His films were personal to him, often small black and white ones with a great tendency toward social issues. I don't move unless I have empathy for the basic theme, he would say. Many of his movies were considered controversial, especially for the antiseptic 50's, that explored adult stories such as anti-Semitism, blacks passing as whites, generational and psychosexual themes and government corruption.
Among his many talents was a knack for being an actor's director. Most directors with such a knack once acted themselves and Kazan was no exception. He directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations and nine wins. They all seemed to know they were in good hands and many wanted to work with him again. Some of the lucky ones who did were Marlon Brando, Lee J. Cobb, Dorothy McGuire, Jo Van Fleet, Lee Remick, Karl Malden and Dana Andrews. He is the only movie director to work with the big three actors of the 1950's, Brando, Clift and Dean. Director Stanley Kubrick said Kazan was without question the best director we have in America capable of performing miracles with the actors he uses.
He made only 19 films. Of the 13 he made during his most prolific period, the 1940's and 50's, only two were not successful. Of the other 11, they were largely blockbusters and certainly considered some of the most important films of the time. History hasn't changed that for several of them.
Born in 1909 to Greek parents in Istanbul, the family moved to New York City when the boy was four. He said that he learned pride, guilt, regret and rage at a very young age and always regarded himself as an outsider. He adored his mother and feared his father who he claimed he didn't get to know all that well.
He was educated at Williams College in Massachusetts and then joined Yale's famed drama program. It was in that drama program that he earned his life-long nickname, Gadg, a derivative of gadget, he says, because he was small and handy to have around. He knew he had to be in show business, he knew he had stories to tell. He wasn't quite sure how it would all turn out but he was on the path. He spent eight or so years acting.
The year 1932 was an important one for Kazan. He joined the Group Theater, an ensemble of directors, writers and actors who practiced the teachings of acting guru Konstantin Stanislavski and produced leftist plays. A number of the members were communists, which included Kazan, although he distanced himself from it as The Group Theater became more involved. The same year he also married Molly Thacher, a reader for The Group, who
shared his leftist leanings. They had four children and their marriage lasted until her death in 1963.
By 1935 he was directing plays, including Thunder Rock, The Skin of Our Teeth and One Touch of Venus. He also acted on stage and did a movie but he and others felt his talents lay elsewhere. On the strength of his notices for his plays, it was inevitable that Hollywood would beckon.
Betty Smith's runaway best-selling novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, was going to be produced by 20th Century Fox and the studio wanted Kazan to direct. He was thrilled because he wanted to make the transition from Broadway director to movie director, although he would continue to work in both arenas for many years.
Released in 1945, the story took place in the early 1900's and concerned a young girl's struggle to keep her parents together. Its theme was the agony of separation. It featured the brilliant young actress, Peggy Ann Garner, who is caught between warring adults, played by Dorothy McGuire and James Dunn. It is a most touching film that was immensely popular and made Kazan a movie directing force to be reckoned with.
In 1947 he co-founded the Actor's Studio and installed his old friend Lee Strasberg as its leader. All involved were devoted to Stanislavski's form of acting they called the Method, which stressed the actor finding a matching internal emotional truth to mimic the emotion exhibited by the character. Some of the studio's earliest members were Clift, Brando, Julie Harris, Karl Malden, Patricia Neal, Eli Wallach, Maureen Stapleton, Mildred Dunnock and James Whitmore.
Kazan was thrilled about being asked to direct The Sea of Grass (1947) probably as much as anything because the greatest movie studio in the world wanted him. He was so flattered by MGM's offer that he hadn't bothered to actually read the script, which wasn't completed anyway. Kazan was happy it was a western and would be filmed in the great outdoors. It didn't hurt that it would star Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in their fourth film together (they would go on to make five more).
Kazan saw it as a story of a conflict in cultures whereby a New Mexico cattle baron, set in his ways, marries an easterner, set in her ways, whom he hardly knows. Kazan became troubled by the tight-fisted studio that gave him little latitude. The great outdoors became studio sound stages and a lot of rear projection. Kazan argued over Hepburn clothes, Tracy's horses and everything that seemed so artificial to him. He said it is the only picture that made him ashamed.
He returned to Fox for Boomerang (1947), a film he didn't want to do because he thought it was too routine. Luckily his wife provided him with a different view. The film noir script mixes politics and murder as a decent state's attorney (Dana Andrews) sets out to prove an innocent Arthur Kennedy (a Kazan buddy from New York) didn't kill a priest. Based on a true story, it's a compelling film about morality and doing the right thing.
Truth be told, I didn't care for all of Kazan's films, including a couple of the highly-acclaimed ones. I do recognize their credentials are highly-trumpeted but I just never warmed up to them. So many of his films I certainly did like and three of them we have already commented on in their own posts, so we won't go into much detail here.
The first of those is Gentleman's Agreement (1947), a look at anti-Semitism with Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and fellow Group Theater member, John Garfield. It was an audacious rendering at the time but it feels a bit dated by today's standards. Still, it has an exciting and earnest cast and is worth a glimpse.
 |
| With Dorothy McGuire & longtime pal John Garfield |
Kazan won his first Oscar for Gentleman's Agreement which made him the toast of the West Coast and on the East Coast he won a Tony for directing Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Later in the year Kazan directed the Broadway production of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire which would win the Pulitzer Prize and revolutionize Broadway as it had been known with its raw language and themes. It also introduced two virtual unknowns, Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando.
The publicity surrounding Pinky (1949) has always been about what a daring piece of cinema it is in its depiction of a light-skinned black girl posing as white. Blah, blah, blah. It's little more than an occasionally corny melodrama dressed up to look important. If Gentleman's Agreement looks dated, Pinky looks wrinkled with chicken skin. It didn't help that it starred the very white Jeanne Crain, who, as always, was far too sugary.
In 1949 Kazan would win another Tony for directing. He brought together three of his buddies, Cobb, Dunnock and Kennedy for Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, considered by some to be the best dramatic play ever.
I thought Panic in the Streets (1950) was a rather routine melodrama about the hunt in New York for a killer with a plague although Richard Widmark and Jack Palance always interested. It was one of those gritty, black and white, on-location flicks that Kazan loved making.
Certainly another one of the director's iconic films is A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). It was a bit watered-down from the stage version but nonetheless packed an incredible wallop. It made an international star and sex symbol of Brando. He and Malden and Kim Hunter were transported from the stage but Tandy was replaced by Vivien Leigh. All four were nominated for Oscars and all won but Brando which is astonishing to say the least. Bogie won for a pip of a performance in The African Queen but it was not Stanley Kowalski. Those poor, dumb Oscar voters.
 |
| Kazan (r) with Vivien Leigh & Tennessee Williams |
Kazan was as hot for a movie project as he'd ever been with 1952's Viva Zapata, the story of the Mexican revolutionary that would again star Brando and costar Anthony Quinn, who won an Oscar, and Jean Peters. With a script by John Steinbeck, it is a rousing, colorful tale of Zapata's rise to power. Fox kept a close eye on the director for this one due to his unbridled passion for the subject and his interjecting too many of his liberal beliefs. They had a lot to be concerned about as well.
As he made the film Kazan and many of his leftist buddies from the old days were being investigated by the House on Un-American Activities Committee in its hunt to root out communists. It started with the Broadway community but found its way to Hollywood. People were asked to name names, to rat on people that they knew had commie ties at any level. Those who refused often lost their livelihood. Some actors went to Europe and some never worked again. Some writers worked under aliases or did ghostwriting for others. Some committed suicide.
Kazan elected to be an informer. As a result some people lost their jobs. Some of his friends, such as playwright Arthur Miller, never spoke to him again. He was a pariah in many circles and much of it lasted until the end of his life. His enemies would say he was in no danger of losing his job either in Hollywood or on Broadway, so why did he do it? Furthermore, he hadn't been a card-carrying comrade in years. I suspect he might have lost his movie work and what is clear is that Fox leader Darryl Zanuck told him that he would not release Zapata if this HUAC think doesn't work out favorably for you. And it did work out well with HUAC in one of the most horrific episodes in American history but not so well for Kazan with many in his industry.
Kazan hightailed in to Europe to make Man on a Tightrope (1953) but his troubles followed him and the movie didn't fare so well. It highlighted a Czech circus trying to escape from behind the Iron Curtain and the many problems of its owner. Kazan loved making it with, as he said, his cast and crew of freaks. It stars Fredric March who sat on the blacklist for a spell and also featured Adolphe Menjou whose hardcore right-wing politics hurt him when he also named names. Spunky actresses Gloria Grahame and Terry Moore kept Kazan utterly fascinated.
I have only seen On the Waterfront (1954) once when I was a kid. The story of a longshoreman's attempt to stand up to corrupt union bosses was undoubtedly beyond my ken and it bored me silly. It is a film in defense of informing even as it goes against the values of the community. When Brando's Terry Malloy exposes his mob boss, he cries out and I'm glad what I done to you, ya hear that?Kazan's detractors heard his unrepentant voice and many hated him more.
Waterfront has a slew of talented actors, mostly from the Actor's Studio and Group Theater, including Malden, Cobb, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Steiger and Leif Erickson. It also garnered a slew of Oscars including best picture and somewhat surprisingly a second one for Kazan. I am aware, of course, that is considered a legendary film.
Kazan always loved introducing new people to the screen and James Dean is likely at the top of that list. East of Eden (1955) is my favorite Kazan film and in my top 50 Alltime Favorite Films so we have discussed it before. Kazan was aware of Dean and leading lady Julie Harris from the Actor's Studio and he brought them right along to interpret Steinbeck's characters.
Interestingly, after the HUAC hearings, Kazan felt liberated. He felt he'd become his own man, at least as a filmmaker, critics be damned. He informed his studio bosses that from now on he would deal with some trimming of his films only to satisfy the Production Code (something always at risk on his work). However, he would not cut anything he deemed crucial to the story or the characters nor would he make cuts to appease various pressure groups, such as the Catholic League of Decency. It was all made part of his contract and Kazan advised if it were violated, he would sue.
Baby Doll has been called a black comedy but the fact is it was a little bit soft-core porn for 1956 and was as controversial as any film I can remember from my youth. In my quest to see it, I knew it was pointless to ask permission from my parents and when I tried twice on my own to sneak in (yes, without paying), I was caught both times. Perhaps 10 years went by before I did see it and I could only say... what the hell is everyone stewing about?
I thought the story of two redneck jerks squabbling over the charms of a virginal, dirty little 19-year old wife of one of them was creepy... as in ugh. And the men are Malden and Eli Wallach, not
exactly my idea of leading men in soft core porn. Carroll Baker, new to the screen and another Actor's Studio member, weathered the notoriety. The film is credited with naming the baby doll nightgown that Baker wears in much of the film. I thought you should know.
A Face in the Crowd (1957) is a Kazan film of which he was very proud. A biting satire about the power of the mass media, it focuses on a good ol' southern boy whose aw-gosh honesty propels him into the limelight. The woman who is behind his ascent sets out to take him down as she learns of his deceit and corruption. Actor's Studio members Patricia Neal and Anthony Franciosa were brought aboard to costar with newcomers Andy Griffith and Lee Remick.
Kazan used Remick again to join two more Actor's Studio alums, Clift and Van Fleet, for Wild River (1960). The weak v.s. the strong southern saga concerned the government (Tennessee Valley Authority) taking over land to make a man-made lake while throwing a strong-willed old woman off her property. It is a fabulous acting souffle despite Clift being a little wobbly as the government man and Van Fleet nearly eating him alive. Too bad Clift hadn't made a Kazan movie earlier in their careers.
Splendor in the Grass (1961) was Kazan's last great movie, certainly as far as the public was concerned. Starring Natalie Wood and newcomer Warren Beatty, it had a lot to say about repressed sexuality in the 1920's and the double standards for men and women. We reviewed it earlier as one of my favorite films of the 60's.
America America (1963) was the director's favorite film, his baby. It was unlike any film he'd ever done or ever would do. It was a very personal journey and he put his heart and soul into it. It was based on the experiences of his Greek immigrant uncle. It's a simple story told rather proudly by Kazan. He not only directed but produced and wrote it. It has a cast of unknowns and a 168-minute running time and likely had little chance of reaching a wide audience.
 |
| With Barbara Loden |
Thacher died at the time of his making America America and he would then take his longest hiatus from making films. It was a devastating loss for Kazan. Four years later he married actress Barbara Loden who had played Beatty's flighty sister in Splendor. They had one child together and the marriage lasted until her death in 1980.
Telling his uncle's story must have sparked him to tell his own. He first wrote the novel of The Arrangement and in 1969 made the film. It's about a filthy rich man in a failing marriage who has a mistress who is a slut and a father who is very ill. After a serious car accident the man begins to rethink his life. When one considers the leads are Kirk Douglas, Deborah Kerr and Faye Dunaway, it might sound promising. At least that's what I thought. It's pretty bad.
It is inundated with flashbacks and for some odd reason Kazan chose to include such cartoony exclamations on the screen as was done in TV's Batman. All three characters are as unpleasant as they could possibly be and, let's face it, one can take that from Douglas and Dunaway but not Kerr. She should never have been in a film that is so nasty. It didn't suit her whatsoever. She must have thought so, too, because she more or less shunned the limelight for the rest of her life.
Kerr, did, however, say of Kazan... people will give their right arm, literally, and most of their blood to work with him. He's got a kind of incredible instinct with people. He's so in sympathy with all the fears and frights of actors, through having done it himself. And he's got a personal magic that gets within your very being.
One wonders what attracted Kazan to The Visitors (1972). It was a creepy little low-budget thriller that didn't seem to belong in his canon of work. It concerned two Vietnam soldiers, obviously not quite right, who visit an ex-fellow soldier on his farm, the man who was responsible for them getting a court martial. Imagine James Woods and Steve Railsback in the same movie. It is also way too slow for public consumption.
I very much liked The Last Tycoon (1976), which would end up being the final Kazan movie. It is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's last, incomplete novel. Since it's a flick about Hollywood, it's a sure guarantee that I would like. Its pace is a little too languid, perhaps, but it kept my attention. It concerns a young studio chieftain, at odds with most of those around him, who is facing an early death and knows it. Robert DeNiro was the star and featured roles were filled by Jeanne Moreau, Robert Mitchum, Tony Curtis, Jack Nicholson, Dana Andrews and Ray Milland.
In 1982 Kazan married for the third and final time, to a non-professional, and the marriage would last until his death.
Elia Kazan: A Life, an exhaustive 847-page autobiography, was published in 1988. It is exploding with honesty, painted with a broad brush of unflattering comments about the author. As one would expect, he pulled no punches. I remember looking so forward to reading it and it didn't disappoint. I'd even say I've never read an autobiography quite like it.
In 1999 he was given a special recognition by the Academy Awards folks in appreciation for a long, distinguished and unparalleled career during which he has influenced the very nature of film-making through his creation of cinematic masterpieces. An honor it certainly was but an extremely controversial one. There was still lingering resentment, 47 years later, over his HUAC decisions. There were protesters outside the theater and inside many people refused to stand and/or applaud. Hollywood is usually forgiving but apparently not so many this time.
Gadg Kazan died quietly of natural causes at age 94 in his Manhattan apartment on September 28, 2003.
I've always considered him one of the great directors, certainly in the top 10 of those in his day. The influence of his films in the 50's and 60's is enormous and he did work with some of the greatest actors. His personal life was tarnished but he didn't sidestep any of it in his voluminous autobiography. I choose to judge him on his work.
Next posting:
Movie review
No comments:
Post a Comment