On The Waterfront - Year 12 English
Download
Report
Transcript On The Waterfront - Year 12 English
On The Waterfront
Revision Guide
My Tips for this text…
Be really familiar with Terry’s journey of transformation
Have a variety of quotes memorised around this
Look at the impact of Edie and Father Barry, as well as
the significance of other minor characters
Have a variety of film-making techniques at your disposal
Show Yourself…
What do you know?
What are the key scenes in
Terry’s Journey?
Sermon on the docks (he is persuaded by Father Barry)
All scenes with the birds
Cab scene (I coulda been a contender)
He helps Edie escape the church
When he finds out Joey has been murdered
Confessing to Edie
Counting Cash – the guys laugh at him
In the pub – Edie challenges his world view
Standing up to Friendly on the docks
How does the Film-maker show that
Terry is to be sympathised with?
Use of music – after Joey’s death (check other scenes)
Body language – hunched over
Softly spoken, mumbles
Jacket – he doesn’t fit into the gangsters or the
longshoremen
His naivety about the murder of Joey
The gangsters laugh at him when he counts the cash
How important is the
connection to McCarthyism?
Terry is a projection of Kazan
Informing can be a good thing if it is for the right
reasons
To show the pubic the extent to which people are willing
to turn a blind eye if it doesn’t affect them
How does the film-maker create the
atmosphere of the docks?
The medium of black and white film
Older clothing
Shadows and alleyways
Lots of people, they are made to look small
Skyline shows New York and Manhattan skyline (out of reach)
Hectic music
Use of real dockworkers in the crowd
Who challenges Terry’s view
of the world?
Edie – literally
Father Barry
Charley – gives him on opportunity to reflect on himself
Johnny Friendly – in his formative years?
The cops
How is Father Barry responsible for
Terry’s changes?
Appeals to his conscience
Tells the workers to stand up for themselves – and
provides the example for this in the sermon on the docks.
Where are the key turning
points in the text?
Sermon on the docks (Terry punches the gangster)
Talks to Edie after escaping the church
Choosing to take Edie home over answering Friendly’s
call
Cab scene
Dockworkers come to support Terry – who walks into
work
Who else is transformed in
the text?
Dugan – becomes a hero ready to stand up to the Union
Father Barry – Edie inspires him to take an interest and
make a difference
Charley – finally does the right thing by Terry
Johnny Friendly – defeated – has to face his fear of being
a nobody
Pop Doyle – goes from “Deaf and dumb” to standing up
for his rights (and pushing Friendly into the water)
How does the film explore the
difficulty in determining right from
wrong?
Black and white filming – represents two distinct sides
Fear – should not determine your actions, rather your
conscience
Is it right to protect your friends or follow your
conscience?
Terry’s difficulties are different to the other longshoremen
– its not fear but loyalty
Why is the film in black and
white?
To convey that the world that they are living in is black
and white (Terry didn’t view it this way – he wanted to be
good but was doing bad things)
Lends it a sense of being documentary
How are the characters trapped in a
cycle of the sameness?
If no one makes change, change doesn’t occur
Takes more than one person to create change
Deaf and Dumb mentality
Fear of opposing the Union
Fear of loss of work and livelihood
Father Barry hid in his church
How is Edie portrayed an
angelic?
White hair
White gloves
Beautiful – inner and outer
Innocence
Naivety
Conviction
Kind to strays (shows a caring nature)
Studies with the nuns
How is Terry established as
an outsider?
Clothes
Doesn’t walk with the rest of the group
Sits apart of the longshoremen in the church
Both groups tease him
Prefers pigeons to people
Hangs out with the young people
What is significant about the
Contender scene in terms of the
plot?
Both Charley and Terry express an understanding for
their faults
Terry admits who and what he is
Charley finally realises he has done wrong by Terry
Beginning of the metaphor of sacrifice in the text
What are the values of the
longshoremen?
Mateship/Comraderie
Look after each other when they are in need
You don’t rat
How does the film explore the
redemptive power of love?
Charley gives him a chance because he loves him
Edie believes in him – makes him think he is capable of
good things
Father Barry shows him a greater love and a love for all
men.
Discuss references to birds in
the text?
Terry shows sensitivity
Freedom
Hierarchy on the waterfront (Hawks and pigeons
metaphor)
Simpler life
They represent values Terry admires
An individual can/not create
change. Discuss.
This is all about how you view the ending.
Yes but they need help from others (Terry doesn’t create
change until he wins over the other longshoremen)
Its really Edie who creates change – but she does it by
influencing those in a position to make change
The Mr Upstairs scene shows us how far the system goes – and
that Terry has only broken down one aspect of it that can be
easily replaced.
Individual change has to precede collective change
How is boxing important to
the text?
Its about fighting and the fighting spirit. Getting up when
you have been knocked down. Standing up for what you
believe in.
It represents a Terry with a future and potential – which
he rediscovers. It also represents his pride – after taking a
dive this is severely damaged.
Terry replays the “dive” by beating up Johnny Friendly
(standing up for himself). The longshoreman remark that
he still fights like he used to.
Could Johnny Friendly be
considered a victim too?
Friendly also grew up in this system and had to provide
for his family. He now has to struggle and be ruthless in
order to protect the power base he has built for himself.
He is not inhuman – he takes Terry under his wing.
The Mr Upstairs scene shows that he isn’t really the one
with all the power.
How do you interpret the
ending?
The individual triumphs over the system.
Pride is returned to the longshoremen
Terry brings down Johnny Friendly – but what is coming
next? He cant change the system.
Ambiguous or hopeful?
Shows what real leadership is – suffering for your people
(Christ-like)