"Man on a Tightrope" (1953)

 "Man on  A Tightrope", directed by Elia Kazan, is one of those films easily lost to the ravages of time. But, thanks to modern technology it was restored beautifully. 

Although based on a short novel, the story is indicative of the fate of so many private enterprises which fell victim to collectivism when the Soviet Union took control of Eastern Europe after World War Two ended. The the film industries there needed a "jump start". Many Western stars made films overseas to help in that endeavor. (Paul Muni in Italy and Peter Lorre in Germany are two of the more notable stars who did just that.) 

What makes this film so special is that it is based on a true story of a Czechoslovakian, Karel Cerník, who  struggles to keep his beloved Cirkus Cerník together, which belonged to his family before and even during the war. 

He is fiercely devoted to artistic freedom, as well as his performers, at a time when even the simple antics of his clowns are being scrutinized for hidden political meanings. His problem is how to leave the Russian occupation, and get across the border to the West, with his circus intact. To that end he devises an ingenious, yet simple, plan. The film has a lethargic feel to it which mirrors those hopeless years. And that's what provides the contrast and the joy of Cernik's sucess. Light illuminates darkness.

Starring Fredric March, Gloria Greene and Terry Moore, the film is a testament to what people will do in order to live free. Richard Boone, Cameron Mitchell and Adolphe Menjou also put in great performances. The film was a contender at the 3rd Berlin Film Festival in 1953.

Father Corridan - The Real Waterfront Priest

The photo above is of John "Pete" Corridan, the "Waterfront Priest,” testifying before a Senate Commerce Committee investigating waterfront crime in the late 1940’s.

If you have ever seen the film “On the Waterfront” with Karl Malden as the crusading Priest Father Barry, then you need to know that he was not a totally fictitious character. As a matter of fact, that soliloquy which he gives in the hold of the ship where Dugan is killed by the falling cargo was actually spoken by a Father Corridan who was the real life inspiration for the film version of the Priest.

Here is the portion of one of Father Corridan’s addresses to the men which inspired Bud Schulberg’s version;

“I suppose some people would smirk at the thought of Christ in the shape-up. It is about as absurd as the fact that He carried carpenter’s tools in His hands and earned His bread by the sweat of His brow. As absurd as the fact that Christ redeemed all men irrespective of their race, color, or station in life. It can be absurd only to those of whom Christ has said, ‘Having eyes, they see not; and having ears, they hear not.’ Because they don’t want to see or hear. Christ also said, ‘If you do it to the least of mine, you do it to me.’ So Christ is in the shape-up.”

Father Corridan gave the speech at a meeting in the Union trade school across the river in New Jersey, not in the hold of a cargo ship. But his words were almost identical. "The speech was written more by Father Corridan than me," writer Bud Schulberg said. "Eighty percent of it was his words."

Schulberg was soon treated to a tour of the waterfront by one of Corridan's longshoremen, a man named Arthur "Brownie" Brown. Schulberg became an admirer of the Priest and described him as “the greatest individual I have ever known.”

For more about Father Corridan use this link;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Corridan

And here is Karl Malden delivering Bud Schulberg's version of Father Corridan's speech in the film "On the Waterfront";

Karl Malden in "On the Waterfront"

In one of the most poignant scenes from the film “On the Waterfront”, Karl Malden delivers one of the all-time great sermons ever captured on screen. Father Barry, portrayed by Malden in the film, has taken an oath to stand by one of the men who has agreed to testify against the mobsters who control the waterfront. When that man is killed Father Barry steps up to the plate and tells the truth about the corruption that mires the world all around him.

In the 6 decades since this film was released many things have changed. Technologically we have eclipsed some of our wildest dreams, yet there is still a vacant spot in our hearts and souls. And the problems always come back to the same point of origin; greed and vanity. 

That’s right, vanity. For what can be more vain than to think that your life; your needs, your desires; are more worthy of fulfillment than another’s? Until you can answer that question honestly, and without prevarication, then we will never grow to our true height as a civilized society.