Emotional Autobiography (“On the Waterfront”)

“In a letter to Brando in which (director Elia Kazan) explores the differences between the Terry Malloy and Stanley Kowalski characters he argues as follows: ‘Marlon, this part is much closer to you and to myself too.’ Kazan also compares Terry’s ‘swagger’ early in the story with his own confidence and pride previously, as the ‘white-haired boy-director.’ At other points in the Notebook he compares Terry’s early relationship with Mickey (Johnny Friendly) with his own relationship with Harold Clurman and with ‘a Commie who regards Jack Lawson, or V. J. Jerome as the authority.’ While there is no distinctive visual style or mise-en-scene that ties this film to Kazan, the striving for autobiographical expression in Kazan’s work is arguably first strongly evidenced in On the Waterfront.” As a child of Stanislavsky, Kazan brings his own ‘affective memories’ to his direction of actors and of the emotional ‘beats’ of the drama.”
On the Waterfront
Joanna E. Rapf

Related posts: The Source of “On the Waterfront”

Screenwriting Quote #100 (Budd Schulberg)

The Priest in “On the Waterfront”

Kazan on Directing (Part 1)

 

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The Priest in On the Waterfront

Yesterday I mentioned that the movie On the Waterfront was based on a series of articles by Malcolm Johnson that were published in 1948.

But before Brando could mumbled those famous words, “I coulda been somebody,” and before the eight Oscar awards the film won, and before the script by Budd Schilberg, and even before the articles by Malcolm Johnson there was crime on the waterfront. Organized crime.

And while I’ll let other debate the role the police and unions had in the situation there was at least one person who stood up to the thugs–John M. Corridan. He was the Catholic Priest who was the inspiration behind the Father Barry charatcer played by Karl Malden in On the Waterfront. 

When screenwriter Budd Schulberg was asked how hard it was to write the speeches that Father Barry gives he basically said he just crafted the words Father Corridan gave. This made me a little more interested in finding out who this man was that stood up against organized crime.

According to Wikipedia Corridan collaborated with Malcolm Johnson on his series of articles that won Johnson the Pulizter Prize in local reporting. Father Corridan also met over the years with screenwriter Budd Schulberg.

Allen Raymond wrote a biography on Corridan called Waterfront Priest.  Schulberg wrote the introduction and desribed Father Corridan as a “tall, youthful, balding, energetic, ruddy-faced Irishman whose speech was a fascinating blend of Hell’s Kitchen jargon, baseball slang, the facts and figures of a master in economics and the undeniable humanity of Christ.”

Another related book is On the Irish Waterfront by James T. Fisher.

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Screenwriting Quote of the Day #100 (Budd Schulberg)

The classic Hollywood film On the Waterfront almost never came to be. It’s been said that ever great film has been turned down at least once and the Elia Kazan directed film starring Marlon Brando with a script by Budd Schulberg was no exception. 

“Darryl Zanuck turned us down at Twentieth Century-Fox. He told us no one is going to care about a lot of sweaty longshoremen.”
                                                                               Budd Schulberg 

People not only cared back in 1954 when the move was released, it is #8 on AFI’s list of the 100 Greatest American Films.

 

Scott W. Smith

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Writer Budd Schulberg (1914-2009)

Budd Schulberg the Oscar winning writer of On the Waterfront died today. And it’s another reminder of what I call the mountain-top experience. For Schulberg On the Waterfront was his top of Everest script. Released in 1954 and starring Marlon Brando the film went on to win a total of eight Oscars and is considered on of the greatest films of all-time.

That film eclipsed the success of his novel What Makes Sammy Run? Schulberg grew up around the industry as his father was the head of Paramount Studios back in the 1930s. He also went to Dartmouth. Sure having an Ivy league education and a father high-up in the industry helps you get a foot in the door, but I don’t think they ever have been a great combination for writing great screenplays. 

He paid his dues as a script reader making $25 a week and writing short stories that got published.  

Lesser known about Schulberg is after the Watts riots in LA back in the 60s he started the Watts Writers Workshop as a way to help African-Americans hone their craft.  One of the writers to come out of that workshop is Quincy Troupe who became the first Poet Laureate of California in 2002, won an award for his book Miles, the Autobiography (written with Miles Davis) and also wrote The Pursuit of Happyness along with Chris Carder (which became the Will Smith film).

Remember if you get to the top of the creative mountain you don’t actually get to live there. Hopefully you get to enjoy the view for a few moments and collect a few awards, but one you come down take a lead from Schulberg and help point the way for others.

 

Scott W. Smith

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