Leonard Bernstein : On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront

I don't know how many times I've watched OTW, but I never noticed the music too much, except for the booming finale.
2000
Tonight I noticed several places where the music enhanced the movie wonderfully- especially in the outdoor and rooftop scenes. The score seemed to blend just right with the sounds of the city (great sound editing!).

I don't know if Bernstein considered this a special piece of work, or if he consulted with Kazan much, but I think the music was one of the reasons this film came to be so acclaimed and popular.

So: an Oscar? I just looked it up.

GAAAAAAAH! The High and the Mighty?!? Dimitri Hackomkin?

Jeeze, if they were going to snub the New York/Broadway composer, I wish they'd given the damn statue to Larry Adler for his cute harmonica score for Genevieve.

Glad to get that off my chest.

Re: On the Waterfront

On The Waterfront is one of my favorite movies (hence the name). You are right, the score is blends right in with the movie. I just love the score, I love it so much that I searched for it in my Library catalogue to check it out.

Re: On the Waterfront

It was definitely a special peice for Bernstein. In fact it was the only film soundtrack he ever wrote, though of course some of his broadway work was later turned into musical films, but this was the only film he actually wrote music for. There's a lot of good information about it in Humphrey Burton's biography "Bernstein". Apparently Bernstein was very cool to the idea of doing a film soundtrack, and he was wary of some of the subject matter of the story (Bernstein had just survived a minor encounter with the HUAC committee's goons), but they had already filmed most of the movie so they showed him a rough cut and he was so overwhelmed by the photography and the acting that he agreed to do the picture. It is indeed disappointing he didn't win the Academy Award, but you have to remember he was a conductor/composer who was only "moonlighting" in film work. The Academy tends to give its awards more based on career value than the value of the work in question, they don't give too many awards out to people who don't work regularly in the industry.

Did I not love him, Cooch? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN'T LOVE BETTER!!! But he had to say 'Nooooooooo'

Re: On the Waterfront

It is a shame that he did not receive the Academy Awa da0 rd for OTW. To loose to High and Mighty, UGGGGHHH!!!!!. No wonder he never wrote another movie theme. It was an insult.

Re: On the Waterfront

If you listen to Aaron Copland's "Billy the Kidd" (The Open Prairie), you'll notice that Bernstein lifted for the Main title and the final dock scene for "On The Waterfront"

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Re: On the Waterfront

I appreciate the comments on my comment.

It's been decades since I saw The High and the Mighty. If I see it again I'll
check the soundtrack and decide if I was too harsh on Tiomkin.

BTW I still think the harmonica score for Genevieve was Oscar worthy, and highly recommend the movie (was there ever another pair of legs like Kay Kendall's?)

It won't chip, peel, blister, crack, flake or rust in any way.

Re: On the Waterfront

I fully agree that the score to On The Waterfront is wonderful.

Bernstein did receive an Oscar nomination so I would hardly call that a "snub".
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