The Godfather and On the Waterfront are two movies that make an.

             attempt to explain organized crime, urban life, working people, and the role of.

             government in the lives of people in the 1940s. These two movies share many.

             similarities and differences form both a thematic and artistic standpoint. They also shed.

             some light on a part of American history that is not fully understood. It is in light of.

             these facts and observations that the movie, On the Waterfront is a more satisfying film.

             to watch, in my opinion. .

             In both movies, the general theme is the same. That theme is the role of.

             organized crime in American cities. Although they tell stories of different aspects of.

             mob involvement on a different part of society, the basic idea is constant, involvement of.

             the mob in everyday life of American society. .

             Artistically these two movies varied greatly, with good reason I might add. .

             On the Waterfront was releases in 1954, somewhat primitive times in the world of movie.

             making, and the Godfather was made in the mid-seventies, it is only reasonable to expect.

             that with the changing times comes changing technology, and therefore changing styling.

             of the films art. On the Waterfront is a black and white film, uses extremely few special.

             effects (as to be expected in this time of movie making), a somewhat "corny" dialect, and.

             a rare subject matter with very little precedent to work from. The Godfather, on the other.

             hand, is in color, utilizes cutting edge special effects (for the 1970s at least), a more real.

             dialect, which aids in the "believability" of the film, and the same subject, which in the.

             20 some-odd years since On the Waterfronts release had become a more researched and.

             documented subject matter. Taking these and other factors into consideration clearly.

             shows why, artistically, the Godfather is a better, more advanced film. .

             In both of these movies descriptive plot and setting helps to educate the.