Movie Time

Despite being set in New Jersey, On the Waterfront has something very New York in feel. It might be the view of Manhattan that is constantly in every scene. It might be that Hoboken feels somewhat like a borough of Manhattan (perhaps because it is in the Metropolitan area). Added to this the fact that the Father in the film is said to have actually practiced and resided somewhere on the West Side of Manhattan, and that the movie was based off a series of stories about crime centered on the waterfront of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The effect, overall, is oddly New York though somewhat outer-borough.

On the Waterfront is incredible for so many reasons. First, and not only, it is gorgeous because of the cinematography. Though sometimes decidedly outdated at times—think of all those close-ups on the peoples faces—the sense of place in the movie in fantastic. They did, in fact, do most of their shooting in Hoboken, which accounts for the beautiful instances of the Manhattan skyline in the background. I personally love the rooftop scenes, with their endless rows of diverse roofs, and smoke rising, the pigeon coops, and sometimes the waterfront in the distance. It’s really quite a beautiful movie. I don’t think it’s a subtle movie, but it does bear analyzing. For instance, on the rooftop are we not supposed to call into question the parallel between Terry and his birds? They are both, essentially, inherently, trapped.

On another note, Midnight Cowboy reminds me of how gritty the city—I’ve heard—once was. Those fabled times when Times Square was sketchy rather than the commercialized zoo it is now. It is interesting to see the city then. Anthony pointed out the lack of diversity. I would say that the city was diverse, but not as it is now, and not in the same way. That is an interesting comparison to note. Plus the movie, which was filmed in 1969 and we gather is supposed to be contemporaneous, shows a different sort of take on the culture and era—there was one moment when they, quite literally, shoved their way through a protest. It is interesting to have the counterculture—specifically that counterculture (apparently hippie), because there are other countercultures presented—be a backdrop rather than a focus.