Overall I found the film, On the Waterfront by Elia Kazan, to be decent. It wasn’t a movie I would watch again however, I don’t think of the time I spent watching it to be a waste either. I did think that the film was effective in providing a strong statement. At the end of the movie you had the feeling of ‘wow, Terry really did something powerful’. Despite having some overly dramatic scenes, mostly centering on the relationship between Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) and Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), and annoying characters (Edie), the film really left an impressive sentiment. Again, On the Waterfront wasn’t stellar, but if you are looking for a way to kill a couple hours of boredom it might be a good way to do so.
If you do choose to watch the film you might realize some very intriguing literary aspects. The setting of the movie is a large city in a cold climate. This setting highlights the callousness of the people’s surroundings. In addition to the setting there is a lot of symbolism. In the movie there is a recurring emphasis on birds; pigeons, hawks, and canaries. The pigeons represent the common person. They are average creatures. Some are better than others, but none are truly outstanding and they are always fearful of the hawk. The hawks represent the fierce, unbeatable mob. The third bird is the canary. The canary is the light in darkness, the leader of good, the thing that takes down evil. Terry is comparable to the canary. He himself says to the cops who are supposed to protect him, “Trailing me like that, you make me feel like a canary.” Terry is the one who turns the tide against the mob and leads to the mob’s downfall. Despite Terry’s reluctance to help in the end he does. Which leads me to my next literary aspect, theme. The theme of this film is that you should follow your morals and stand up for what you know is right even if the world around you isn’t following suit.
The world around Terry consists of many other characters including Father Berry (Karl Malden), Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), and Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). I found Malden’s portrayal of Father Berry to be very well done. Throughout the entire film I never once felt as though Father Berry didn’t seem like Father Berry. Malden’s interpretation made you believe he was a good man with strong opinions and a strong heart to match. In contrast, I found Eva Marie Saint to be very annoying. I was never really certain what role Edie was supposed to be in the film. Was she a strength? A weakness? Was she helping Terry? Hindering him? I never could figure her out. On the other hand, someone who was very easy to figure out was Lee Cobb, as Johnny Friendly. The moment you saw Cobb you knew he was the bad guy. His actions, his speech, and even his clothing made him the dire enemy of the union. Speaking of clothing, the costume choices for the movie made it really easy to tell who was well off and who wasn’t. The mobsters had nice coats which weren’t damaged at all while the union workers had bedraggled clothing. Also, the clothing was made for cold weather and left a definite impression of the harshness of the environment the people faced.
This harsh environment was in stark contrast to the music playing. Every song had a big band feel and left you wondering if the actors were going to break out into dance. The music was interesting but I’m not sure how well it fit to the story of the film. Also, the majority of the shots were long. These shots made the story seem to drag out. I really felt that constantly long shots really took away from the film as a whole. However, when there was editing the film was very engaging. The editing helped to build up drama and emphasize certain scenes.
I found that On the Waterfront and All My Sons were quite similar. In both works there is the dilemma of choosing between looking out for yourself and looking out for others. In All My Sons, Joe has to decide whether to sell the faulty parts and risk the pilots’ well being or not sell them and risk his family’s well being. In On the Waterfront, Terry has to decide whether to be a whistleblower on the mob and risk his family’s (himself and his brother) lives or to not tell the truth and continue to allow the mob to cause the union workers to suffer. The major difference is that Joe decides to put his family first while Terry decides to put the union workers first. This of course, as stories tend to go, leads to Joe’s demise and Terry being a hero. How classic.
As I said in the beginning of this review I, personally, wouldn’t watch On the Waterfront more than once. However, it is a decent film and could be a good way to entertain yourself for a couple of hours. The actors, for the most part, are impressive at portraying their characters and the movie has a lot of very interesting symbolism which makes you think more than the movie itself does. Therefore, on the whole, I would give this movie 7 out of ten and say it wouldn’t be a bad way to spend a Friday night.
Works Cited
On the Waterfront. Dir. Elia Kazan. Perf. Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Eve Marie Saint, John Hamilton, Leif Erikson, and Pat Henning.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Post #6 Form B
‘“Wait!” screamed the prisoner.
Bang! The heavy blade bit deep into the table top, neatly paring off Teufel’s middle fingernail. He was breathing fast now, and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead[…]
“Confess.”
“You couldn’t.”
Bang! The cleaver took off the very tip of Teufel’s middle finger. Blood bubbled out on to the table top. Severard’s eyes were smiling in the lamp light. Teufel’s jaw dropped. But the pain will be a while coming. “Confess!” bellowed Glokta.
Bang! The cleaver took off the top of Teufel’s ring finger, and a little disc out of his middle finger which rolled a short way and dropped off onto the floor.’ (55)
How creepy! It’s one thing to read that someone was tortured but an entirely different thing to actually read about it in detail. This book is far more gruesome than anything I usually read. The way the author uses his words makes it seem real and that is even scarier. However disgusting this portion might be, it does give insight to what life is like for Glokta. I couldn’t imagine doing something like that for a living. How terrible it must be to constantly cause others to suffer by your hands. What got me the most though was when the author talked about the pieces of flesh rolling across the floor and flying into the air. Ugh…
Bang! The heavy blade bit deep into the table top, neatly paring off Teufel’s middle fingernail. He was breathing fast now, and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead[…]
“Confess.”
“You couldn’t.”
Bang! The cleaver took off the very tip of Teufel’s middle finger. Blood bubbled out on to the table top. Severard’s eyes were smiling in the lamp light. Teufel’s jaw dropped. But the pain will be a while coming. “Confess!” bellowed Glokta.
Bang! The cleaver took off the top of Teufel’s ring finger, and a little disc out of his middle finger which rolled a short way and dropped off onto the floor.’ (55)
How creepy! It’s one thing to read that someone was tortured but an entirely different thing to actually read about it in detail. This book is far more gruesome than anything I usually read. The way the author uses his words makes it seem real and that is even scarier. However disgusting this portion might be, it does give insight to what life is like for Glokta. I couldn’t imagine doing something like that for a living. How terrible it must be to constantly cause others to suffer by your hands. What got me the most though was when the author talked about the pieces of flesh rolling across the floor and flying into the air. Ugh…
Post # 5 Form A
Vocab (all definitions are from dictionary.com)
Briar (56): a prickly plant or shrub, esp. the sweetbrier or a greenbrier.
Auspicious (58): promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable; fortune
Figurative Language
'Bang!' on page 55 is onomatopoeia because it represents the sound it stands for.
'Frost's face was carved from marble' on page 55 is a metaphor because Frost's face isn't really carved from marble it just looks like it.
Page 55 again (it was a gold mine for these things) has 'tap, tap, tap' which is, again, onomatopoeia because it represents the sound it stands for. In this case-blood dripping.
Quote
"He looked mostly hungry, cold, and ill. He looked something like Logen felt, in fact." (57)
This is segnificant because it show how the average traveller felt and was is a good indicator of what the setting of this book is like. It's a hard life and doesn't give way to many pleasures.
Theme
This is the third week in a row however I do think my first week pretty much nailed the theme of this book. Life is hard; deal with it.
Briar (56): a prickly plant or shrub, esp. the sweetbrier or a greenbrier.
Auspicious (58): promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable; fortune
Figurative Language
'Bang!' on page 55 is onomatopoeia because it represents the sound it stands for.
'Frost's face was carved from marble' on page 55 is a metaphor because Frost's face isn't really carved from marble it just looks like it.
Page 55 again (it was a gold mine for these things) has 'tap, tap, tap' which is, again, onomatopoeia because it represents the sound it stands for. In this case-blood dripping.
Quote
"He looked mostly hungry, cold, and ill. He looked something like Logen felt, in fact." (57)
This is segnificant because it show how the average traveller felt and was is a good indicator of what the setting of this book is like. It's a hard life and doesn't give way to many pleasures.
Theme
This is the third week in a row however I do think my first week pretty much nailed the theme of this book. Life is hard; deal with it.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Post #4 Form B
This… is a weird book. The genre is definitely not one I am used to. The bloody gory is kind of bearable but the overall attitude of the characters is hard to connect to. So far the book has introduced three of the four main characters. The first was Logen. He is hard to connect with because he is constantly fighting to survive and I must admit I have never really had the experience of fighting (literally) for life. Though so far only two chapters have been about Logen, in both of these chapters, pages 7-15 and 32-38, he is killing human/lizard like creatures in order to survive. The second character introduced is named Glokta. Glokta is a torturer. He tortures people. Not someone who you just immediately connect with. Besides being a torturer he is old and, because of an injury when he was younger, crippled. Again, not something I have experienced or could really have a full understanding of. The most recent character is named Jazel. He is introduced as a man who drinks and gambles to pass the time (pages 39-42). He is also apparently a rich captain who is fairly pathetic when it comes to physical prowess. Despite not bonding with any of the characters the book is fairly decent and it has been interesting seeing the various walks of life people, is this fantasy land, have. Also, I must say that I find myself feeling the same way as I did with my quarter 1 book, I’m glad I don’t live in this book. ^^
Post #3 Form A
Vocab (all definitions found at dictionary.com)
Eminence (31): high station, rank, or repute
Magus (37): a magician, sorcerer, or astrologer
Figurative Language
On page 39 the author uses the word 'clacked' which is an onomatopoeia word representing the sound it is used to signify.
"darting like a snake!" (43) is an example of a simile. It uses like or as to connect two unlike things.
The author uses the word 'yow' on page 43 which is a onomatopoeia word.
Quote
"'Until then, clean living is what we need. Do you understand me, Captain Luthar?' He leaned down further, pronouncing every word with great care. 'Clean. Living. Captain.' 'Yes, Marshal Varuz,' mumbled Jezal. Six hours later he was drunker than shit." (48)
This quote is important because it gives valuable insight to what the wealthy and powerful chose to do in the setting of this book. It is a fair example of the corruptness and money-driven attitudes of every high ranking official this book has introduced thus far.
Theme
I shall stick to my previous theme: life is hard; deal with it.
Eminence (31): high station, rank, or repute
Magus (37): a magician, sorcerer, or astrologer
Figurative Language
On page 39 the author uses the word 'clacked' which is an onomatopoeia word representing the sound it is used to signify.
"darting like a snake!" (43) is an example of a simile. It uses like or as to connect two unlike things.
The author uses the word 'yow' on page 43 which is a onomatopoeia word.
Quote
"'Until then, clean living is what we need. Do you understand me, Captain Luthar?' He leaned down further, pronouncing every word with great care. 'Clean. Living. Captain.' 'Yes, Marshal Varuz,' mumbled Jezal. Six hours later he was drunker than shit." (48)
This quote is important because it gives valuable insight to what the wealthy and powerful chose to do in the setting of this book. It is a fair example of the corruptness and money-driven attitudes of every high ranking official this book has introduced thus far.
Theme
I shall stick to my previous theme: life is hard; deal with it.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Post #2 Form B
The book The Blade Itself is not necessarily a book that fits into the outline for a book. For one, the book has four main characters instead of one. Thus far I have only read about two of them. One is a barbarian who is fighting to survive and killed multiple people in the first ten pages. The second is a torturer/inquisitor. He, well, tortures people for information. Neither of these people are what one would consider ‘good’. This leads me to my next point. So far there has been NO protagonist. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. But other than this odd classification the book is pretty good. It has been well written and the author uses a lot of description when he is explaining how people are acting or the environment of the scene. “The gorge was deep. Very deep with sheer, rocky sides. Here and there a tree clung to a crack, growing out into the empty air and spreading its leaves into space. The river hissed away far below, fast and angry, foaming white water fringed by jagged black stone.” (8) This passage is an example of the description the author uses. It paints a vivid picture in the mind of the reader and gives off a definite mood to the scene. Thus, overall the book is pretty decent despite being very blood gory.
Post #1 Form A
Vocab (all definitions were found at dictionary.com)
Blithely (16): without thought or regard; carefree; heedless
Lolled (24): To move, stand, or recline in an indolent or relaxed manner.
Figurative Language
In the book one of the characters is a torture/inquisitor and he threatens a man and fears the same threat only a few pages later. To me this is an instance of irony because it is a flip around of what it was before.
When the author is describing Glokta's walk he uses the words 'click' and 'tap' which are onomatopoeia because they sound like the sound the are representing.
"The river hissed away far below, fast and angry, foaming white water fringed by jagged black stone." (8) This sentence has an example of personification because a river can't really be angry.
Quote
"Will they find me in the canal tomorrow? Dead and bloated, far... far beyond recognition? The only emotion that he felt at the idea was a flutter of mild relief. No more stairs." (25)
This quote is significant because it gives some idea as to what this man's life was like. Pain filled and merciless. That was his life and the only thought he had when faced with death was that he wouldn't have to deal with stairs anymore.
Theme
Thus far the emerging theme seems to be: life is hard; deal with it.
Blithely (16): without thought or regard; carefree; heedless
Lolled (24): To move, stand, or recline in an indolent or relaxed manner.
Figurative Language
In the book one of the characters is a torture/inquisitor and he threatens a man and fears the same threat only a few pages later. To me this is an instance of irony because it is a flip around of what it was before.
When the author is describing Glokta's walk he uses the words 'click' and 'tap' which are onomatopoeia because they sound like the sound the are representing.
"The river hissed away far below, fast and angry, foaming white water fringed by jagged black stone." (8) This sentence has an example of personification because a river can't really be angry.
Quote
"Will they find me in the canal tomorrow? Dead and bloated, far... far beyond recognition? The only emotion that he felt at the idea was a flutter of mild relief. No more stairs." (25)
This quote is significant because it gives some idea as to what this man's life was like. Pain filled and merciless. That was his life and the only thought he had when faced with death was that he wouldn't have to deal with stairs anymore.
Theme
Thus far the emerging theme seems to be: life is hard; deal with it.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Back to Blogging
Well. Looks like we are back to having to blog. This quarter my book is called The Blade Itself. It seems pretty bloody gory so far so I will have to see if I can deal with it.
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