Confessions of Redemption: An Analysis of Terry Malloy's Atonement in 'On the Waterfront', Lecture notes of Dynamics

Download Confessions of Redemption: An Analysis of Terry Malloy's Atonement in 'On the Waterfront' and more Lecture notes Dynamics in PDF only on Docsity! On the Waterfront – Scene Notes from Gary Simmons Terry’s Confessions & the Cab Scene – Close Scene Analysis Notes THE TWO CONFESSIONS OF TERRY MALLOY  Confession is integral to Terry Malloy’s atonement and redemption (Find out, through research, what the religious ramifications of a confession are. It is more than just “spilling your guts”.)  Interesting that the confessions occur outside the confession box in the Church.  There are two linked confession sequences which are the tipping points for Terry. The first confession is to Father Barry which is made outside the Church and then revealed in more depth adjacent to the river and its traffic. The smoke from the fires in the grates wafts over this encounter akin to the fog of the previous sequences. Truth has been rendered opaque until this moment of confession. And the choice of locations is important as well – the Church has now been irredeemably politicised and the waterfront is the contaminated life-blood that must be cleansed (What do you think this means?)  The key theme in this scene is conscience: Father Barry: “I’m not asking you to do anything. Your own conscience has to do the asking.” Terry: “Conscience? The stuff can drive you nuts.” (Consider the implications of this exchange).  In the second confession to Edie, in which he confesses his role in her brother’s death; instead of allowing the viewer to hear his crucial conversation, Kazan lets the noise of a ship’s whistle and a battering ram and jackhammer disturb the narrative and mute their voices. Only a few of Malloy’s words can be heard. Kazan uses this impressionistic rendering to suggest the depth of feeling and the storm of emotions that lie beneath the surface of the conversation. The emphasis here is on the weight of Terry’s words to Edie. Her distress is palpable in the close-ups. She clutches her face and ears as if she is going mad. There is a sense of horror on her face. A wedge is driven between her and Terry at this point. She then takes flight, leaving Terry Malloy alone on a pile of rocks with the Empire State Building visible in the background through the fog: a distant world apart. Note that this second confession occurs outside of the fence which represents Terry breaking out of the confined world of the mob to do the right thing. The barrier of the fence is breached.  Role of the rooftops important in the film – it is a place of reflection and retreat where Terry goes to think about his life experiences. It is where Terry can get away from the toxic influence of the mob. THE CAB SCENE – A CONFESSION OF BROTHERLY LOVE  The use of the venetian blinds was another “accident” of filming which worked well (like the glove scene). It makes the cab more like a confession box. The two brothers confront each other. The depths of Terry’s feelings are shown and everything he has tried to process up to this point in the film. The power dynamics between the two characters are important. Initially Charlie believes that he will be able to convince Terry to take the easy job but for Terry, the mob has gone too far.  In this scene, Charlie futilely tries to persuade Terry not to give evidence against the mob knowing that their brotherly love will be his death warrant. An impossible proposition has been put to Charlie by Johnny Friendly just prior to this sequence: “You can have it his way or you can have it your way but you can’t have it both ways. On your way... deep thinker.”  The back seat of the cab is a space of transformation – a transitional state for both brothers. The horizontal blinds are drawn, the external world glows intermittently through as light penetrated the window. There is an intimacy to the space which matches the intimacy in their conversation. There is a fidgety discomfort in Charlie from the start as Johnny Friendly’s proposition weighs heavily on his usual poise. Charlie tries to be persuasive