SMOKESCREEN | On the Waterfront (1954)

Marlon Brando gives one of his best performances in the gritty tale of union corruption on the docks of Hobokon New Jersey. Reviewer Robert Ebert describes Brando’s acting as cutting through ‘decades of screen mannerisms’ providing a ‘quirky acting style that was not realism so much as a kind of heightened riff on reality.’ With its vivid dialogue, realistic settings and use of method acting On the Waterfront was a sensation, that would influence film making and acting for generations to come.

Director: Elia Kazan

Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, Eva Marie Saint

Run Time: 108mins

Rating: PG