Where Was On The Waterfront Filmed? Marlon Brando’s Iconic Crime Drama Film!!

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You might’ve seen Marlon Brando’s iconic crime movie The Godfather a couple of times, but have you seen On The Waterfront? If you haven’t, then you can read this article and find out where was On The Waterfront filmed, along with some other interesting facts.

On The Waterfront is a classic crime drama film that was released in the final week of June 1954. Marlon Brando and Karl Malden gave wonderful performances in the lead roles, while Rob Steiger, along with some other actors, played the supporting characters.

The basic premise of On The Waterfront is centered around the character of Terry Malloy, a young and daring American boxer who takes up a petty job in the New Jersey Doc area. The story gets interesting when Terry’s elder brother plots a vicious plan against him while working for the mob.

On The Waterfront grossed over $9.6 million at the box office. Considering the bad state of America’s economy during the early 50s, the commercial performance of this crime thriller film was pretty decent. The audiences and critics thoroughly enjoyed the overall storyline and performance of the actors. Over the years, On The Waterfront won 30 major awards, including 8 Oscars.

So, are you intrigued to find out more about this Oscar-winning crime drama? Well, then, without delaying anymore, let us take a closer look at where was On The Waterfront filmed. 

Where Was On The Waterfront Filmed? Let’s Know This Crime Drama FIlm Closely!

The story of On The Waterfront is set in and around the state of New Jersey. Since the director wanted to film in New Jersey, he asked the production members to scout filming locations around the same state.

This decision was mainly taken because Elia Kazan was certain about not choosing the sort of filming location which has been or was still being overly used by previous and contemporary filmmakers.

Thus right at the beginning of this project, Kazan asked the screenwriters to set the story in New Jersey instead of California. Kazan also paid special attention to keeping the production budget low for this film. 

So, the availability of skilled and cheap labor in the state of New Jersey also played a vital role in helping Kazan take the final decision. But it’s also important to emphasize that not all sequences of On The Waterfront were captured in and around the state of New Jersey.

Some minor sequences of the movie were also filmed in the neighboring state of New York, located a few miles west of New Jersey.

After the filming locations were scouted and then finalized by Kazan, he asked the filming crew to begin shooting. The principal photography of On The Waterfront commenced in the third week of November 1953 and continued until the final week of January 1954.

The production members didn’t rush to complete the filming process, as they utilized most of their time in capturing stunning visuals for this movie. Even though the shooting schedule lasted for nearly 3 months, the filming crew carried out the entire process without facing any major problems.

Friends, let us now discuss in detail where was On The Waterfront filmed, so that you can take a closer look at the filming locations.

New Jersey | USA

The shooting process of On The Waterfront began in the eastern state of New Jersey. The opening scene of the movie, where we see the lead actor fighting inside a boxing ring, was actually filmed inside a community gym located near Hudson Street, New Jersey.

The production members took shooting permission from the administrative department of the community gym and filmed this interior scene with the help of special lighting equipment. Other important scenes in New Jersey were mainly filmed in and around the city of Hoboken.

The sequences depicting the waterfront in the movie were captured near Hoboken Waterfront, New Jersey. Plus, the scene where we see the elder brother of the lead character walking out of the station was filmed outside the Hoboken Railway Station.

The final scene of the movie, where we see the lead actor confronting his brother on the street next to Holland-America Line, was filmed near 5th Street Pier, Hoboken.

A couple of other interior scenes were then captured inside a studio in New York, after which the entire shooting process of On The Waterfront ended.

But we haven’t reached the end of this article. Now, I’ll walk you through the plot of On The Waterfront. Meanwhile, you can also read An American in Paris, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Country at Heart.

Plot Of On The Waterfront | What’s It About

Where Was On The Waterfront Filmed? Marlon Brando’s Iconic Crime Drama Film!!

The basic premise of On The Waterfront revolves around the character of Terry, a young American boxer turned into a petty salesman at the dock. At the very beginning of the movie, the lead actor takes up a small job after finishing his career as a professional fighter.

As the story progresses further, Terry builds up a rapport with other workers of the doc and starts making a lot of money. Soon his elder brother, Edie, learns about the situation and arrives at the doc. What happens next absolutely stuns Terry to his core.

Watch On The Waterfront and find out how Terry managed to come out as the bigger man despite the sibling rivalry.

Final Words

Alright, we’ve now reached the end of this article. I hope you’ve made a list of all the filming locations which I’ve mentioned above. If you have any suggestions or questions regarding where was On The Waterfront filmed, let us know in the comments.

Apart from that, if you wish to check out similar entertaining pieces, you can browse through other blogs on Viebly. Before you leave, you can also check out the FAQs, which I am adding below, and learn more about On The Waterfront.

Who Is The Cinematographer Of The Film On The Waterfront?

Boris K. is the cinematographer of the film On The Waterfront.

What Is The Rating Of The Film On The Waterfront?

The film On The Waterfront has a “approved” rating.

Who Is The Music Director Of The Film On The Waterfront?

Leonard Bernstein is the music director of the film On The Waterfront.

Who Is The Producer Of The Film On The Waterfront?

Sam Spiegel was the producer of the film On The Waterfront.

Ujwal Mattoo
Ujwal Mattoo
With full journalism and half engineering background, Ujwal has hands in both the tech and creative fields. He is a film enthusiast who loves all kinds of genres. As much as he enjoys watching movies, he is always amused to know more and write about the locations to feed his hunger for traveling. In this world of fictional louds, he voices his opinions softly! He is either busy writing or playing with Milo, his dog!

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