Power In On The Waterfront

884 Words4 Pages
What is the film communicating to its audience about power, powerful people, vulnerable characters and a capitalist society taken over by corruption and violence. Plan Introduction- talk briefly about the corruption, how power dominates in the film, injustice, corruption. Capitalist society; how does it work? What kind of injustice do people undergo? Shape up 1st paragraph: Power and powerful people; Johnny friendly. (the procession) 2nd paragraph: Symbols of power, film techniques which represent power. Mr. Upstairs. What does the theme of power communicate to the audience? 3rd paragraph: Vulnerable characters: Joey, Terry, longshoremen, etc…(D’nD concept) How are they vulnerable? Example of scenes, give quotes. 4th…show more content…
Finish with a rhetorical question or other? TEEL Introduction The film ‘On the Waterfront’ by Elia Kazan demonstrates in a very realistic way how an unrelenting evil controls and corrupts a seemingly powerless community. The longshoremen’s life depends on the job that the ‘boss’, Johnny Friendly provides them with. There is a shape-up to select the work force which condemns them to a life of constant uncertainty and economic hardships. However, those who are brave enough to stand up to this corruption, often result in their death by the mob. 1st paragraph The theme of power is illustrated through people, things and symbols all throughout the film. The first thing we notice is the ship which stands fiercely on the docks dwarfing its surroundings. In addition, there is a procession which shows the mob following their leader, Friendly. The latter controls everyone on the waterfront. He has power and does not stop at any extent to retain it. In one of the scenes, after Terry shows how guilty and betrayed he feels after not having been warned that the mob was going to do more than ‘lean’ on Joey a bit, Friendly stuffs a $50 note in his shirt to buy his silence. 2nd…show more content…
Furthermore, a range of symbols are present to exemplify power in this film. The sharp metallic hooks that the longshoremen use to help them load and empty pallets hang over their shoulders menacingly. They represent the forces that literally hovers over them in the form of Friendly’s goons. Terry also refers to the longshoremen as being ‘pigeons’ as opposed to Friendly who is the ‘hawk’ that swoops above at them. However, as mighty as Friendly stands, he is not the only one with sovereignty. Mr. Upstairs turns onto him in a matter of seconds after watching the news. This shows us that in the game of power, there are no true friends, just the acquisition of more power and the defence of that power. 3rd paragraph The longshoremen live in fear and have long since given up the fight for their rights in order to survive. They have adopted the concept of ‘D&D’ which stands for ‘Deaf and Dumb’. As Terry puts it; “I don’t know nothin, I ain’t seen nothin, I ain’t sayin nothin.” Some people on the other hand, cannot accept this fact and their courage is not always rewarded, for e.g. Joey and Dugan. In the scene where Father Barry is offering his last prayers to Dugan, he unveils the sin of crucifixion. “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
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