Oscars flashback: 5 reasons why Marlon Brando (‘On the Waterfront’) was more than just a ‘contender’

It was 70 years ago this summer. Cinema would never be the same.

The crime drama “On the Waterfront” (1954) opened in movie theaters to unprecedented critical acclaim. Directed by Elia Kazan, the film depicts union violence, corruption and racketeering in the grim world of dockworkers in Hoboken, New Jersey in the 1950s.

Jersey never looked so good.

Kazan had previously won Best Director for 1947’s Best Picture, the social drama “Gentleman’s Agreement.” And he would win his second for “On the Waterfront” in March 1955. But his awards success was largely overshadowed by that of the film’s leading man, Marlon Brando. The legendary star was named Best Actor, and his performance is widely regarded as one of the finest in motion picture history.

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It’s no surprise that “On the Waterfront” brought Brando the first of his two Best Actor Oscars. (He would famously the reject the second, for Best Actor in 1972’s Best Picture “The Godfather.”) But what was it that made Brando virtually unbeatable in the race for Best Actor of 1954?

Let’s look at the five main reasons.

1. He delivered the performance of the century.
The Academy Awards had yet to turn 30, so the scope of cinema was considerably smaller at the time. Still, Brando’s performance was arguably unlike anything that had ever been seen before. He portrayed Terry Malloy, a former prize fighter (as in boxer) who had since become an everyday longshoreman. But Brando’s bravura acting was not something that was seen everyday. He mastered method acting to fully immerse himself into a temperamental, tortured and tragic human being. Brandon’s intricate layering of Terry was nothing short of astonishing. And the range that he showed throughout the course of the film was gigantic. Kazan himself would later write about Brando’s work in “Waterfront,” “If there’s a better performance by a man in the history of film in America, I don’t know what it is.” Martin Scorsese, a 10-time Oscar nominee for Best Director (and winner for 2006’s Best Picture “The Departed,”) once said that the way in which Brando captured Terry Malloy was like watching “the purest poetry imaginable.”

Even some of today’s most distinguished veteran actors have praised Brandon’s accomplishment in “On the Waterfront.” Al Pacino (Best Actor of 1992 for “Scent of a Woman”) confessed that he was so blown away by Brando that he “couldn’t move,” he “couldn’t leave the theater” after seeing the movie. Anthony Hopkins (Best Actor of 1991 for Best Picture “The Silence of the Lambs,” Best Actor of 2020 for “The Father”) explained that Brandon was “breathtaking.” And Jack Nicholson (Best Actor of 1975 for Best Picture “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Best Supporting Actor of 1983 for Best Picture “Terms of Endearment,” Best Actor of 1997 for “As Good as It Gets”) described Brando as simply “spellbinding.” Those are some hefty terms of endearment associated with Brandon’s dramatics. And in “On the Waterfront,” the actor was unquestionably as good as it gets.

2. He was on his fourth consecutive nomination without a win.
His first try for Best Actor came for 1951’s “A Streetcar Named Desire.” His cast mates Vivien Leigh (Best Actress,) Kim Hunter (Best Supporting Actress) and Karl Malden (Best Supporting Actor) all went home with Oscars. Brandon was the only one of the quartet who failed to catch the “Streetcar” ride. He was back the following year for “Viva Zapata!” — only to lose the draw to Gary Cooper in “High Noon,” And the third time (for 1953’s “Julius Caesar”) failed to charm, as William Holden would end up holding the statuette for “Stalag 17.” It would have been unthinkable for the academy to deny Brando a fourth time in a row, especially given the tremendous admiration for “On the Waterfront.” This leads me to my next point.

3. He was part of an “On the Waterfront” sweep.
The movie competed for a dozen Academy Awards, and nabbed an impressive eight of them. Best Picture. Best Director for Kazan. Best Actor for Brando. Best Supporting Actress for Eva Marie Saint. Best Original Screenplay (then referred to as Story and Screenplay). Best Black-and-White Art Direction. Best Black-and-White Cinematography. And Best Film Editing. The “Waterfront” wave was so strong that it just had to carry Brando to victory. A scenario in which he wasn’t recognized would have been a crime befitting the film itself.

4. He had the killer scene.
He actually had several of them. But you know the one to which I’m referring. He says to his older brother Charley (Best Supporting Actor nominee Rod Steiger), “You don’t understand — I could have had class. I could have been a contender. I could have been someone. Instead of a bum, which is what I am.” Brando’s execution of those words was beyond superb. (I get goosebumps every time I hear them.) It’s no wonder that they’re some of the most iconic lines ever said on the silver screen. That singular speech made Brando a “contender.” And it helped him to become “somebody” — as in somebody with an Academy Award.

5. No one in the lineup posed any kind of threat to him.
Let’s consider the possibilities. Humphrey Bogart had been rewarded for “The African Queen” three years earlier — defeating Brando in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” A Bogart bookend for “The Caine Mutiny” would have been sheer mutiny. Bing Crosby had seen the Oscar go his way for 1944’s Best Picture “Going My Way” a decade earlier. His “The Country Girl” leading lady Grace Kelly would be the one to grace the stage this time. James Mason in “A Star Is Born” was overshadowed by his co-star Judy Garland. If she couldn’t get past Kelly for Best Actress, there was no hope of Mason outshining Marlon. And Dan O’Herlihy was the lone nominee from the adventure flick “Robinson Crusoe.” In other words, he was pretty much lost as sea. That left Brando in “On the Waterfront” the unrivaled Oscar frontrunner, washing away the competition to win Best Actor of 1954.

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