The production of the movie "On the Waterfront" started in 1954, and it was given a little chance of success by the critics, claiming that the story was of no real interest. Elia Kazanjoglou, was born in Constantinople (Turkey) in 1909, son of Greek immigrant parents who came to America when he was a small child; he became a dedicated Communist after his college years, and he eventually repudiated Communism and the Soviet Union, opposing the totalitarian form of Marxism. .
"On the Waterfront" was shot in New Jersey and in black and white giving the film an original oppressed look and adding to the intensity of its subject. The film itself is about a longshoreman and ex-prize fighter who confronts the corrupt leaders who run the dockers lives, in a challenge to expose their criminal acts.
Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) dreams about being a prizefighter, while nursing his pigeons and running errands at the docks for Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), the corrupt boss of the dockers union. Terry witnesses a murder by two of Johnny's gangsters, and later meets the dead man's sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint) and feels responsible for his death. She introduces him to Father Barry (Karl Malden), who tries to convince him to provide information for the courts that will destroy the dock racketeers. The film had a strong impact on the audience and was controversial in the subjects it dealt with: racketeering and socialism.
This movie was wrongly accused of promoting communism and being anti American by unionists at the time. "On the Waterfront" became one of the greatest and most critically acclaimed films ever made; it featured brilliant acting, memorable scenes and emotional directing from Elia Kazan. In fact, in 1955, "On the Waterfront" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 8 of them, as well as many other Awards such as Bodil Award, Directors Guild of America, Golden Globe, New York Film Critics Circle Award, Venice Film Festival, etc.
