[English] Text Response-On The Waterfront

[cranberry]

Roughly what marking /30 would this be? tyvm  

''On the Waterfront' is the story of Terry Malloy's journey to self respect. Do you agree?'

Elia Kazan's film, 'On the Waterfront', is a story about the emotional and moral development of a man challenging his own circumstances to seek self respect. Terry Malloy's journey to obtain redemption from his past is driven by various self-morals and people around him, inspiring Terry to overcome the thought of being "deaf and dumb - don't rat", which is ever-present throughout the film. Through Terry's motivation of ridding his label of being a "bum", to Father Barry's search and fight for the truth at the docks, to Edie Doyle's love for Terry and his love for her, Terry gains a self-respect and a sense of freedom he has never know before. The quote, "I'm standing over here now..."- at the end of the film, signifies Terry's newly found understanding of himself, and of the world and is a result of his struggle to overcome corruption on the New Jersey waterfront.

Terry Malloy's label of being a "bum" is a significant, motivating factor that impels Terry to win internal conflict with himself and external conflict with those around him. As evident in the first few scenes, Terry fights the ongoing harassment set upon him by others, particularly, Johnny Friendly's gang members, emphasising his ostracism from not only the gang, but from society as well. Terry is also seen in multiple scenes spending most of his spare time taking care of Joey Doyle's pigeons, which also signifies his admiration of the faithfulness of birds which is something he lacks in his own life, such as in his relationship with Charlie. Also, Terry's position regarding Friendly's gang means that he cannot voice his most inner feelings, especially of his past.  Therefore, Terry's diminished moral state was somewhat vulnerable to the different perspectives on life, which Edie Doyle and Father Barry provided for him; and as his brother Charlie was the only real link to his relationship with Friendly's gang, once Charlie was murdered, Terry "broke through" the evident barrier of corruption that had held him back for years from discovering the truth about who he was and what side, he truly, was on.

At first meetings, Edie Doyle and Father Barry confront Terry with qualities of kindness and patriotism, respectively, but also with a similar, faithful morality which Terry sees as dangerously impractical at first, but soon helps him achieve self-respect. Edie and Father Barry are the two characters that most help Terry figure things out when he most utterly needs guidance. For example in the Friendly-bar scene where Terry arrives with Charlie's pistol; Father Barry calms Terry down and influences him not to react violently, but to "defeat" Friendly legally and justly through the courts. Moreover, Father Barry's faith is maintained throughout the film, depicting a representative of God that can help others to do the right thing. This in turn provides a "fatherly-like" assistance for Terry in realising the evil that surrounds him - that has already consumed his brother Charlie - and allows him to communicate the truth about what Charlie has done to his own life, bringing a new understanding of the brothers' relationship and allowing Terry to move on from the negatives of his past. On the otherhand, Edie maintains her belief, throughout the film, that everyone has an inner conscience for the well-being of others and for doing what is right. Her grief is a significant influence to Terry's final testimony in the court, as he cannot bare to see her sad (the bar scene where "...He [Terry] would really like to help [Edie]..."). Moreover, Edie provides Terry with a future path - a relationship - that offers Terry a thought of self-worth and helps to diverge Terry from the corruptive influences of the gang (lastly seen in the cab, whereby Charlie offers Terry enormous wages for sticking with the gang and not "ratting"; which Terry gently refuses).

The journey for self-worth and self respect is a significant moral of the film 'On the Waterfront'. Life in a contradictory world of uncertain rules and conflicting values, adds to the struggle Terry Malloy undergoes to achieve personal honour. The focus of the film, on Terry's loss and redemption, portrays the importance of cleansing the individual conscience to achieve a happy life.

[cranberry]

Any marking for this one at least?    thanks

'How does Elia Kazan use a range of cinematic devices to reveal the emotional and moral struggle in 'On the Waterfront'?'

In the film 'On the Waterfront', director Elia Kazan's accounts as a longshoremen, in the late 1940s, are conveyed through the emotional and moral struggles of various protagonists in the film, especially through the character of Terry Malloy who Kazan mirrors his own experiences through. By use of a range of cinematic devices, such as symbolic imagery and powerful musical compositions, Kazan embarks on a journey to portray the war between good and evil in the docks, during the corruption that took over the workers and their union in the late 1940s. Not only does Kazan portray the impact that love, loyalty and religion has on the individual emotional and moral struggles of the characters, but succeeds in helping the audience, theatrically, grasp the moral world of the waterfront.

The immense imagery that Kazan utilizes in the film, draws upon the audience's feeling of realism - that the struggles encountered by the characters are almost inseparable from those seen in reality. Through the help of a cold and depressing winter setting of the film, Kazan insists that the docks are no place for easy-going attitudes, and that emotional and moral assistance is more or less unheard of in the town of Hoboken. The rough and violent nature of the docks, evident in the opening 'shape-up' scene, signifies that the area is dangerous and full of hardship - a man's world. Moreover, Kazan's inclusion of only one woman in the film, Edie Doyle, gives proof of this idea. Another use of imagery to reveal the moral struggle in the docks, is Kazan's attempt to mirror the actions of saints, and the positive effect they leave behind for others - stories of goodness and courage of those who have passed away - such as the actions of Joey Doyle. Therefore Joey Doyle's jacket, becomes a sort of holy relic, and is past on to K.O Dugan and then to Terry, more or less parting with those who overcome the struggle to find the bravery and courage to reveal the truth. Furthermore, the ideology of "deaf and dumb - don't rat", is a device which Kazan has brought into the film from his own experience of corruption in the workers union, and suggests that the morality of living in such deep corruption - knowing that if you rat, your name will be forever forgotten, even by your closest friends - is poisonous to the mind. However, Kazan's good versus evil approach in the film, counteracts this immense moral struggle of overcoming corruption in the docks - in the form of religion. Father Barry's goodness is portrayed as "Jesus-like", as the imagery of crucifixions in the form of Charlie Malloy (Terry bringing Charlie's body down - disciples lifting Jesus from the cross) and K.O Dugan's deaths (Father Barry's sermon in the hold where he is cruelly pelted with rubbish - Jesus stoned whilst carrying his cross). These scenes significantly convey the struggle of fighting the corruption on the waterfront, and is a highly useful means used by Kazan toward achieving a sense of realism amongst the audience.

The musical score plays a crucial role in reflecting and intensifying the feelings of the characters in various scenes in the film. For example, in the apartment scene where Terry barges in against Edie's interests, the emotional distress of Edie is emphasised through the intense music, whilst "relaxes" as Edie gently realises her undesirable love for Terry. Also, evident in the scene when Terry reveals his part in Joey's death, Edie's intense disorientation is emphasised through Kazan's use of industrial noise - the shipyard whistle - to add emotional tension and stress, not only amongst characters, but amongst the audience as well.

The symbolism portrayed throughout the film is also noticeable by the audience, but more significantly, is used to depict either the present position of a character or what they desire in the future. Kazan's constant inclusion of the pigeons with Terry in various scenes, draws upon the admiring nature of the birds to Terry, but relates to his struggle for freedom and a life of his own. However Kazan also utilizes the pigeons as a duty for Terry to take up in order to seek redemption for taking part in Joey's death, as the pidgeons were Joey's. Therefore, the moral struggle in Terry's life - trapped within the corruption of the docks ("The waterfront ain't part of America" - dock worker) - is symbolic of the caged pigeons who also want to be set free. Furthermore, Terry's struggle for freedom is also symbolised by the white glove of Edie, evident in the park scene. Kazan employs this device to portray Terry's emotional struggle to retain Edie's love. Although he wants to escape with her, he cannot until he overcomes the corruptive bond between him and the Friendly gang - therefore testifying in court. Furthermore, the removal of the glove in both this scene, and the cab scene with Charlie and Terry, reveals not only a new layer of the character's personality, but also reveals an anxiety and a, somewhat, vulnerability. Kazan's most famous scene, in the cab, shows this vulnerability, evident in a "defeated" Charlie and his struggle to communicate with his only brother; his only real family. In contrast to Edie's pure, white glove, Charlie's corrupt, black glove is almost depictive of the evil in the docks, and symbolises Kazan's attempt to engage the audience to feel empathetic toward Charlie's unbrotherly actions, as Charlie seems to want redemption after taking the glove off.

Kazan effectively achieves a 'realism' feel in the film. From the theatrical imagery to the symbolic devices utilized, Kazan successfully engages the audience to relate to the feelings of the characters, creating an atmosphere that is both striking and emotional for viewers. The emotional and moral struggles encountered by the characters are so very real, as Kazan has no doubt included his own struggles and experiences from his own life regarding the context of the film.

[Ghost!]

Hey there cranberry.

I promise you I'll take a look sometime this weekend

[Hamoodii]

#1   This is a reasonably good response, although your structure doesn't seem correct. You have a introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. You should be able to insert another body paragraph. This is a minimum requirement. Also TEEL is an ideal structure to use in this film analysis. The information and use of examples are good. (=

[cranberry]

#1   This is a reasonably good response, although your structure doesn't seem correct. You have a introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. You should be able to insert another body paragraph. This is a minimum requirement. Also TEEL is an ideal structure to use in this film analysis. The information and use of examples are good. (=

hahaha bit late man