László Benedek's The Wild One is a film that has been eclipsed by its own legend. The image of Marlon Brando in his biker get-up as Johnny Strabler, the leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, has become so ingrained in pop culture iconography that it is even recognizable to people who have never seen the movie, much like Marilyn Monroe's up-skirt shot in Billy Wilder's The Seven Year Itch (1955). But there is much more to The Wild One than Brando's legendary performance. It is also a magnificently written and wonderfully photographed expression of teenage rebellion. Very loosely based on the real-life 1947 Hollister riot, the film follows the BRMC as they invade Wrightsville, California and take de facto control over the community. Locals are harassed, property is trashed, an old man is accidentally killed, and a fight breaks out when a rival biker played by Lee Marvin roles into town. The film can be enjoyed as a simple biker flick, but it also operates as a metaphorical text: Wrightsville is run by a cowardly, indecisive sheriff, populated almost exclusively by angry men forced to relocate into civilian life after World War Two (the only women in town that I can recall seeing were the same age as the bikers), and gives expression to a culture so indoctrinated by war-era machismo and histrionics that violence is the only conceivable method of expression and reconciliation. Hal Mohr's cinematography has never been sharper or crisper. Even nighttime scenes shine brightly without any of the picture being swallowed up by unnecessary shadows. One scene where the bikers intimidate the locals by creating a wall of light by shining their headlights in unison is particularly memorable. Benedek demonstrates a considerable acumen in directing large crowds without them descending into sheer chaos. The crowds sway, pulse, and undulate as if they had been meticulously choreographed by dance instructors. The Wild One is an iconic film. But it deserves to be remembered as a triumph of cinematic storytelling in its own right as well.
9/10
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