The Wild One (1953)

The Wild One (1953) is a classic teenage rebellion social commentary biker movie, renowned for its impact and shock, and featuring Marlon Brando as the iconic Johhny Strabler. The Wild One (1953) is in fact none other than the final word in being the classic teenage rebellion social commentary biker movie, presenting ideas for the breakaway generation to come post World War 2, a Boomer cohort that will create a division in liberal suburban democratic and generational politics and lifestyles, a splice of the 'cickle across America's brow, never to be repaired.

They boom. The bikes boom and as long as our society keeps hearing those bikes . . .

The movie captures 1950s youth rebellion and the generation gap, blending raw emotion and social commentary. Brando’s iconic performance, along with the movie's gritty portrayal of outlaw culture, cements it as a seminal work in motorcycle cinema.

Much can be made of the social commentary provided by The Wild One and much more can be made of the interactions of a crowd of American characters, largely squares, being faced with the anxieties of noir in a real form, damaging the ancient order of the township.

The wild screenplay of The Wild One (1953) was based on Frank Rooney's short story Cyclists' Raid, published in the January 1951 Harper's Magazine and anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 1952. Rooney's story was inspired by sensationalistic media coverage of an American Motorcyclist Association motorcycle rally that got out of hand on the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 in Hollister, California. 

Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953)

The overcrowding, drinking and street stunting were given national attention in the July 21, 1947, issue of Life, with a possibly staged photograph of a wild drunken man on a motorcycle. The events, conflated with the newspaper and magazine reports, Rooney's short story, and the film The Wild One are part of the legend of the Hollister riot.

Robert Keith in The Wild One (1953)

The passivity of Robert Keith as the local law enforcement is representative of decisions America and Americans will be making all through the 1950s and on until the 2050s and beyond. The squareness of squares becomes painful for the first time, and an ancient bartender who does not watch television nor have anything to do with pictures or news of any kind, is foiled and muted by the jive talk, which is of course like the music not oddly Black, unlike the Black Rebel Gang itself, which does not even roll one token.

What The Wild One seeks to show is the exploitation of youth as the measure for destroying the town, the Dream and even the nature of adulthood. Youth destroys everything, goofs with the distribution chain, turning the country into a place where nobody talks, but everyone yells at the same time.

The kids post the War were not what was expected and a tight lid was being kept on the exploding phenomenon which skirted crime with emotional disorder, and a cohort that was going to degrade the nation even further.

Despite the entertainment the issue at stake is freedom, and the new generation's freedom was going to be proved, starting here. Johnny is the army-opposite of youth because absolutely and for always, nobody tells him what to do. It's their freedom to bully and turn of their country to an anarchy. The movie does even feature the line "get off my lawn!" as 42 minutes in the gang employ their crowd power to break Lee Marvin from the jail.

The jolly jail break is a kind of unusual testament to how much power resides in gentle people by themselves, capable of turning the world upside down with just a few straying steps.

Then in the tradition of two wrongs don't make anything right, the town turns vigilante, because that is all it takes, and America is summed up to a tee, perfected before even 1955 has rolled by and the film noir cycle completed, and for when it was complete, well there are certain films which made the legacy of film noir complete, and The Wild One (1953) is one.

Biker street threat in The Wild One (1953)

America had never looked so much fun and was never the same again. The Wild One is permanently playing in a loop in the collective backrooms and shaded psychic corridors, it is always near to hand not just in any generational encounter, but it's also partially locked into the subject of the motorcycle in toto.

And should there be a film to normalise violence against women in the 1950s The Wild One, fresh outta noir, might be it. In their romantic confusion Johnny first 'saves' Cathy from his own gang and then drives her off into the country night. There is music and a feeling of escape and romance. But then Johnny does a sweeping late night melancholic weeping willow tree set U-turn and returns to a suburb. Here he grabs and kisses her and pushes her about roughly.

Lee Marvin in The Wild One (1953)

Cathy seems inured to this roughness as does Johnny in fact as if it were a regular act of courtship, and she says she is too tired to fight and so he might as well beat her up. Johnny says he does not want to beat her up, but that is not exactly true as he he already has, and is confused too by his feelings, as he understands the motorbike and violence only.

Cathy likes the motorbike and resorts to stroking it suggestively.

The Wild One faced significant controversy in the United Kingdom, leading to its ban for 14 years by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC). Initially refused a certificate for public exhibition, the film found limited screenings through local councils overturning the BBFC's decision, allowing film societies to show it.

Arthur Watkins, then-chairman of the BBFC, rejected Columbia Pictures' repeated requests for certification, citing concerns about the film's depiction of hooliganism. Watkins' successor, John Trevelyan, upheld this stance, emphasizing the potential influence on juvenile crime. Trevelyan noted that the film's portrayal of rebellion against authority was particularly concerning amidst rising adolescent gang activity in London.

Columbia Pictures attempted to mitigate these concerns by proposing a new version of the film with a different preface and ending, but this too was rejected. Trevelyan acknowledged the film's quality but maintained that its themes could negatively impact young audiences.

The film was rejected twice more, notably after the 1964 Clacton riots involving mods and rockers. It wasn't until Lord Harlech assumed the BBFC chairmanship that "The Wild One" was finally passed for general exhibition in 1967, with an 'X' certificate. Its premiere occurred at the Columbia Cinema, Shaftsbury Avenue, in February 1968.

Film critic Leslie Halliwell was among the first to screen the film in the UK, persuading his local authority to grant a certificate despite the BBFC's ban. However, the film's reception was mixed, with Halliwell's usual audience largely unimpressed.

Halliwell argued that the BBFC's ban gave a misleading impression of the film. Trevelyan later justified the decision, stating it was less about violence and more about the film's message, which he feared could inspire imitation among youth.

In the United States, the film also faced objections, notably from Triumph's US importers who were concerned about the negative portrayal of motorcyclists. Despite this, Triumph later embraced Brando's association with the brand

Marlon Brando himself acknowledged the controversy, noting the various pressure groups that opposed the film. Reflecting in his autobiography, Brando stated that none of the cast or crew anticipated the film would encourage youthful rebellion. He believed the film's creators aimed to tell an entertaining story rather than glamorize motorcycle gangs.

The Wild One remains a significant cultural artefact, highlighting the tensions between creative expression and societal concerns during its era.

Johnny: [opening narration] It begins here for me on this road. How the whole mess happened I don't know, but I know it couldn't happen again in a million years. Maybe I could of stopped it early, but once the trouble was on its way, I was just goin' with it. Mostly I remember the girl. I can't explain it - a sad chick like that, but somethin' changed in me. She got to me, but that's later anyway. This is where it begins for me right on this road.

The Wild One kicks off with a memorable pre-credits scene featuring a gang of bikers, The Black Rebels, speeding down an open road. The film then moves to the Californian town of Carbonville, where The Black Rebels interrupt a motorcycle race and are subsequently booted out by the local authorities. 

This brief but impactful scene highlights the disruption caused by the bikers and their understandable resentment towards the oppressive authority figures, like the smug policeman who expels them for relatively minor infractions. This segment effectively encapsulates the conformity of 1950s life and foreshadows the more substantial rebellion that would emerge in the following decade.

However, the bulk of the film is set in another small town, Wrightsville, which feels like a repetitive extension of the Carbonville segment, only longer and less effective. Many of the bikers and townsfolk are portrayed as one-dimensional stock characters, failing to leave a lasting impression.

Serving as a precursor to the lurid motorcycle cinema of the 1960s, The Wild One established a template for its future homages. It particularized the parlance, fashion, and customs of the one percenter, fostering conflict from a delicate balance between allegiance and anarchy. Its followers were attuned to the chaos and street slang, reveling in willful criminality and broad characterization at the expense of ambience and authenticity. This approach produced works that exploited the outlaw lifestyle without delving into its desire for detachment.

Jay C. Flippen in The Wild One (1953)

Through Johnny Strabler, Marlon Brando imparted a vulnerability and coy sexuality that eluded his crudest imitators. He peeled away a coarse, macho exterior to reveal the wounded, betrayed child at the heart of the American malcontent, exposing the hypocrisy inherent in social order.

Despite its short running time of 79 minutes, The Wild One feels somewhat overstretched, with various movies within the movie, two townships, comings and goings biking to a violent climax, with an uncertainty of overlapping storylines. These range from the relationship between Johnny and the police chief’s daughter (played blandly by Mary Murphy) to the arrival of a rival motorcycle gang led by Lee Marvin. Unfortunately, Marvin’s character, after being built up as significant, is largely forgotten in the latter stages of the film.

One of the surprising aspects of The Wild One is that despite it being one of Marlon Brando’s most iconic roles, he seems somewhat miscast. His brooding, surly persona feels at odds with the rest of his gang, who are energetic and act like hyperactive, naughty kids. As a loner, it’s hard to believe he would become the leader of such a group.

In contrast, Lee Marvin, in his brief role, seems a much better fit as a gang leader. His effervescent, boisterous performance almost steals the film, making it a shame he’s so underused.#

Johnny: On the weekends we go out and have a ball.

Kathie Bleeker: Well, what d'ya do? I mean, do you just ride around or do you go on some sort of a picnic or something?

Johnny: A picnic? Man, you are too square. I'm... I... I have to straighten you out. Now, listen, you don't go any one special place. That's cornball style. You just go.

[snaps fingers]

Brando’s performance swings between cold stoicism and fiery temper on a dime, capturing raw emotion that turns chaos into a kid’s desperate defense. This unpredictable energy spills into the story, ditching the usual for a shadowy dance of loyalty, switching sides between biker and townsfolk based on who’s more crooked.

Sheriff Singer: I don't get you. I don't get your act at all, and I don't think you do either. I don't think you know what you're trying to do or how to go about it. I think you're stupid. Real stupid and real lucky. Last night you scraped by, just barely; but a man's dead on account of something you let get started even though you didn't start it.

Rooney and his screenwriters see the generation gap as a big misunderstanding, using street slang like an underground passport and fancy talk as an excuse for dirty deeds. Both sides only speak the same language when they’re breaking the rules, showing how brutality links the respectable citizen and the rebel, uniting everyone under the darkest instincts. 

Sheriff Singer: [to Johnny] Don't you want to say anything to these people? What's a matter? You been hit on the head so often, you don't know when you're getting a break? At least say thank you.

[Nods to Sheriff Bleeker and Kathie]

Kathie Bleeker: It's all right. He doesn't know how.

Marlon Brando and Mary Murphy in The Wild One (1953)

If finding unity in savagery sounds grim, there’s a flicker of hope in Johnny and Kathie’s clumsy romance, proving that even in our selfishness, we can still find a way out. Johnny and Kathie's farewell is highly suggestive of some kind of hope, and with the smiles they exchange over the stolen motorcycle trophy, which becomes more of a central motif than anything, they clearly imply that all the upset, all the violence, all the fighting and drinking and looting, it was all just some fun.

This is certainly the suggestions in their loving smiles, as both of them leave for America.

The Wild One (1953)

Directed by Laslo Benedek

Genres - Crime, Drama, Family, Romance, Thriller  |   Sub-Genres - Teen Film  |   Release Date - Dec 25, 1953  |   Run Time - 79 min