to testify in a court proceeding. Most witnesses, who are members  of the union, do not wish to testify and remain D&D. Joey Doyle decides to testify and this could spell the end of the Friendly regime. Terry Malloy, brother of Charley ‘the gent’ second in command, who works for the Friendly organization in some form of slavery is told to lure Joey out of hiding. He, naively, does not believe he is actually luring Joey to his death because he thought, at worst, that they would just ‘lean on him a little bit.’ We see Terry call out to Joey and convinces to meet him on the roof with the pretext that he is returning one of Joey’s lost pigeons, Danny boy. We see the camera swoop to the roof and it is ominous for awaiting Joey are two silhouette figures which are enforcers for Friendly who will probably beat Joey into submission; at least that is what Terry thinks. Instead Joey is tragically thrown from the building and it seems that Friendly has beaten the crime commission again. A crowd gathers around Joey and a woman reminds the policeman on the scene that the same thing happened to her son Andy, 5 years ago. It is also here that we first meet Joey Doyle’s sister, Edie who is a nun in the church. The pastor, father Barry is also there. The culture of D&D is made clear when the policeman asks Joey’s father if he knows anything. He and his friends know nothing, apparently even though the woman who lost her son five years ago makes it clear that Joey was pushed because he was the only one that had the guts to confess to the commission about the longshore union. His father says his on should have kept quiet and he would have lived longer. One of his friends chips in saying, ‘I’ve been on the docks all my life and there’s one thing I learned: you don’t ask no questions; you don’t answer no questions unless you want to end up like that.’ Edie is clearly distraught because of her brother’s good reputation. The pastor offers consolation in the form of time and faith and says he is in the church if she needs him. She doesn’t want to hear such things, faith without works, because she is desperate. She exclaims desperately ‘I want to know who killed my brother.’

            Terry is also shaken by the event and drags himself inside Friendly’s bar. It is the first time we see Johnny friendly. When we do see him he is listening to a boxing match and we also see one of his workers brings him the cut from the shakeup of 891 men at $3 per head which comes to $2,673. The worker makes another reference to the under handed schemes of Friendly. He says that a banana boat is coming on the 46 the next day and that they could organize a walk out in order to extort some extra money from the shippers because ‘bananas go bad in a hurry.’  Friendly nonchalantly gives the go ahead by saying ‘Ask 2 g’s.’ He greets a despondent Terry  but then asks for his big banker, Morgan.  When morgan arrives Friendly says ‘Hiya J.P.’ This is amusing because his last name is Morgan and his initials are J.P. Could this be a pass at the great bank J.P Morgan because Friendly’s banker is really a small time accountant? Anyway the banker highlights another deleterious measure inflicted by the Friendly organization on the mob. He delivers the interest for the day of $532. He also makes reference to a worker, Kelly, who does not  take any loans even though he is allowed by friendly’s headman to work.  The head man claims that it’s his wife’s nephew and so he has to give him work or she would murder him. The negative policy is clear. Give the workers work and then offer them usurious loans so that you can continuously extract from what little they earn. In the mob world interest rates can reach as high as 100%. This is due to the great poverty that exists on the fringes of society. There is another instance where Friendly asks his associate, Skins, if he ‘handled the sheet metal aright?’ Skins responds by saying  that the checker faked the receipt. He hands friendly 45 bills. It is clear that friendly stole the sheet metal and sold it in an underhanded manner to some corrupt store clerk. It is another great practice in the mob economy. Skins seems to have cheated Friendly and is slapped around and chased out. He probably thought that he could have eked out a little on the side without Friendly knowing since he never seems to do much checking. Friendly seems to act like a true capitalist when we first see him because he delegates responsibilities to others thereby removing himself from the actual labour process of his corrupt organization. He merely collects the cash thereby highlighting he is in charge when it comes to sharing out the booty to his associates. We also learn that Terry is not well educated because he can barely count the bills handed his way by Friendly to count. He is thoroughly brutalized by the system. Friendly also makes mention of Terry’s glory days as a boxer in the ring. He had the talent then but he seems to have withered away. It seems he is nothing more than a bum for without an official education he has nothing else to rely on to succeed in the world.

            We come to an important moment when Friendly, vapidly, justifies his nefarious activities to Terry who, according to his brother Charley, is shaken up, and softened by the marquis of Queensbury, as a result of the Joey Doyle incident. It is reflective in his downbeat attitude and aggressive manner.  Here is what friendly says to Terry as a means of justification. ‘Listen Kid. I’m a soft touch too. Ask any rummy on the dock if I ain’t good for a fin any time they put the arm on me (how magnanimous). But my old lady raised us on a stinkin’ watchman’s pension ( he is clearly from the depths of despair that pervades the majority of the working class). When I was sixteen I had to beg for work in the hole. I didn’t work my way up out of there for nothing. (‘I know that Johnny’ says the meek, bum like Terry) You know taking over this local took a little (a lot) of doing. Some pretty rough fellas in the way. They give me this to remember them.’ He shows a scar on his neck and Charley supports by saying ‘He had to keep his hand on his throat and he still went after them.’ Friendly continues ‘I know what’s eating ya. Well I got two thousand dues paying members in this local that’s $72,000 a year legitimate. Now when each one of them  puts in a couple bucks a day just to make sure the work’s steady well, figure it out. And that’s just for openers. We got the fattest piers  and the fattest harbor in the world. Everything moves in and out, we take our cut.’ Charley again interjects in his typical supporting role saying ‘Why shouldn’t we? If we can get it. We’re entitled to it (on what grounds Charley? Do you do the work? Are you breaking your back for it?).’ friendly continues ‘You don’t suppose I can afford to be boxed out of this deal a deal I sweated and bled for on the account of one lousy little cheese eater, that Doyle bum who thinks he can go squealing to the crime commission, do ya?’ There’s a pause and friendly asks again ‘well do ya?’ Terry responds saying ‘Well no Johnny I figure I shoulda been told.’ Charley again interjects on behalf of Friendly by exposing Skins deceit. Terry’s response shows that he has the strength required to be a significant challenger if only he could be pointed in the right direction. Charley on the  other hand is a sycophant that  caters primarily to Friendly’s interests and this points to the famous scene later on because Charley does not have his brother’s interests at heart. Friendly, the labour aristocrat, highlights in his speech the ever growing depredation faced by the working classes even amongst their own group. Friendly sees himself as a man who earned his stripes through gangland warfare and so must earn his keep through the dues and the usurious loans handed out to the workers and whatever he can steal for resale.  He tries to conjure a romantic tradition of life on the fringes of society and the great battles that were fought when in reality they were mere skirmishes among gang bangers. It also goes to show that the influence of the mob is ever present in the trade union movement based on how a lot of workers’ associations are formed from the working class groups  with the use of violence to eke out an existence for yourself in gang land territory. (Once there is no money the noble brotherhood will last but as soon as the piles of gold begin to grow that’s when the trouble starts.) (See my review of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) On the fringes of society where the evils of capital are paramount  as well  as the vicious competition amongst the brutalized classes for a place in the sun, then we see firsthand why organized crime played such a crucial role in organizing the labour  movement. Just look to the escapades of Johnny Friendly who extorts from his own people because he has the scars to show for it.

For his trouble Terry is to be placed, the following day, in a loft on the pier where he does no work. It is made to soften him up and encourage his status as a prominent bum in society. According to his brother Terry is being done a real favour by Friendly who encourages his activities as a bum or as a designated stoolie.

Life on the Waterfront

Life on the Waterfront is an everyday grind for the brutalized longshoremen. It is important that before we get a glimpse of life on the waterfront the focus still remains on Terry. The morning after Joey’s death sees an introspective Terry on the roof of his building where he trains his racing pigeons. It has implications for later scenes when he refers to the attack of his conscience. When you do get to the waterfront you realize that the mood has changed because of the murder of Joey Doyle. It’s business as usual for Friendly and his cronies however the workers are more somber in their outlook.  As usual the system is assorted according to various gangs who will off load the ships. The mood has changed however the workers congregate nonetheless to see if they will be chosen in one of the gangs so that they can make a daily living of it. A change in the mood however suggests that there is the possibility for unity because the workers are still discussing the events of the night before. A crisis in the movement normally highlights where individuals stand in the scheme of things. As one longshoreman Dugan says about  life on the waterfront under  ‘Johnny friendly , the great labour leader’. ‘If I was wise I wouldn’t be no longshoreman for 30 years and poorer now than when I started.’ The death of Joey also brings agents of the crime commission who are asking for Terry in order to seek if they can get him to testify particularly as he was the last one to see joey alive. As usual Terry does not comply because in the mob world no one wants to be accused of being a rat or a canary.  We also see the pastor and Edie present themselves at the Waterfront before work is called. Father barry wants to prove that he is a man of action and not just of faith and this seems to impress Edie. The important element of this  scene is when the official workday begins. We see the workers assemble and the headman starts choosing who to let in to work. Not everyone can get in and this is one way of maintaining order. Of course the bum, Terry, is called up first. The headman then goes through the various faces and randomly picks who goes to work. This list also includes those who are to work on the banana boat that was to arrive in the morning. This is significant because it is clear that the headman will choose the workers that will be willing to comply to a walkout and so extort the banana boat crew. This is extremely significant. The workers eventually get restless as he goes through picking those who he thinks are fit or desperate enough. The workers become agitated with some talking about kids to feed and the dire need for a day’s work. Eventually the headman has to throw the tabs away leaving the workers scrambling. This is one elment that fuels competition and desperation amongst the most brutalized sections of the working class. When two cronies of Friendly call them ‘meatballs’, as they scramble for tags, you get the picture. Edie scrambles to get a tag for her father amidst the melee only after she had a brief tussle with Terry, the bum. He eventually gives her when he discovers that it’s Joey’s sister. It is another element that jolts his conscience where initially he acted with his usual boyish antics.

            Those who did not receive a tab are told to come back tomorrow and father Barry asks what happens next. One worker says they should just come back tomorrow like big Mac says however Dugan exclaims that there will be no ship tomorrow and so they just sit around and wait for the next ship to dock. Another worker says he has been waiting for five days to get a call up to work. Barry asks if they will just sit down and take it like this and reminds them that no other union would stand for such a thing. One worker, Jimmy, says pointedly ‘The waterfront’s tougher, father, like it ain’t part of America.’ Dugan then asks ‘You know how a trigger local works father?’ ‘No how?’ the black worker responds ‘You get up in the meeting you make a motion the lights go out, then you go out.’ Another worker steps in ‘That’s how it’s been ever since Johnny and his cowboys took over the local.’ Dugan: ‘Name one place where it’s safe to talk without being clobbered.’ The pastor invites them to the bottom of the church. When Dugan asks if he knows what he’s getting himself into one of Barry’s traits is revealed for when he gets nervous he asks for a cigarette. Somehow the mob discovers that there is a planned meeting for Charley asks terry to go and do his regular duties as a stoolie and find out what the meeting is all about. When he goes to ask terry we see him idling in the loft like a true loser. There must have been a snitch within the group itself for it’s not clear how the meeting is discovered and it goes to show how divided their movement is if that is really the case. I say ‘really the case’ because it is not stated in the film how this meeting is discovered and the only possible answer is that there was a snitch in the group. Terry says he feels uncomfortable but his brother convinces him because it’s a favour for the great and benevolent labour leader, John Friendly. 

                                    The Lowdown on the bum  Terry Malloy

            Terry goes down to the church to spy on the meeting and to provide a rundown of all the names and numbers. Little does he know that this will become the beginning of the road to redemption. The journey where he will rise from bum to champion. At the church pastor Barry is asking the collection of the few workers that dared to show up ‘who killed joey doyle?’ He knows working conditions are bad and that the mob has taken advantage of the union by doing the hiring. Even in a closed space the workers are silent and Edie even singles out jimmy Collins who was Joey’s best friend for his silence. Dugan discovers that Terry is sitting at the back and makes it clear that he is one of John Friendly’s rats who will help them get to the bottom of the river.  Terry is apparently nonchalant in his duties but when the pastor asks if he could help it represents a turning point because terry’s aid will be paramount in allowing the workers to reclaim their union. The pastor continues his inquiry but Dugan reminds him about the slogan D&D or deaf and dumb. A rat is frowned upon and it is a sure route to the grave.  The pastor emphasizes the notion that it’s not ratting but telling the truth and that testifying before the commission will ensure that they can fight back. This is after all America. The silence is pronounced here and so Barry’s colleague, offers some words of prayers however the windows are smashed when a rock is thrown through the window.  Friendly has sent his thugs to break up the meeting. The thugs clang the  sticks, pipes and baseball bats  on the concrete in a sort of rhythmic rattling manner  outside so that the workers know they are there. The sound must be familiar to the workers as this is how they have been beaten over the years. There is a comical exchange between Father Vince and Father Barry when Vince claims that this is a police problem. Barry says that the people need their help and Vince responds ‘Okay! Okay! Only don’t blame me when they ship you off to Abyssinia.’ ‘I won’t.’

            Amidst the confusion Terry escorts Edie out however we see the images where the workers are beaten down into submission. Tactics courtesy of the great labour leader John Friendly. The workers will never come together again as a result of this.  There is hope for we see a bloodied Dugan who is apparently fed up with 30 years of brutalization and agrees to testify if Father Barry goes along all the way with no misgivings. Barry says he will go down the line. Dugan warns him that they will turn on him too ‘turned around collar or no turned around collar.’

            As Terry and Edie escape unscathed it sets the stage for a connection to be established. Terry is reminded of his loft position as a bum when a beggar asks Edie for some money. It turns out that this beggar or rummie or juice head (in Jamaica we call them rum heads) knew Joey who was the only one that tried to get him compensation. It suggests that this beggar was  a worker thoroughly brutalized by capital. If Joey tried to get him compensation then he must have been laid off for some injury. He now wanders as a beggar and this is testament to the great glory of capital that creates an industrial reserve army on the fringes of society in order to keep competition among the workers high. The beggar proclaims that Joey was a saint however terry who is attacked by his conscience pushes him away. You know he’s attacked by his conscience because the beggar reminds him ‘You remember that night…’ (push ‘Get outta here,’ says  Terry) or ‘You was there that night…’ (push). The beggar reminds him  that he know s of his underhanded associations with the mob ‘You remember.’ Terry throws some coins at his feet in order to chase him away. The beggar responds in a judgment like  manner  ‘You don’t buy. You’re still a bum.’ Edie is suspicious and Terry tries to convince her that the rummie was just all over the place with his assumptions. As they walk we finally get to know more about Edie and Terry bum. We already know she grew up with the sisters or the nuns and that walking with a man so openly, who is not her husband, is forbidden.  When terry asks if she is training to be a nun Edie clarifies that she is being educated at a regular college run by the sisters of St. Anne, Tarrytown ( it has a long history from the days of the puritan settlement)  in the country. Roger Ebert pointed out the tender side of terry or one of the deft touches of Brando when he collects Edie’s glove that fell to the ground and slips it on. This must signify that Terry has a tender nature and this would explain why he is bothered by his conscience. If he was truly callous he would not have entertained Edie.  Terry also reveals the extent that he is conditioned by city life where he says ‘I don’t like the country. The crickets make me nervous.’ That aside he reveals another dimension of city life when he is asked by Edie which side he’s on and he says ‘Me.’ In any case lets him know that she came up for a thanksgiving party and then Joey died and so it is clear that she is not her fortuitously. She also reveals that she wants to be a teacher. Terry also reveals how physical he is when says he admires brainy people particularly his brother Charley who is a ‘very brainy guy’ who had a ‘couple years of college.’ People who rely primarily on their physicality tend to say this most of the time. Terry as we know was a boxer who has fallen from grace. Edie reminds terry that its not just the brains ‘but how you use them.’

            It is clear that their association goes way back because terry reminds her of his experiences in parochial school on Pulaski street. He reminds her of her braids that ‘looked like a hunk of rope.’ He continues, ‘You had wires on your teeth and glasses, everything. I mean you was really a mess.’’ He says he was kidding and again states ‘I just mean to tell you that you grew up very nice.’ They have a tender moment when Terry asks if she doesn’t remember him and she responds that she remembered the very moment she saw him.  ‘By the nose huh?’ Edie says, importantly, ‘I remember you were in trouble all the time.’ Terry replies ‘Now you got me. Boy the way those sisters used to whack me, I don’t know what. They thought they was gonna beat an education into me, but I foxed them.’ Edie responds in a tender manner ‘Maybe they just didn’t know how to handle you.’ ‘How would you have done it?’ ‘With a little more patience and kindness. That’s what makes people mean. People don’t care enough about them. ‘ It’s a tender moment because they share a look for a good two seconds with no dialogue and so you know there is a chemical connection. After the stare Terry becomes protective  when he says he better escort her home because there are toomany guys around the area with only one thing on their mind. He also asks if he’s going to see her again. This  is a very important scene because Edie will become the means by which terry can discover his more compassionate nature and be inclusive of others instead of exclusive.

            Edie’s father is not pleased with this development. He packed her things and gives her a bus ticket to go back to St. Anne’s. He reminds her that her mother and himself placed quarters in the cookie jar for years ‘to keep you up there with the sisters and keep you from things like I just seen outside the window. A daughter of mine walking arm in arm with Terry Malloy. Do you know who Terry Malloy is?’ Who is he pop?’ ‘ He’s the kid brother of Charley the gent who’s Johnny friendly’s right hand and a butcher in a camel hair coat.’ ‘Are you trying to tell me Terry is too? He tries to act tough but there’s a look in his eye.’ Edie is obviously falling for him and her father gets nervous. ‘ Yeah a look in his eye. Hold your hats brother. Here we go again. You think he’s one of them cases you’re always dragging into the house and feeling sorry for lie that litter of kittens you brought in. The only one you wanted to keep had six toes and is cockeyed to boot.’ ‘He said he wants to see me again.’ Her father desperately pleads with her and reveals the extent that he too is brutalized by capital.’ He says ‘Look. See this arm? (right arm)Two inches longer than the other. That’s from years of working and sweating and lifting and swinging a hook. Every time I hoist a box or a coffee bag I says to myself “That’s for Edie so she can be a teacher or something decent”. (edie gives him a kiss for his long standing service so that she can engage in brainy work). I promised your mom Edie. Don’t let her down.’ Edie claims she is not ready to go back because she can’t keep her mind on things that are just in books and that she won’t stop until she finds out who was responsible for Joey’s death. He tried to protect his daughter but she has now witnessed the truth about what man is capable of doing to other men. Oh the brutality (reality) of it all.

            The development of relationship with Edie forms the mediating section between Terry as a bum and Terry as a champion. It is also an important relationship for Edie.We see the relationship blossom particularly after Edie’s talk with her father. Firstly, when she goes up on the roof to check out Joey’s pigeons she sees Terry with his golden warrior group (Terry and two male juveniles). He now takes care of Joey’s pigeon and so this must be reflective of the attack of his conscience. His interest in pigeons also reflects his compassionate nature. Terry proudly claims to be the original golden warrior. We also hear him speak about the hawks that hang around the city and prey on pigeons and again reveals his compassionate nature. The two juveniles are not impressed by Edie’s arrival because they know the effect the female has on the males. Charles  Darwin would have been interested in the scene where Terry takes Edie to see the birds in his coop. He shows her Swifty the lead bird and speaks about how he defends the territory from other birds how male and female pair until one of them dies etc. It shows the thought that goes into this activity which separates Terry from the scum of the underworld who do not have such a compassionate nature. They go for a drink of beer in a saloon and Terry tries to convince Edie to forget about the Joey Doyle incident because he sees that she’s troubled. It is in the saloon that we learn that Terry was a prized fighter and when Edie asks him how did he get in to it Terry says ‘ I had to scrap all my life I might as well get paid for it.’ This is a very influential statement and has been echoed in One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) (see my review), Rocky (1976), and Raging Bull (1980). He also reveals that after his father died and he and Charley were stuffed in a children’s home he ran away from the home and fought in the ‘club smokers and Johnny Friendly bought a piece of me.’ ‘ Bought a piece of you?’ He means that he sponsored him to engage in fights as a professional fighter. He recalls how he was going good until…. He does not reveal ‘until’ the ‘I coulda been a contender scene’.  He tells edie that she doesn’t really care. ‘Am I right?’ he asks. ‘Shouldn’t everybody care about everybody else?’  ‘Boy, what a fruitcake you are.’ ‘I mean isn’t everybody a part of everybody else?’ ‘And you really believe that drool?’ ‘Yes I do.’ We see Edie take her first drink in one hum. Her facial reaction says it all: this is not for her.  Terry continues ‘You wanna hear my philosophy of life? Do it to him before he does it to you.’ ‘ I never met anyone like you. There’s not a spark of sentiment or romance or human kindness in your whole body.’ ‘ What good does it do you besides get you in trouble?’ ‘And when things and people get in your way you just knock them aside. Is that your idea?’ ‘Don’t look at me when you say that? It wasn’t my fault what happened to Joey. Fixing him wasn’t my idea.’ ‘Who said it was?’ ‘Well everbody’s putting the needle on me. You and them mugs in the church and Father Barry. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me.’ He goes on to ask what’s father Barry’s racket because ‘everybody’s got a racket.’ It is clear that Terry has been groomed on the fringes of society where unity is a dire illusion and can get you killed. It’s everyman for himself . The capitalist class turn s people into savages in their wasteland where each member of the industrial reserve army tramples the other. Only physical force in the form of organized crime can bring some measure of unity in such a case. ‘Listen down here (the fringes of society) it’s every man for himself. It’s  keeping alive standing with the right people so you get a little change jingling in your pocket. If you don’t? Right down.’ ‘It’s living like an animal,’ says Edie. Terry shrugs his shoulder ‘alright. I’d rather live like an animal than end up like…’ ‘Like Joey.’ Terry cannot understand how his class is being oppressed by the system and neither can Edie hence why she says he lives like an animal. It is here that Terry realizes that Edie is troubled. He asks what he can do and she asks for some help. He encourages her to drink. He even encourages her to take a drink and this is the beginning of the process that will make her into another rummie or rum head who believes that he has turned his back on the troubles although this is just a measure of false consciousness. She eventually gets up and leave.

            She runs into a wedding and there is a brawl because it is a working class wedding after all. Terry again must escort her through the melee and Edie begins to cry again. She also likes the tune that is being played for the reception is underway and people are on the dance floor. Terry offers to dance with her and it’s another means of getting her loosened up or to get her living in everyday reality. She does feel like she is floating after al as they dance. This is why the relationship is also good for her. He gets her loosened up and has her laughing until Friendly’s henchman shows up to tell him that Friendly has been looking for him because Friendly just a call from Mr. Upstairs. Mr. Upstairs must be the mysterious capitalist (or maybe a politician but more than likely a capitalist) who runs everything as Friendly is his petty bourgeois crony. A cop also arrives on the scene and serves Terry with a subpoena to be at the court house at 10.00 Friday morning. All they want him to do is to tell the truth. When Edie asks what he will do Terry claims that ‘I ain’t gonna eat cheese for no cop. That’s for sure.’ Edie catches on that it was Johnny Friendly that had Joey killed and terry continues to tell her to forget it because she must think about herself and forget the truth. Edie says ‘Pop says Johnny Friendly used to own you (slave labour in the mob economy). I think he still owns you. No wonder everybody calls you a bum.’ Terry responds in anguish ‘Don’t say that to me Edie. Don’t say that to me now.’ ‘No wonder.’ ‘I’m only trying to help you out.’ ‘I’m trying to keep you from getting hurt. What more do you want me to do?’ ‘Much more,’ she responds as she leaves.  The question Terry must ask is whether he will remain a bum or become part of a wider movement that doesn’t involve him alone but a collective of individuals with a common cause.

The Friendly organization strikes again and ‘A Promise Kept’

            Terry is on his way walking to meet John Friendly however we see a car drive in the opposite direction and then spin around to come up alongside him. It’s friendly along with Charley. They seem agitated because they could not find him although Terry says he was on the way. Friendly seems to be wondering whether Terry did go to the church meeting like he was supposed to. Terry claims he did however friendly believes his brains must be rattled after being knocked out two times. Terry does not understand because according to him the priest did all the talking. Friendly is not impressed because he says that ‘Half an hour later a certain Timothy J. Dugan had a secret session with the crime commission and he done all the talking.’ ‘Well Dugan what does he know?’ ‘Just 39 pages of our operation, that’s all!’ After  friendly shows him the manuscript terry rightfully asks where he got it and the response is simply ‘I got it.’ This  hints at corruption even within the crime commission. Friendly feels that terry is goofing  and there is no goofing when it comes to business. Terry tries to convince him that he isn’t however charley turns on him and asks why  he is going out with Edie, Joey’s sister. Charley goes on saying it’s an unhealthy relationship.  He means unhealthy for the organization that is his bread and butter. The relationship is healthy for Terry. Charley tries to explain that Edie has befuddled Terry and that is why he isn’t as sharp. Friendly also threatens to take their lives and sends Terry back ‘in the hold with the sweat gang’ and so ‘no more cushy job.’ A more pressing matter for Friendly is to ‘muzzle Dugan.’

            The next morning we see the sweat gang in the hold of the ship unloading fine Irish shipment ‘loaded to the gunnels with fine Irish whiskey.’ The highlight is obviously on Dugan (his roots must be in Ireland) who has been waiting earnestly for an Irish shipment and he seems to be in good spirits however we see the Friendly’s thugs preparing to silence this real threat to their organization. Dugan even sneaks away with a bottle of whiskey. He is obviously entitled to it after years of theft and brutalization by the capitalist class who are the greatest thieves when they take surplus value/unpaid labour time from the working classes. Terry tries to warn him but Dugan is not having it because he believes that terry is there to check that the brutalized workers are not taking any of ‘Friendly’s precious cargo’. The sweat gang pile the boxes on a lift that removes it from the hold of the ship. Friendly’s crew make the lift hover over Dugan with the pretense that it’s being lifted out and then they release the pulley that is hoisting the lift and so it drops, along with the cargo, on Dugan and flattens him. Friendly and his crew strike again. ‘Get a doctor,’ says one worker. ‘He don’t need a doctor. He needs a priest,’ says Edie’s father.

            When the priest arrives it is the beginning of a moving scene. He says that he came to keep a promise to Dugan that he would see it through all the way. ‘He was one of those fellows that had he gift for standing up,’ says Barry. He goes on ‘Some people think crucifixion only took place on Calvary. They better wise up. Taking Joey Doyle’s life to stop him from testifying is a crucifixion. And dropping a sling on Kayo Dugan because he was ready to spill his guts tomorrow that’s  a crucifixion. And every time the mob puts the crusher on a good man, tries to stop him from doing his duty as a citizen it’s a crucifixion! And anybody who sits around and lets it happen; keeps silent about something he knows has happened; shares the guilt of it just as the Roman soldier who pierced the flesh of our lord to see if he was dead.’ A henchmen of the mob throws an object at him because they are affected by his words ‘Go back to your church father!’ says one. ‘Boys this is my church, ‘Barry responds. ‘And if you don’t think Christ is down here on the waterfront, you’ve got another guess coming.’  Another one throws some fruit at him ‘Get off the dock father!’ Barry continues his sermon even though it is idealistic and reeks of grand sentiment. ‘Every morning when  the hiring boss blows his whistle Jesus stands alongside you in the shape up. He sees why some of you get picked and some of you passed over. He sees the family man worrying about getting his rent and getting food in the house for the wife and kids (a soda can is thrown at him and gives him a small cut on his forehead). He sees you selling your souls (he means labour power) to the mob for a day’s pay.’ Barry still continues ‘What does Christ think of the easy money boys who do none of the work and take all the gravy?’ He should know that this is how most established capitalists live. They are great thieves in society. He continues ‘And how does he feel about the fellows who wear $150 suits and diamond rings on your union dues and your kickback money? And how does he who spoke up without fear against every evil feel about your silence?’ An interesting moment occurs when Friendly’s henchman Tilio attempts to throw another object at Barry but is stopped by Terry who gives him a two hit combo and knocking him out in the process. ‘you want to know what’s wrong with our waterfront?’ Barry continues ‘The love of a lousy buck.It’s making the love of a buck, the cushy job more important than the love of man! It’s forgetting that every fella down here is your brother in Christ! But remember, Christ is always with you. Christ is in the shape up, he’s in the hatch, he’s kneeling right here beside Dugan. And he’s staying with all of you. “If you do it to the least of mine you do it to me.” And what they did to Joey and what they did to Dugan they’re doing to you. And only you, with god’s help, have the power to knock them out for good.’ He turns mournfully towards Dugan’s lifeless body saying ‘Okay kayo?’ He looks around at Terry and then forms the cross on his chest saying ‘Amen.’ Although it reeks of sentimentality it is important by reinforcing the important dictum that change only comes from within. True change can never come from outside. 

            They then hoist the body on the lift out of the hold and Terry is again left to ponder as his conscience eats away at him. Edie tries to console him when she visits him later on the roof. He and Edie share their first kiss and this seems to jolt him and makes him understand that there are people who do care.

                                                        ‘I Coulda Been a Contender’

 

            After he and Edie share their first kiss we see Terry confront pastor Barry next day and confesses that he ‘set Joey Doyle up for the knock off.’ He maintains that he thought they were going to lean on him ‘a little bit.’ He also reveals that he wanted to tell Edie because she’s the first nice thing that ever happened to him. He obviously does not want to jeopardize what they have. The pastor also asks how he is going to tell not just Edie but the commission. The pastor knows about the subpoena. ‘If I spill my life ain’t worth a nickel.’ ‘How much is your soul worth if you don’t?’ ‘They’re asking me to put the finger on my own brother. And Johnny Friendly used to take me to ball games when I was a kid.’ ‘Ball games; don’t break my heart. I wouldn’t care if he gave you a life pass to the polo grounds. You’ve got a brother eh. Well you’ve got other brothers getting the short end while your Johnny is getting mustard on his face at the polo grounds. Ball games!’ the pastor says his own conscience must decide on what’s best. ‘Conscience,’ says Terry ‘That stuff can drive you nuts.’ The pastor shows him Edie walking up to meet him. He encourages Terry to tell her. Terry agrees.

            Terry does tell her but on the waterfront a lot of noise from a steam ship on the waterfront distracts from what he is trying to say in the form of the explanation for his actions. She only hears, therefore, that he is responsible but as a result of the noise she can’t hear anything else in the form of his explanation. Pastor Barry witnesses Edie running off after terry tells her the truth and he characteristically takes out his cigarette which is a sign that he is nervous. 

            Terry receives another jolt when the cop from the crime commission, more than likely a detective or p.i, visits him on the roof. The culture against informing is pretty strong because when Terry asks the two juveniles from his golden warrior gang whether or not it’s good to turn someone in for doing a crime they answer that it’s not good and seems to be something despicable on the fringes of bourgeois society. This means that it’s everyman for himself.

            He is on a mission to convince Terry to testify and tell the truthful story about life on the waterfront. He eases the tension by referring to Terry’s last fight against Wilson ‘three or four years ago’ in Madison square garden. This is important because it leads into the famous ‘I coulda been a contenda’ scene and it is important because Terry must recognize that he could have been a champion. He needs to be aware of that before he confronts Charley. ‘Thought you were going to take him that night,’ says the investigator ‘Man he really dumped on you.’ ‘He dumped me huh?’ says Terry. The investigator gets his attention ‘What would you say if I told you I held the bum up for half a round?’ ‘Yeah I could see he was hurt.’ ‘Hurt? What do you think I was doing with them combinations? Petting him?’ ‘Just couldn’t finish him off huh? Why didn’t you finish him off?’ ‘What are you talking him about finishing him off? I was doing a favour for some pals of mine.’ ‘Favour? That’s the way it was.’ ‘That’s the way it was.’ ‘If I’d  put him down; I’d have that title shot. I was ready that night.’ ‘You sure looked it. That’s when I figured it was all over.’ ‘ It was all over except for the lousy bet. My own…( he wants to say brother and this means the line of the investigator is working)’ The investigator says it’s time to leave but he takes a last swing so that Terry can again recall his glory days. ‘Say, was that a hook or an uppercut you caught him with that first time?’ ‘ I didn’t use no hooks. I was strictly a short puncher.’ ‘Looked like a hook to me.’ ‘I had that bum all figured out. He had a good left hand.’ And Terry actually begins to demonstrate giving us a glimpse into his boxing prowess. The investigator has worked his charm and he does seem to be getting through. I wonder if terry wondered why he never asked any questions directly related to the subpoena? Terry continues while giving an actual demonstration. ‘ I let him tag me with the left hand for a couple of rounds. Just when he thinks he’s getting cute. I step inside a jab with the left, with a right, with a left. I had him in my arms and from there on in we were just dancing.’ ‘I see.’ ‘And that’s a fact. When those guys wanna win a bet there’s nothing they won’t stop at.’

            All these events are taking place the day before Terry is due to testify before the commission.  In the evening on the eve of his testimony the mob wants to decide about what to do with Terry. Johnny Friendly wants to know if he is D&D or a canary. He has to question it because it’s known that Terry is close to Edie and Pastor Barry. Charley on the other hand pleads for Terry because he is after all his kid brother. Friendly, however, has no time for sentiment and makes it clear that he must drive him out to some isolated area on the fringes of society and if it’s discovered that he’s going  to talk Charley must give his own ’kid brother’ the ‘Gerry G’ (kill him). It is clear that Friendly has no sentimental attachment to either Terry or Charley and he only treated them nicely so that they would in return his benevolence with numerous favours. It was naked self interest and so father Barry was right when he upbraided Terry who was hanging on to the past where friendly would take him to ball games. Charley, the ‘deep thinker’, must now make a crucial decision as he picks up Terry to go to the drop off point on the fringes of society.

            When Terry enters the car with Charley it marks the beginning of the ‘I coulda been a contenda’ scene. Charley is clearly in anguish. Terry reveals he is glad to meet up with Charley. Charley tells the driver ‘Go to river street and I’ll tell you where to stop.’ This river street is clearly the drop off point. Terry is not suspicious but he asks ‘I thought we was going to the garden.’ Charley gives an excuse ‘ I wanna cover a bet on the way over. Besides this will give us a chance to talk.’ ‘Nobody ever stopped you from talking Charley .’ ‘Listen. The grapevine says that you’ve got a subpoena.’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘ The guys know you well enough that you’re not a cheese eater  but they think you shouldn’t be on the outside so much a little on the inside have a few things working for you down at the docks.’ ‘ A steady job, a couple extra potatoes. That’s all I want.’ ‘that’s great when you’re a kid but you’re getting on you’re pushing 30 slugger. It’s time to think about getting some ambition.’ ‘I always figured I’d live a little longer without it.’ ‘Maybe. Look there’s a boss loader slot open on the new pier we’re opening up. It pays six cents on every hundred pounds that goes in and out and you don’t have to lift a finger. That’s two, three, four hundred dollars a week. Four hundred dollars a week just for openers.’ He is clearly trying to buy Terry off. ‘ I get all that dough for not doing nothing.’ Terry asks correctly. Charley reveals his game ‘You don’t do anything and you don’t say anything. You understand?’ Terry’s conscience pricks him when he says ‘there’s more to this than I thought Charley. I’m telling you there’s a lot more.’ ‘ You mean that you’re thinking of testifying against some people we might know?’ ‘I don’t know Charley.’ He makes sure to emphasize  his point ‘I’m telling you I don’t know. That’s what I wanna talk to you about.’ ‘ You know how much those piers are worth that we control through the local?’ ‘I know.’ ‘You think Johnny is gonna  jeopardize everything for one rubber lipped ex-tanker who’s walking on is heels?’ ‘I coulda been a lot better Charley.’ ‘The point is we ain’t got much time.’ ‘I’m telling you I haven’t made up my mind yet.’ Charley drops the bomb here ‘Well make up your mind before we get to 437 river street!’ ‘Before we get to where Charley?’ ‘Listen to me. Take the job just take it! No questions! Take it!’ Charley now pulls a gun on him. ‘Terry take this job. Please!’ Terry looks at him with tenderness, regret and astonishment. This is a great performance by Brando and several commentators have remarked that his gentle touch in moving the gun away from his body as he merely says and repeats ‘Charley.’ When he moves the gun away Charley knows his fate is sealed and the music accompaniment gives you a cue. His reactions says it all.  

There is a great pause because the emotion is overwhelming at this point. Charley manages to restart to the conversation on shaky ground when he asks ‘How much do you weigh son?’ Terry does not get it but Charley is reminiscing. ‘When you weighed 168lbs you were beautiful. You could have  been another Billy Conn. That skunk we got you for a manager; he brought you along too fast.’ Here it comes! Terry has been waiting to say this for a long time; we saw a hint previously when the investigator visited him on the roof. In the car he seems to have recovered from the shock where his brother just drew a gun on him. ‘It wasn’t him Charley. It was you. Remember that night in the garden and you came down in my dressing room when you said “Kid this ain’t your night. We’re going for the price on Wilson.” You remember that? “This ain’t your night.” My night. I could have taken Wilson apart. So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors in the ballpark. What do I get? A one way ticket to palookaville. You was my brother Charley. You should have looked out for me a little bit. You should have taken care of me so I wouldn’t have to take them dives for the short end money.’ ‘ I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.’ ‘ You don’t understand! I could have had class! I coulda been a contender! I coulda been somebody instead of a bum, which is what I am, let’s face it. It was you Charley.’ ‘Okay,’ says Charley. He must get that the zany pursuit for money in the name of self interest comprises others or the way you see others. You only see them as one way to get ahead which means  they help you to get ahead when you earn more money. Some people become so caught up in the naked self interest promoted by capital that they become savages (see my commentary) like Charley. ‘I’ll tell ‘em’, says Charley ‘I couldn’t find you. Ten to one he won’t believe it.’ He gives him the gun for protection and lets him out although he is unaware that the driver of the cab is a crony of John Friendly. We see him take the car into some garage of a building in a big swoop down an incline and then the doors are closed immediately behind. We know the building belongs to Friendly  because the camera moves up to the next floor where he is smoking apparently nonchalant but fully aware because he gets the cue from his worthless crony. All of this as his long time associate is murdered. What a savage is Friendly.

Terry becomes a Champion

After he parts from his brother Terry goes immediately to visit Edie. This scene is confusing and disjointed and is probably the only weak point in the film. He goes to the house calling for her and when she refuses to see him  and bolts the door he starts banging and eventually unhinges it. The father is no where to be seen and Edie and Brando are yelling at each other about him using his conscience. He  tries to get her to confess him that she loves him. This melodrama is played out in a kiss. I understand that they were describing how Terry and Edie were acting out their passions for one another until it culminated in a soothing kiss however it just does not work because the buildup using the melodramatic edge is ineffective in conveying how they really feel apart from the shouting etc. You do not sense the connection like earlier scenes. 

While at Edie’s house Terry gets a call from one of Friendly’s savage cronies in the alleyway saying repeatedly that Charley wants to see him. Terry picks up that something is wrong because he would know how friendly operates. When Terry  goes down to the alleyway with Edie, who followed him stubbornly, he is nearly run over, intentionally,  by a truck and he and Edie barely escape although Terry is left with a cut on his arm after he had to punch through glass in order to open a door in the alleyway from the other side in order to escape. As the truck  speeds away anonymously, all is revealed to Terry as we see Charley hanging from a meat hook lifeless on the side of a building. He received  four shots in the chest. After taking him down Terry decides to go after Friendly, with gun in hand of course  to ‘take it out on their skulls.’ He leaves Edie with instructions to get the father to take care of Charley’s body.

He then goes to Friendly’s headquarters or his primary hangout spot to confront him with his newly acquired gun so that he will perhaps murder Johnny  or maybe rough him up. He would have to murder him because threatening a savage like Friendly is never enough. You have to go all the way to defeat men like that. Friendly is not there however and he has to wait. Terry’s response is typical of life on the fringes of society where people have no recourse to bourgeois law enforcement. It’s like Terry said to Edie, kill or be killed or do it to him before he does it to you. Terry is living by his word here as he almost holds the bar hostage with his small revolver even when one of Friendly’s henchmen Tilio enters and is told to ‘stick around.’Eventually the priest arrives and he tries to convince Terry to use the bourgeois system of justice to effect real change by exposing John friendly he even has to surprise Terry with a good blow to wrest the gun from him. When he does this Friendly’s henchman escapes. Terry is very upset because he has been denied satisfaction ‘It’s none of your business,’ he shouts. This emotional outburst is effective because it shows how tied he is to that way of living on the fringes of society. The priest asks if he wants to fix Friendly and then says ‘ Then don’t fight him like a hoodlum because that’s just what he wants. He’ll hit you in the head and plead self defense. You fight  him in the courtroom tomorrow with the truth as you know the truth.’ They drink some beer so that Terry will calm down. He drinks it but he is fixated on a picture of the savage John Friendly with some individual and smashes the glass frame  with his revolver. That is how he gets rid of the gun.

The next scene is the next day at the court hearing. We hear the commissioners asking one of Friendly’s henchman the hiring boss ‘ You mean to tell me your local takes in 65,500 every year and keeps no financial records?’ ‘Sure we got records.’ ‘Where are they?’ ‘We was robbed last night and we can’t find no books.’ ‘You know you’re under oath?’ ‘Oh sure,’ says the savage. Another lawyer asks ‘Doesn’t it seem odd to you that five different locals was broken into last night? And the only item missing from all of them was the financial records.’ ‘What do you mean “odd”? Like I told you we was robbed. The commissioners make sure that all the heads of the local 374 are present including the savage John Friendly who is the president. It is discovered for the first time that his name is Michael J. Skelly.

They then call Terry to stand and swear him in. They ask if he was the last one to see Joey Doyle alive. He says yes ‘except for the guys who pushed him off.’ They then ask if he went to the Friendly bar after the murder to express his dissatisfaction with what happened to Joey. Terry again answers yes. Then the real bombshell. The camera even switches to the mysterious capitalist or politician or Mr. Upstairs who is watching the proceedings on TV. The lawyer asks ‘Can you tell me whether Mr. Friendly, or I should say, Mr. Skelly, said anything to you to indicate his responsibility in getting rid of Joey Doyle?’ ‘Right.’ ‘And would you say Mr. Malloy, that he made it clear to you that it was absolutely necessary to murder Joey Doyle in order to maintain his control of water front locals?’ Mr. Upstairs is in anguish and asks is butler to turn off the TV. He then tells the Butler that if Mr. Friendly ever calls he must tell him that he’s out. We never see his face but we know he is a savage.  ‘You’ve done enough to break the Joey Doyle case,’ says the lawyer ‘You’re making it possible for honest men to work the docks with job security and peace of mind.’ They then call friendly to the stand and as Terry is passing he tries to engage in some tussle threatening to kill him in the process and by saying that he won’t be able to find work from Boston to New Orleans. He knows that it’s the end. He also revealed that there is no sentiment attached. I wonder what he expected as a savage when he killed Charley.

Terry is now ostracized by his community members. We see his friend walk right past  him as he is going upstairs to his room in the building. He is being followed around by the police which is a clear sign that you’re a traitor or a canary. Thankfully Edie is there waiting for him in his room. He is not totally alone. When Terry goes to the roof to check on his pigeons he sees one  of the juveniles in his gang and tries to call to him. With tears in his eyes  the juvenile throws a dead pigeon at him saying ‘A pigeon for a pigeon.’ The action says it all. All of the pigeons  in the coop are dead. Edie comes up and bears witness. She tells him, customarily, that it’s not safe and that he should relocate to a farm etc as long as he’s away from Friendly. The workers too have turned their backs on him. Terry makes up his mind to go down to the waterfront. He grabs his hook used for hoisting cargo and prepares to leave. Edie however is hysterical and asks ‘What are you trying to prove?’ Terry responds like a champion ‘They always said I was a bum. Well, I ain’t a bum Edie. Don’t worry I’m not going to hurt nobody. I’m just going to go down there and get my rights.

We come full circle to life on the waterfront where the story actually began. This time a change is  afoot because Terry is going to claim what is rightfully his. When he does go down there all the workers turn their backs on him. No one hails him or acknowledges him; they only move aside as he passes. The hiring boss sees Terry and spites him by saying ‘Everybody works today.’. He calls names however Terry is not allowed in. Another man would back away and humbly return to his life of exile. The hiring boss, Mac,  says ‘Where them cops of yours stoolie? You’re gonna need ‘em.’ ‘You’re still short in the hatch Mac,’ says Terry. Mac tells spec to bring any man he sees and Spec chooses the same beggar that tried to approach Edie for some change and hires him. ‘You want more of the same. Come back tomorrow,’ says Mac. 

Friendly’s mobsters are prepared to face Terry. They hope that he confronts them. They get their guns out. Friendly must remind them that ‘they’re a law abiding union.’ He knows that the law will be down on him ‘for the slightest infraction’ and that they’re ‘dusting off the hot seat’ for him. He stows the guns away in his safe. After being rejected for work Terry goes down to Friendly’s office. It is important to note that the workers also follow. He will deal with Terry once he's off the front page. He has to confront Friendly in order to smash his empire. The workers have to prove that they are united against Friendly or it will be more of the same even if Friendly is locked away. Someone else will take up the mantle of great labour leader. 'Hey John Friendly. John Friendly come out o’ there’ He throws his hook on the door and Friendly comes out. ‘You wanna know the trouble with you?’ asks Friendly ‘you think it makes you a big man if you give all the answers. At the right time I’ll catch up with you. Be thinking about that. Now beat it. Don’t push your luck.’ Terry responds with equal determination ‘Wait a minute you! You take them heaters away and you’re nothing! You know that?’ ‘You’ll talk yourself in the river.’ ‘You take the good goods away and the kickbacks and the shakedown cabbage and the pistoleros and you’re nothing. Your guts is all in your wallet and your trigger finger!’ ‘You ratted on us Terry!’ ‘From where you stand maybe but I’m standing over here now! I was ratting on myself all them years and I didn’t even know it.’ ‘Come on.’ ‘You give it to Joey, you give it to Dugan, you give it to Charley who was one of your own. You think you’re god almighty; but you know what you are? You’re a cheap, lousy, dirty, stinking mug. And I’m glad what I done to you! You hear that? I’m glad what I done.’ He does not continue because Friendly taunts him to come on and engage in a duel.  Terry rushes toward him and they engage in a scuffle. For good measure he is tripped by one of Friendly's cronies so that he has an advantage. Eventually Terry rediscovers his boxing prowess and with Friendly feeling the sting of his punches he calls out to his crew who rush to his aid and give Terry a beating. Terry was right Friendly cannot operate without his crew.

The pastor and Edie arrive on the scene and by then Terry is beaten. What matters though is that he stood up to Friendly and his crew and he is a champion as a result. Friendly emerges from the back of the union office saying ‘You want him? You can have him!’He walks up to Edie and the pastor and says ‘The little rat’s yours.’

          When a Champion Rallies from defeat: Terry’s long walk

            It seems as if it’s all over with Terry beaten. He was the one chance for the workers to assert their rights over the savage members of the mob. There is still hope if Terry can walk to the entrance unassisted and so making it clear to the ship operators that the workers will take no more orders from John Friendly. One of the managers from the ships comes around asking who is in charge. The manager like any manager is worried because time costs money and they need to get the goods loaded so that the ship can leave.  Friendly makes it clear that he is in charge however the workers do not budge regardless of his entreaties. One worker says that if Terry does not work we don’t work. Friendly says ‘Work? He can’t even walk.’ Friendly says only those who he picks to work get to work. They still don’t budge and it is clear that power is slipping from his grasp. He even has the nerve to entreat Joey Doyle’s father to go to work. The father makes it clear that for most of the time they knew each other Friendly only pushed him around. Friendly falls into the water after Doyle senior breaks free of his grip and sends him falling into the water on the docks. There is a resounding laughter. The workers are gaining confidence. They only need to demonstrate to the ship owners that the workers will no longer take orders from Friendly and crew. When one worker comes around to check on Terry it is hopeless. Jimmy says ‘Terry walks in we walk in with him. They’re waiting for him to walk in.’ The pastor lets a barely conscious Terry know that he lost the battle but has a chance to win the war. They tell him he needs to walk and that the workers will walk in with him ‘So the shippers can see we’ll take no more orders from Johnny Friendly.’ ‘Then it’ll give us back our union so we can run it on the up and up.’ What gets terry really riled up is when father Barry says ‘Johnny Friendly’s laying odds that you won’t get up.’

            Terry asks them to put him on his feet and it is clear that he is wobbling. He believes he won’t be able to make it but the pastor encourages him further. Father Barry makes it clear that they must not help him. He must stride in there like a champion which normally means he must demonstrate some form of leadership which again means he has to go it alone. Once Terry is on his feet and he gets his hook  he begins the walk. He walks past the numerous faces of the workers as he wobbles and tries to keep his head and feet steady. There is an interesting use of first person camera work to capture his concussive state. He finally approaches the shipper who says ‘Okay let’s go to work.’ Terry claims his rightful place as the workers walk in with him. Friendly tries to stop them with threats etc  but they are determined to wrest power from his control.

The movie thus ends on a triumphal note and regardless of the cynicism at its core the workers do deserve, if even briefly, some respite from the extensive amount of brutalization and exploitation they endured under the capitalists and the corrupt labour leaders such as John Friendly.

This film is a masterpiece

           

           

           

           

           

            .