In the movie, On the Waterfront, it is clear that there is corruption everywhere involving a mob and lots of money, and the question is hanging over everybody on whether or not to bring the mob cases to court. To one man, the answer is obvious. The priest is trying throughout the whole movie to get the dock workers to turn the mob in. To him, it is not a matter of money- money is worthless- but it is a matter of doing the right thing. It is a matter of truth and morality. For another character, however, it is not that simple. Terry knows better than anybody about all the corruption going on on the waterfront, but he doesn't dare bring it to court, for his brother is a lead member of the mob. Also, the main leader treats him very nicely, and he feels like it would be traitorous to turn them in. By the end of the movie, Terry must choose if the real act of treachery would be to betray his brother or stand by while the mob continued committing crimes.
It is obvious to me that this movie is in favor of standing up for truth rather than worry about keeping loyalties. Of course if Terry does turn the mob in, they will view him as a traitor, and he will lose all friendship with them. But on the other hand, people are dying, and Terry has a chance to end it. If he can gather the courage to do what is right, he will be clearing the waterfront of corruption and earn the title of a moral crusader.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I agree with what you think about On the Waterfront. It is obvious that the movie prefers truth over friendships. I wonder if it's because Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller were originally friends but then one of them testified and the other did not.
Post a Comment