Elia Kazan

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Elia Kazan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Elia Kazan Elia Kazan, c. 1960 Born Elias Kazantzoglou [1] September 7, 1909 Constantinople , Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul , Turkey ) Died September 28, 2003 (aged 94) Manhattan , New York City ,United States Occupatio n Director, actor, producer, screenwriter and novelist Years act ive 1934–1976 Spouse(s) Molly Day Thacher (m. 1932–1963; her death) Barbara Loden

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Elia Kazan

Transcript of Elia Kazan

Elia KazanFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaElia Kazan

Elia Kazan, c. 1960

BornElias Kazantzoglou[1]September 7, 1909Constantinople,Ottoman Empire(nowIstanbul,Turkey)

DiedSeptember 28, 2003(aged94)Manhattan,New York City,United States

OccupationDirector, actor, producer, screenwriter and novelist

Yearsactive19341976

Spouse(s)Molly Day Thacher(m. 19321963; her death)Barbara Loden(m. 19671980; her death)Frances Rudge(m. 19822003; his death)

Elia Kazan(bornElias Kazantzoglou,Greek: ;[2]September 7, 1909 September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American director, producer, writer and actor, described byThe New York Timesas "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history".[3]He was born inIstanbul, toCappadocian Greekparents. After studying acting atYale, he acted professionally for eight years, later joining theGroup Theaterin 1932, and co-founded theActors Studioin 1947. WithRobert LewisandCheryl Crawford, he introducedMethod actingto the American stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological "realism." Kazan acted in only a few films, includingCity for Conquest(1940).[4]Kazan introduced a new generation of unknown young actors to the movie audiences, includingMarlon BrandoandJames Dean. Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He became "one of the consummate filmmakers of the 20th century" after directing a string of successful films, includingA Streetcar Named Desire(1951),On the Waterfront(1954), andEast of Eden(1955). During his career, he won two Oscars as Best Director and received an Honorary Oscar, won three Tony Awards, and four Golden Globes. Among the other actors he introduced to movie audiences wereWarren Beatty,Carroll Baker,Julie Harris,Andy Griffith,Lee Remick,Rip Torn,Eli Wallach,Eva Marie Saint,Martin Balsam,Fred Gwynne, andPat Hingle.His films were concerned with personal or social issues of special concern to him. Kazan writes, "I don't move unless I have some empathy with the basic theme."[5]His first such "issue" film wasGentleman's Agreement(1947), withGregory Peck, which dealt with anti-Semitism in America. It received 8 Oscar nominations and 3 wins, including Kazan's first for Best Director. It was followed byPinky, one of the first films to address racial prejudice against blacks. In 1954, he directedOn the Waterfront, a film about union corruption on the New York harbor waterfront, which some consider "one of the greatest films in the history of international cinema."[6]A Streetcar Named Desire(1951), an adaptation of the stage play which he had also directed, received 12 Oscar nominations, winning 4, and was Marlon Brando's breakthrough role. In 1955, he directedJohn Steinbeck'sEast of Eden, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences, making him an overnight star.A turning point in Kazan's career came with his testimony as a "friendly witness" before theHouse Committee on Un-American Activitiesin 1952 at the time of theHollywood blacklist, which brought him strong negative reactions from many liberal friends and colleagues. Kazan later explained that he took "only the more tolerable of two alternatives that were either way painful and wrong."[7]Kazan influenced the films of the 1950s and '60s with his provocative, issue-driven subjects. DirectorStanley Kubrickcalled him, "without question, the best director we have in America, [and] capable of performing miracles with the actors he uses."[8]:36[9]Film authorIan Freerconcludes that "if his achievements are tainted by political controversy, the debt Hollywoodand actors everywhereowes him is enormous."[10]In 2010,Martin Scorseseco-directed the documentary filmA Letter to Eliaas a personal tribute to Kazan.[11][12]Contents[hide] 1Early life 2Stage career 2.1Group Theater 2.2Actors Studio 3Film career 3.1Marlon Brando 3.2Karl Malden 3.3Eva Marie Saint 3.4James Dean 3.5Warren Beatty 3.6Natalie Wood 3.7Screenwriters 4Literary career 5Directing style 5.1Preference for unknown actors 5.2Topics of personal and social realism 5.3Use of "Method" acting 5.4Being an "actor's director" 6HUAC testimony 7Personal life 8Legacy 9Awards and honors 10Filmography 11Bibliography 12See also 13References 14Further reading 15External links 15.1Videos 15.2ArticlesEarly life[edit]Elia Kazan was born in thePhanardistrict of Constantinople, present dayIstanbul, toCappadocian Greekparents originally fromKayseriinAnatolia.[13][14][15]His parents, George and Athena Kazantzoglou (neShishmanoglou), emigrated to the United States when he was four years old. He was named after his paternal grandfather, Elia Kazantzoglou. His maternal grandfather was Isaak Shishmanoglou. Elia's brother, Avraam, was born in Berlin and later became a psychiatrist.[16]:21

In the play "Paradise Lost" (1937)As a young boy, he was remembered as being shy, and his college classmates described him as more of a loner.[17]Much of his early life was portrayed in his autobiographical book,America America, which he made into a film in 1963. In it, he describes his family as "alienated" from both their parents'Greek Orthodoxvalues and from those of mainstream America.[18]:23His mother's family werecottonmerchants who imported cotton from England, and sold it wholesale. His father became a rug merchant after emigrating to the United States, and expected that his son would go into the family business.[19]After attending public schools in New York, he enrolled atWilliams Collegein Massachusetts, where he helped pay his way by waiting tables and washing dishes, although he still graduated cum laude. He also worked as a bartender at various fraternities, but never joined one. While a student at Williams, he earned the nickname "Gadg," for gadget, because, he said, "I was small, compact, and handy to have around."[3]InAmerica Americahe tells how, and why, his family left Turkey and moved to America. Kazan notes that much of it came from stories that he heard as a young boy. He says during an interview that "it's all true: the wealth of the family was put on the back of a donkey, and my uncle, really still a boy, went toIstanbul... to gradually bring the family there to escape the oppressive circumstances... It's also true that he lost the money on the way, and when he got there he swept rugs in a little store."[20]Kazan notes some of the controversial aspects of what he put in the film. He writes, "I used to say to myself when I was making the film that America was a dream of total freedom in all areas."[20]To make his point, the character who portrays Kazan's uncle Avraam kisses the ground when he gets through customs, while the Statue of Liberty and the American flag are in the background. Kazan had considered whether that kind of scene might be too much for American audiences:"I hesitated about that for a long time. A lot of people, who don't understand how desperate people can get, advised me to cut it. When I am accused of being excessive by the critics, they're talking about moments like that. But I wouldn't take it out for the world. It actually happened. Believe me, if a Turk could get out of Turkey and come here, even now, he would kiss the ground. To oppressed people, America is still a dream."[20]Before undertaking the film, Kazan wanted to confirm many of the details about his family's background. At one point, he sat his parents down and recorded their answers to his questions. He remembers eventually asking his father a "deeper question: 'Why America? What were you hoping for?'" His mother gave him the answer, however: "A.E. brought us here." Kazan states that "A.E. was my uncle Avraam Elia, the one who left the Anatolian village with the donkey. At twenty-eight, somehowthis was the wonderhe made his way to New York. He sent home money and in time brought my father over. Father sent for my mother and my baby brother and me when I was four.[21]Kazan writes of the movie, "It's my favorite of all the films I've made; the first film that was entirely mine."[21]Stage career[edit]Group Theater[edit]

Kazan as a young manIn 1932, after spending two years at theYale UniversitySchool of Drama, he moved to New York City to become a professional stage actor. His first opportunity came with a small group of actors engaged in presenting plays containing social commentary. They were called theGroup Theater, which showcased many lesser known plays with deep social or political messages. After struggling to be accepted by them, he discovered his first strong sense of self in America within the "family of the Group Theater, and more loosely in the radical social and cultural movements of the time," writes film author Joanna E. Rapf.[18]:23In Kazan's autobiography, Kazan writes of the "lasting impact on him of the Group," noting in particular,Lee StrasbergandHarold Clurmanas "father figures", along with his close friendship with playwrightClifford Odets. Kazan, during an interview with Michel Ciment, describes the Group:The Group was the best thing professionally that ever happened to me. I met two wonderful men. Lee Strasberg and Harold Clurman, both of whom were around thirty years old. They were magnetic, fearless leaders. During the summer I was an apprentice, they were entertaining in a Jewish summer camp... At the end of the summer they said to me: "You may have talent for something, but it's certainly not acting."[22]Kazan, in his autobiography, also describes Strasberg as a vital leader of the group:He carried with him the aura of a prophet, a magician, a witch doctor, a psychoanalyst, and a feared father of a Jewish home.... [H]e was the force that held the thirty-odd members of the theatre together, and made them permanent.[16]:61Kazan's first national success came as New York theatrical director.[6]Although initially he worked as an actor on stage, and told early in his acting career that he had no acting ability, he surprised many critics by becoming one of the Groups most capable actors. In 1935 he played the role of a strike-leading taxi driver in a drama byClifford Odets,Waiting for Lefty, and his performance was called "dynamic," leading some to describe him as the "proletarian thunderbolt."[18]:23Among the themes that would run through all of his work were "personal alienation and an outrage over social injustice", writes film critic William Baer.[6]Other critics have likewise noted his "strong commitment to the social and social psychologicalrather than the purely politicalimplications of drama".[18]:33By the mid-1930s, when he was 26, he began directing a number of the Group Theater's plays. In 1942 he achieved his first notable success by directing aPulitzer prize-winning play byThornton Wilder,The Skin of Our Teeth, starringMontgomery CliftandTallulah Bankhead. He then went on to directDeath of a Salesman,byArthur Miller, and then directedA Streetcar Named Desire, written byTennessee Williams. Kazan's wife, Molly Thacher, the reader for the Group, discovered Williams and awarded him a "prize that launched his career."[23]The Group Theater's summer rehearsal headquarters was atPine Brook Country Club, located in the countryside ofNichols, Connecticut, during the 1930s and early 1940s. Along with Kazan were numerous other artists:Harry Morgan,John Garfield,Luise Rainer,Frances Farmer,Will Geer,Howard Da Silva,Clifford Odets,Lee J. CobbandIrwin Shaw.[24][25][26]Actors Studio[edit]In 1947, he founded theActors Studio, a non-profit workshop, with actorsRobert LewisandCheryl Crawford. It soon became famous for promoting "Method," a style of theater and acting involving "total immersion of actor into character," writes film author Ian Freer.[10]According to Rapf, "the Studio rode the bandwagon of method fashionability, and Kazan was its clear star and attraction."[18]:97Within a short time, as word spread, "everyone wanted to be at the Studionot least because of the chance of being in a Kazan production in one medium or another."[18]:97Among its first students wereMarlon Brando,Montgomery Clift,Julie Harris,Eli Wallach,Karl Malden,Patricia Neal,Mildred Dunnock,James Whitmore, andMaureen Stapleton. In 1951,Lee Strasbergbecame its director, and it remained a non-profit enterprise, eventually considered "the nation's most prestigious acting school," according to film historian James Lipton.[27]StudentJames Dean, in a letter home to his parents, writes that Actors Studio was "the greatest school of the theater [and] the best thing that can happen to an actor".[28]PlaywrightTennessee Williamssaid of its actors: "They act from the inside out. They communicate emotions they really feel. They give you a sense of life." Contemporary directors likeSidney Lumet, a former student, have intentionally used actors such asAl Pacino, a former student skilled in "Method".[29]Kazan directed one of the Studio's brightest young talents,Marlon Brando, in theTennessee WilliamsplayA Streetcar Named Desire. He cast him again in the film version in 1951, which made Brando a star and won 4 Oscars, and was nominated for 12.Among the other Broadway plays he directed were "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Sweet Bird of Youth", "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" and "Tea and Sympathy". This led some, such as theater criticEric Bentley, to write that "the work of Elia Kazan means more to the American theater than that of any current writer."[3]Film critic David Richard Jones adds that Kazan, during the 1940s and 1950s, was one of America's foremost Stanislavskians, and "influenced thousands of contemporaries" in the theatre, film, and the Actors Studio that he helped found.[30]Film career[edit]At the height of his stage success, Kazan then turned to Hollywood where he soon demonstrated equal skill as director of motion pictures. He first directed two short films, but his first feature film wasA Tree Grows in Brooklyn(1945), one his first attempts to film dramas focused on contemporary concerns, which became his forte. Two years later he directedGentleman's Agreement, where he tackled a seldom-discussed topic in America,antisemitism, for which he won his first Oscar as Best Director. In 1949 he again dealt with controversial subject when he directedPinky, which dealt with issues ofracismin America, and was nominated for 3 Academy Awards.In 1947, he directed the courtroom dramaBoomerang!, and in 1950 he directedPanic in the Streets, starringRichard Widmark, in a thriller shot on the streets ofNew Orleans. In that film, Kazan experimented with a documentary style of cinematography, which succeeded in "energizing" the action scenes.[10]He won theVenice Film Festival, International Award as director, and the film also won two Academy Awards. Kazan had requested thatZero Mostelalso act in the film, despite Mostel being "blacklisted" as a result ofHUACtestimony a few years earlier. Kazan writes of his decision:Each director has a favorite in his cast, ... my favorite this time was Zero Mostel... I thought him an extraordinary artist and a delightful companion, one of the funniest and most original men I'd ever met... I constantly sought his company... He was one of the three people whom I rescued from the "industry's" blacklist... For a long time, Zero had not been able to get work in films, but I got him in my film.[16]:383Marlon Brando[edit]

Brando and Vivien Leigh in a scene fromA Streetcar Named Desire(1951)In 1951, after introducing and directing one of the Actors Studio's brightest young talents,Marlon Brando, in the stage version, he went on to cast him in the film version of the play,A Streetcar Named Desire, which made Brando a star and won 4 Oscars, being nominated for 12. The film popularizedMethod actingwith Brando's role as the earthy and unmannered Stanley Kowalski opposite the classical dignity of British actress,Vivien Leigh, as his sister-in-law. Despite the plaudits, the film was considered a step back cinematically with the feel of filmed theater, however Kazan did at first use a more open setting but then felt compelled to revert to the stage atmosphere to remain true to the script. He explains:On "Streetcar" we worked very hard to open it up, and then went back to the play because we'd lost all the compression. In the play, these people were trapped in a room with each other. What I actually did was to make the set smaller. As the story progressed ... the set got smaller and smaller.[5][10]Brando's role as a virtually unknown actor at age 27, would "catapult him to stardom."[3]His next film wasViva Zapata!(1952) which also starred Marlon Brando playing the role of Mexican revolutionaryEmiliano Zapata. The film added real atmosphere with the use of location shots and strong character accents. Kazan called this his "first real film" because of those factors.[10]In 1954 he again used Brando as co-star inOn the Waterfront. As a continuation of the socially relevant themes that he developed in New York, the film exposed corruption within New Yorks longshoremens union. It too was nominated for 12Academy Awards, but won 8, includingBest Picture,Best DirectorandBest Actor, for Marlon Brando. To some critics, Brando gives the "best performance in American film history,"[10]playing an ex-boxer, Terry Malloy, who is persuaded by a priest to inform on corrupt unions. Surprisingly, Brando writes that he was actually disappointed with his acting upon first watching the screening:On the day Gadg showed me the completed picture, I was so depressed by my performance I got up and left the screening room. I thought I was a huge failure. I was simply embarrassed for myself. ... I am indebted to him for all that I learned. He was a wonderful teacher.[31]Karl Malden[edit]ActorKarl Maldenbecame an early student at the Group Theater in 1937, where he first began acting under Kazan's direction. Kazan would play a "prominent role in Malden's stage and film career", including convincing him to change his name from Mladen Sekulovich. He played a drunken sailor in Kazan's "Truckline Cafe," which also included a young Marlon Brando. In 1947, he co-starred in the stage play "All My Sons," written byArthur Miller, with Kazan directing, and began being recognized as a serious actor.[32]However, his first major stage success was his role as an awkward suitor ofJessica Tandyin the Broadway production ofA Streetcar Named Desire,which also helped make Brando a star on stage. After two years in the role, he played the same part inthe 1951 film version, this time playing oppositeVivien Leigh, where he won his first Oscar forBest Supporting Actor. Kazan next directed him inOn the Waterfront(1954), where he was also nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a sympathetic priest. In 1956, Kazan directed him in a starring role inBaby Doll, alongsideCarroll BakerandEli Wallach, a controversial story written byTennessee Williams, and he was nominated for aGolden Globe Awardfor Best Actor.Malden remained friends with Kazan despite his unpopular appearance at theHouse Un-American Activities Committeein 1952. Many mutual "friends who turned on Kazan also refused to speak to Malden."[32]He furthered his support in 1999, when, as a member of the Board of Governors of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he proposed that they give Kazan an honorary Oscar for "lifetime achievement". Malden's proposal was bold, as film festivals, critics associations, and theAmerican Film Institute, had already refused to bestow similar honors because of Kazan's testimony given nearly 50 years earlier. Malden recalled giving his proposal:When I got up to talk, I suspected that there would be a big fight, but no one debated it at all... I said that I'm nominating a dear friend, and as far as I'm concerned, there's no place for politics in any art form. An award like this is about your body of work, and when it comes to a body of work, Elia Kazan deserves to be honored.[32]According to theLos Angeles Times, when Malden finished speaking, "he was greeted by a rousing burst of applause."[32]Eva Marie Saint[edit]

Saint with Marlon Brando inOn the WaterfrontOn the Waterfrontwas also the screen debut forEva Marie Saint, who won the Oscar forBest Supporting Actressfor her role. Saint recalls that Kazan selected her for the role after he had her do an improvisational skit with Brando playing the other character. She had no idea that he was looking to fill any particular film part, however, but remembers that Kazan set up the scenario with Brando which brought out surprising emotions:"I ended up crying. Crying and laughing ... I mean there was such an attraction there ... That smile of his... He was very tender and funny ... And Kazan, in his genius, saw the chemistry there."[33]:295296Lifemagazine describedOn the Waterfrontas the "most brutal movie of the year" but with "the year's tenderest love scenes," and stating that Saint was a "new discovery" in films. In its cover story about Saint, it speculated that it will probably be as Edie inOn the Waterfrontthat she "starts her real trip to fame."[34]The film made use of extensive on-location street scenes and waterfront shots, and included a notable score by composerLeonard Bernstein.James Dean[edit]

James Dean inEast of EdenAfter the success ofOn the Waterfronthe went on to direct the screen adaptation ofJohn Steinbeck's novel,East of Edenin 1955. As director, Kazan again used another unknown actor,James Dean. Kazan had seen Dean on stage in New York and after an audition gave him the starring role along with an exclusive contract with Warner Bros. Dean flew back to Los Angeles with Kazan in 1954, the first time he had ever flown in a plane, bringing his clothes in a brown paper bag.[35]:194The film's success introduced James Dean to the world and established him as a popular actor. He went on to star inRebel Without a Cause(1955), directed by Kazan's friend,Nicholas Ray, and thenGiant, (dir. George Stevens, 1956)Author Douglas Rathgeb describes the difficulties Kazan had in turning Dean into a new star, noting how Dean was a controversial figure at Warner Bros. from the time he arrived. There were rumors that he "kept a loaded gun in his studio trailer; that he drove his motorcycle dangerously down studio streets or sound stages; that he had bizarre and unsavory friends."[36]As a result, Kazan was forced to "baby-sit the young actor in side-by-side trailers," so he wouldn't run away during production. Co-starJulie Harrisworked overtime to quell Dean's panic attacks. In general, Dean was oblivious to Hollywood's methods, and Rathgeb notes that "his radical style did not mesh with Hollywood's corporate gears."Dean himself was amazed at his own performance on screen when he later viewed a rough cut of the film. Kazan had invited directorNicholas Rayto a private showing, with Dean, as Ray was looking for someone to play the lead inRebel Without a Cause. Ray watched Dean's powerful acting on the screen; but it didn't seem possible that it was the same person in the room. Ray felt Dean was shy and totally withdrawn as he sat there hunched over. "Dean himself did not seem to believe it," notes Rathgeb. "He watched himself with an odd, almost adolescent fascination, as if he were admiring someone else."[36]The film also made good use of on-location and outdoor scenes, along with an effective use of early widescreen format, making the film one of Kazan's most accomplished works. James Dean died the following year, at the age of 24, in an accident with his sports car outside of Los Angeles. He had only made three films, and the only completed film he ever saw wasEast of Eden.Warren Beatty[edit]In 1961, he introducedWarren Beattyin his first screen appearance with a starring role inSplendor in the Grass(1961), withNatalie Wood; the film was nominated for two Oscars and won one. AuthorPeter Biskindpoints out that Kazan "was the first in a string of major directors Beatty sought out, mentors or father figures from whom he wanted to learn."[37]Biskind notes also that they "were wildly dissimilarmentor vs. protege, director vs. actor, immigrant outsider vs. native son. Kazan was armed with the confidence born of age and success, while Beatty was virtually aflame with the arrogance of youth."[37]Kazan recalls his impressions of Beatty:Warrenit was obvious the first time I saw himwanted it all and wanted it his way. Why not? He had the energy, a very keen intelligence, and more chutzpah than any Jew I've ever known. Even more than me. Bright as they come, intrepid, and with that thing all women secretly respect: complete confidence in his sexual powers, confidence so great that he never had to advertise himself, even by hints.[16]:603Biskind describes an episode during the first week of shooting, where Beatty was angered at something Kazan said: "The star lashed out at the spot where he knew Kazan was most vulnerable, the director's friendly testimony before the HUAC. He snapped, 'Lemme ask you somethingwhy did you name all those names?'"[37]Beatty himself recalled the episode: "In some patricidal attempt to stand up to the great Kazan, I arrogantly and stupidly challenged him on it." Biskind describes how "Kazan grabbed his arm, asking, 'What did you say?' and dragged him off to a tiny dressing room ... whereupon the director proceeded to justify himself for two hours."[37]Beatty, years later, during aKennedy Centertribute to Kazan, stated to the audience that Kazan "had given him the most important break in his career."[37]:23Natalie Wood[edit]Beatty's costar,Natalie Wood, was in a transition period in her career, having mostly been cast in roles as a child or teenager, and she was now hoping to be cast in adult roles. BiographerSuzanne Finstadnotes that a "turning point" in her life as an actress was upon seeing the filmA Streetcar Named Desire: "She was transformed, in awe of Kazan and of Vivien Leigh's performance... [who] became a role model for Natalie."[38]:107In 1961, after a "series of bad films, her career was already in decline," notes Rathgeb.[36]:199Kazan himself writes that the "sages" of the film community declared her as "washed up" as an actress, although he still wanted to interview her for his next film:When I saw her, I detected behind the well-mannered 'young wife' front a desperate twinkle in her eyes... I talked with her more quietly then and more personally. I wanted to find out what human material was there, what her inner life was... Then she told me she was being psychoanalyzed. That did it. Poor R.J., I said to myself. I likedBob Wagner, I still do.[16]:602Kazan cast her as the female lead inSplendor in the Grass, and her career rebounded. Finstad feels that despite Wood never receiving training in Method acting techniques, "working with Kazan brought her to the greatest emotional heights of her career. The experience was exhilarating but wrenching for Natalie, who faced her demons onSplendor."[38]:259She adds that a scene in the film, as a result of "Kazan's wizardry ... produced a hysteria in Natalie that may be her most powerful moment as an actress."[38]:260ActorGary Lockwood, who also acted in the film, felt that "Kazan and Natalie were a terrific marriage, because you had this beautiful girl, and you had somebody that could get things out of her." Kazan's favorite scene in the movie was the last one, when Wood goes back to see her lost first love, Bud (Beatty). "It's terribly touching to me. I still like it when I see it," writes Kazan.[38]:263"And I certainly didn't need to tell her how to play it. She understood it perfectly."Screenwriters[edit]Another aspect that contributed to the power and intensity of his films was his close collaboration with writers. On Broadway, he worked withArthur Miller,Tennessee Williams, andWilliam Inge; in film, he worked again with Willams (A Streetcar Named DesireandBaby Doll), Inge (Splendor in the Grass),Budd Schulberg(On the WaterfrontandA Face in the Crowd),John Steinbeck(Viva Zapata!), andHarold Pinter(The Last Tycoon). As an instrumental figure in the careers of many of the best writers of his time, "he always treated them and their work with the utmost respect."[6]In 2009, a previously unproduced screenplay by Williams,The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, was released as a film. Williams wrote the screenplay specifically for Kazan to direct during the 1950s.[39]Williams became one of Kazan's closest and most loyal friends, and Kazan often pulled Williams out of "creative slumps" by redirecting his focus with new ideas. In 1959, in a letter to Kazan, he writes, Some day you will know how much I value the great things you did with my work, how you lifted it above its measure by your great gift.[23]Among Kazan's other films werePanic in the Streets(1950),East of Eden(1955),Baby Doll(1956),Wild River(1960), andThe Last Tycoon(1976).Literary career[edit]This section requiresexpansion.(July 2013)

In between his directing work he wrote four best-selling novels, includingAmerica, America, andThe Arrangement, both of which tell the story of Kazan's Greek immigrant ancestors. Both novels were later made into films.Directing style[edit]Preference for unknown actors[edit]Kazan strove for "cinematic realism," a quality he often achieved by discovering and working with unknown actors, many of whom treated him as their mentor, which gave him the flexibility to depict "social reality with both accuracy and vivid intensity."[6]He also felt that casting the right actors accounted for 90% of a movie's ultimate success or failure.[40]As a result of his efforts, he also gave actors such asLee Remick,Jo Van Fleet,Warren Beatty,Andy Griffith,James Dean, andJack Palance, their first major movie roles. He explained to director and producerGeorge Stevens, Jr.that he felt that "big stars are barely trained or not very well trained. They also have bad habits... they're not pliable anymore." Kazan also describes how and why he gets to know his actors on a personal level:[5]Now what I try to do is get to know them very well. I take them to dinner. I talk to them. I meet their wives. I find out what the hell the human material is that I'm dealing with, so that by the time I take an unknown he's not an unknown to me.[5]Kazan goes on to describe how he got to understand James Dean, as an example:When I met him he said, "I'll take you for a ride on my motorbike... It was his way of communicating with me, saying "I hope you like me," ... I thought he was an extreme grotesque of a boy, a twisted boy. As I got to know his father, as I got to know about his family, I learned that he had been, in fact, twisted by the denial of love ... I went toJack Warnerand told him I wanted to use an absolutely unknown boy. Jack was a crapshooter of the first order, and said, "Go ahead."[5]Topics of personal and social realism[edit]Kazan chooses his subjects to express personal and social events that he is familiar with. He describes his thought process before taking on a project:I don't move unless I have some empathy with the basic theme. In some way the channel of the film should also be in my own life. I start with an instinct. With "East of Eden" ... it's really the story of my father and me, and I didn't realize it for a long time... In some subtle or not-so-subtle way, every film is autobiographical. A thing in my life is expressed by the essence of the film. Then I know it experientially, not just mentally. I've got to feel that it's in some way about me, some way about my struggles, some way about my pain, my hopes.[5]Film historian Joanna E. Rapf notes that among the methods Kazan used in his work with actors, was his initial focus on "reality", although his style was not defined as "naturalistic." She adds: "He respects his script, but casts and directs with a particular eye for expressive action and the use of emblematic objects."[18]:33Kazan himself states that "unless the character is somewhere in the actor himself, you shouldn't cast him."[18]:33In his later years he changed his mind about some of the philosophy behind the Group Theater, in that he no longer felt that the theater was a "collective art," as he once believed:To be successful it should express the vision, the conviction, and the insistent presence of one person.[3]Film authorPeter Biskinddescribed Kazan's career as "fully committed to art and politics, with the politics feeding the work."[18]:22Kazan, however, has downplayed that impression:I don't think basically I'm a political animal. I think I'm a self-centered animal... I think what I was concerned about all my life was to say something artistically that was uniquely my own.[18]:22Nonetheless, there have been clear messages in some of his films that involved politics in various ways. In 1954, he directedOn the Waterfront, written by screenwriterBudd Schulberg, which was a film about union corruption in New York. Some critics consider it "one of the greatest films in the history of international cinema."[6]Another political film wasA Face in the Crowd(1957). His protagonist, played byAndy Griffith(in his film debut) is not a politician, yet his career suddenly becomes deeply involved in politics. According to film author Harry Keyishian, Kazan and screenwriterBudd Schulbergwere using the film to warn audiences about the dangerous potential of the new medium of television. Kazan explains that he and Schulberg were trying to warn "of the power TV would have in the political life of the nation." Kazan states, "Listen to what the candidate says; don't be taken in by his charm or his trust-inspiring personality. Don't buy the advertisement; buy what's in the package."[41]Use of "Method" acting[edit]As a product of the Group Theater and Actors Studio, he was most noted for his use of"Method" actors, especially Brando and Dean. During an interview in 1988, Kazan said, "I did whatever was necessary to get a good performanceincludingso-called Method acting. I made them run around the set, I scolded them, I inspired jealousy in their girlfriends... The director is adesperate beast!... You don't deal with actors as dolls. You deal with them as people who are poets to a certain degree."[6]ActorRobert De Nirocalled him a "master of a new kind of psychological and behavioral faith in acting."[3]Kazan was aware of the limited range of his directing abilities:I don't have great range. I am no good with music or spectacles. The classics are beyond me... I am a mediocre director except when a play or film touches a part of my life's experience... I do have courage, even some daring. I am able to talk to actors... to arouse them to better work. I have strong, even violent feelings, and they are assets.[3]He explained that he tried to inspire his actors to offer ideas:When I talk to the actors they begin to give me ideas, and I grab them because the ideas they give me turn them on. I want the breath of life from them rather than the mechanical fulfillment of the movement which I asked for... I love actors. I used to be an actor for eight years, so I do appreciate their job.[5]Kazan, however, held strong ideas about the scenes, and would try to merge an actor's suggestions and inner feelings with his own. Despite the strong eroticism created inBaby Doll, for example, he set limits. Before shooting a seduction scene betweenEli WallachandCarroll Baker, he privately asked Wallach, "Do you think you actually go through with seducing that girl?" Wallach writes, "I hadn't thought about that question before, but I answered ... 'No.'" Kazan replies, "Good idea, play it that way."[42]Kazan, many years later, explained his rationale for scenes in that film:What is erotic about sex to me is the seduction, not the act... The scene on the swings (Eli Wallach and Carroll Baker) inBaby Dollis my exact idea of what eroticism in films should be.[20]Being an "actor's director"[edit]Joanna Rapf adds that Kazan was most admired for his close work with actors, noting that directorNicholas Rayconsidered him "the best actor's director the United States has ever produced."[18]:22Film historian Foster Hirsch explains that "he created virtually a new acting style, which was the style of the Method... [that] allowed for the actors to create great depth of psychological realism."[43]Among the actors who describe Kazan as an important influence in their career werePatricia Neal, who co-starred withAndy GriffithinA Face in the Crowd(1957): "He was very good. He was an actor and he knew how we acted. He would come and talk to you privately. I liked him a lot."[43]Anthony Franciosa, a supporting actor in the film, explains how Kazan encouraged his actors:He would always say, 'Let me see what you can do. Let me see it. Don't talk to me about it.' You felt that you had a man who was completely on your sideno qualms about anything you did. He gave you a tremendous sense of confidence... He never made me feel as though I was acting for the camera. Many times, I never even knew where the camera was.[44]However, in order to get quality acting fromAndy Griffith, in his first screen appearance, and achieve what Schickel calls "an astonishing movie debut,"[33]:338Kazan would often take surprising measures. In one important and highly emotional scene, for example, Kazan had to give Griffith fair warning: "I may have to use extraordinary means to make you do this. I may have to get out of line. I don't know any other way of getting an extraordinary performance out of an actor."[45]

Robert De Niro inThe Last Tycoon(1976)ActressTerry Moorecalls Kazan her "best friend," and notes that "he made you feel better than you thought you could be. I never had another director that ever touched him. I was spoiled for life."[43]"He would find out if your life was like the character," saysCarroll Baker, star ofBaby Doll, "he was the best director with actors."[43]Kazan's need to remain close to his actors continued up to his last film,The Last Tycoon(1976). He remembers thatRobert De Niro, the star of the film, "would do almost anything to succeed," and even cut his weight down from 170 to 128 pounds for the role. Kazan adds that De Niro "is one of a select number of actors I've directed who work hard at their trade, and the only one who asked to rehearse on Sundays. Most of the others play tennis. Bobby and I would go over the scenes to be shot."[16]:766The powerful dramatic roles Kazan brought out from many of his actors was due, partly, to his ability to recognize their personal character traits. Although he didn't know De Niro before this film, for example, Kazan later writes, "Bobby is more meticulous ... he's very imaginative. He's very precise. He figures everything out both inside and outside. He has good emotion. He's a character actor: everything he does he calculates. In a good way, but he calculates."[6]:210Kazan developed and used those personality traits for his character in the film.[16]:766Although the film did poorly at the box office, some reviewers praised De Niro's acting. Film critic Marie Brenner writes that "for De Niro, it is a role that surpasses even his brilliant and daring portrayal of Vito Corleone inThe Godfather, part II, ... [his] performance deserves to be compared with the very finest."[46]Marlon Brando, in his autobiography, goes into detail about the influence Kazan had on his acting:I have worked with many movie directorssome good, some fair, some terrible. Kazan was the best actors' director by far of any I've worked for... the only one who ever really stimulated me, got into a part with me and virtually acted it with me... he chose good actors, encouraged them to improvise, and then improvised on the improvisation... He gave his cast freedom and ... was always emotionally involved in the process and his instincts were perfect... I've never seen a director who became as deeply and emotionally involved in a scene as Gadg... he got so wrought up that he started chewing on his hat.He was an arch-manipulator of actors' feelings, and he was extraordinarily talented; perhaps we will never see his like again.[31]HUAC testimony[edit]See also:Hollywood BlacklistUntil his death, Kazan remained controversial in some circles for testimony he gave before theHouse Committee on Un-American Activities(HUAC) in 1952, a period that many, such as journalist Michael Mills, feel was "the most controversial period in Hollywood history."[47]When he was in his mid-20s, during the Depression years 1934 to 1936, he had been a member of the AmericanCommunist Partyin New York, for a year and a half.In April 1952, the Committee called on Kazan, under oath, to identify Communists from that period 16 years earlier. Kazan initially refused to provide names, but eventually named eight formerGroup Theatermembers who he said had been Communists:Clifford Odets,J. Edward Bromberg, Lewis Leverett,Morris Carnovsky,Phoebe Brand, Tony Kraber, Ted Wellman, andPaula Miller, who later marriedLee Strasberg. He testified that Odets quit the party at the same time that he did.[48]All the persons named were already known to HUAC, however.[3][49]The move cost Kazan many friends within the film industry, including playwrightArthur Millerand actorMarlon Brando.Kazan would later write in his autobiography of the "warrior pleasure at withstanding his 'enemies.'"[50]When Kazan received an Honorary Academy Award in 1999, the audience was noticeably divided in their reaction, with some includingNick Nolte,Ed Harris,Ian McKellenandAmy Madiganrefusing to applaud, and many others, such as actorsKathy Bates,Meryl StreepandWarren Beattyand producerGeorge Stevens, Jr.standing and applauding.[51]Stevens speculates on why he, Beatty, and many others in the audience chose to stand and applaud:I never discussed it with Warren, but I believe we were both standing for same reasonout of regard for the creativity, the stamina and the many fierce battles and lonely nights that had gone into the man's twenty motion pictures.[5]Los Angeles Timesfilm critic Kenneth Turan, agreed, writing "The only criterion for an award like this is the work". Kazan was already "denied accolades" from theAmerican Film Institute, and other film critics associations. According to Mills, "Its time for the Academy to recognize this genius," adding that "We applauded when the great Chaplin finally had his hour."[47]In later interviews, Kazan explained some of the early events that made him decide to become a friendly witness, most notably in relation to the Group Theater, which he called his first "family," and the "best thing professionally" that ever happened to him:The Group Theatre said that we shouldn't be committed to any fixed political program set by other people outside the organisation. I was behaving treacherously to the Group when I met downtown at CP [Communist Party] headquarters, to decide among the Communists what we should do in the Group, and then come back and present a united front, pretending we had not been in caucus...I was tried by the Party and that was one of the reasons I became so embittered later. The trial was on the issue of my refusal to follow instructions, that we should strike in the Group Theatre, and insist that the membership have control of its organisation. I said it was an artistic organisation, and I backed up Clurman and Strasberg who were not Communists... The trial left an indelible impression on me... Everybody else voted against me and they stigmatised me and condemned my acts and attitude. They were asking for confession and self-humbling. I went home that night and told my wife "I am resigning." But for years after I resigned, I was still faithful to their way of thinking. I still believed in it. But not in the American Communists. I used to make a difference and think: "These people here are damned fools but in Russia they have got the real thing," until I learned about theHitler-Stalin pact, and gave up on theUSSR.[52]Mills notes that prior to becoming a "friendly witness," Kazan discussed the issues with Miller:To defend a secrecy I dont think right and to defend people who have already been named or soon would be by someone else... I hate the Communists and have for many years, and dont feel right about giving up my career to defend them. I will give up my film career if it is in the interests of defending something I believe in, but not this.[47]Miller put his arm around Kazan and retorted, "dont worry about what Ill think. Whatever you do is okay with me, because I know that your heart is in the right place."[47]In his memoirs, Kazan writes that his testimony meant that "the big shot had become the outsider." He also notes that it strengthened his friendship with another outsider,Tennessee Williams, with whom he collaborated on numerous plays and films. He called Williams "the most loyal and understanding friend I had through those black months."[16]:495Personal life[edit]Elia Kazan was married three times.[3]His first wife was playwrightMolly Day Thacher. They were married from 1932 until her death in 1963; this marriage produced two daughters and two sons, including screenwriterNicholas Kazan. His second marriage, to the actressBarbara Loden, lasted from 1969 until her death in 1980, and produced one son. His marriage, in 1982, toFrances Rudgecontinued until his death, in 2003, aged 94.In 1978, the U.S. government paid for Kazan and his family to travel to Kazan's birthplace where many of his films were to be shown. During a speech in Athens, he discussed his films and his personal and business life in the U.S., along with the messages he tried to convey:In my own view, the solution is to talk about human beings and not about abstracts, to reveal the culture and the social moment as it is reflected in the behavior and the lives of individual people. Not to be "correct." To be total. So I do not believe in any ideology that does not permitno encouragethe freedom of the individual.[53]He also offered his opinions about the role of the U.S. as a world model for democracy:I think you and I, all of us, have some sort of stake in the United States. If it fails, the failure will be that of us all. Of mankind itself. It will cost us all. . . . I think of the United States as a country which is an arena and in that arena there is a drama being played out. . . . . I have seen that the struggle is the struggle of free men.[53]Elia Kazan died from natural causes in his Manhattan apartment, 28 September 2003 aged 94.Legacy[edit]Kazan became known as an "actor's director" because he was able to elicit some of the best performances in the careers of many of his stars, such as Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Karl Malden, James Dean, Julie Harris,Carroll Baker,Eli WallachandNatalie Wood. Under his direction, his actors received 21 Academy Award nominations and won nine Oscars. He won asBest DirectorforGentleman's Agreement(1947) and forOn the Waterfront(1954), which is considered "one of the greatest films in the history of international cinema."[6]BothA Streetcar Named Desire(1951) andOn the Waterfrontwere nominated for twelve Academy Awards, respectively winning four and eight.

On the set ofSplendor in the Grass(1961)Kazan never lost his identification with the oppressed people he remembered from the depths of theGreat Depression. With his many years with theGroup TheaterandActors Studioin New York City and later triumphs on Broadway, he became famous "for the power and intensity of his actors' performances."[6]He was the pivotal figure in launching the film careers ofMarlon Brando,James Dean,Julie Harris,Eva Marie Saint,Warren Beatty,Lee Remick,Karl Malden, and many others. Seven of Kazan's films won a total of 20Academy Awards.Dustin Hoffmancommented that he "doubted whether he,Robert De Niro, orAl Pacino, would have become actors without Mr. Kazan's influence."[3]Upon his death, at the age of 94, theNew York Timesdescribed him as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history."[3]His stage direction ofDeath of a SalesmanandA Streetcar Named Desireis considered a "high point of world theater" in the 20th century. Although he became a "legendary director on Broadway", he made an equally impressive transition into one of the major filmmakers of his time. Critic William Baer notes that throughout his career "he constantly rose to the challenge of his own aspirations", adding that "he was a pioneer and visionary who greatly affected the history of both stage and cinema".[6]Certain of his film-related material and personal papers are contained in theWesleyan UniversityCinema Archives to which scholars and media experts from around the world may have full access.[54]His controversial stand during his testimony in front of theHouse Committee on Un-American Activities(HUAC) in 1952, became the low point in his career, although he remained convinced that he made the right decision to give the names of Communist Party members. He stated in an interview in 1976:I would rather do what I did than crawl in front of a ritualistic Left and lie the way those other comrades did, and betray my own soul. I didn't betray it. I made a difficult decision.[6]During his career, Kazan won both Tony and Oscar Awards for excellence on stage and screen. In 1982, PresidentRonald Reaganpresented him with the Kennedy Center honors award, a national tribute for life achievement in the arts. At the ceremony, screenwriterBudd Schulberg, who wroteOn the Waterfront, thanks his lifelong friend saying, Elia Kazan has touched us all with his capacity to honor not only the heroic man, but the hero in every man.[3]In an interview with theAmerican Film Institutein 1976, Kazan spoke of his love of the cinema: "I think it's the most wonderful art in the world."[6]In 1999, when he was 90 years old, Kazan received an honoraryOscarfor lifetime achievement. During the ceremony, he was accompanied byMartin ScorseseandRobert De Niro. The propriety of such an honor for Kazan who "named names" at the HUAC hearings remains a "contentious subject" according to theNew York Times.[55]Many inHollywoodfelt that enough time had passed that it was appropriate to finally recognize Kazan's great artistic accomplishments, although others did not and would not applaud.[56][57]Kazan appreciated the award:I want to thank the Academy for its courage, its generosity. Thank you all very much. Now I can just slip away.[58]In his autobiography,A Life, he sums up the influence of filmmaking on his life:I realize now that work was my drug. It held me together. It kept me high. When I wasn't working, I didn't know who I was or what I was supposed to do. This is general in the film world. You are so absorbed in making a film, you can't think of anything else. It's your identity, and when it's done you are nobody.[16]:260Martin Scorsesehas directed a film documentary,A Letter to Elia(2010), considered to be an "intensely personal and deeply moving tribute" to Kazan. Scorsese was "captivated" by Kazan's films as a young man, and the documentary mirrors his own life story while he also credits Kazan as the inspiration for his becoming a filmmaker.[11][12]It won aPeabody Awardin 2010.[59]Awards and honors[edit]Academy Awards 1948: Best DirectorGentleman's Agreement 1955: Best DirectorOn the Waterfront 1999: Academy Honorary AwardLifetime AchievementNominations 1964: Best PictureAmerica, America 1964: Best Adapted ScreenplayAmerica, America 1964: Best DirectorAmerica, America 1956: Best DirectorEast of Eden 1952: Best DirectorA Streetcar Named DesireTony Awards 1959: Best DirectionJ.B. 1949: Best DirectorDeath of a Salesman 1947: Best DirectionAll My SonsNominations 1956: Best DirectorCat on a Hot Tin Roof 1958: Best PlayThe Dark at the Top of the Stairs 1958: Best DirectorThe Dark at the Top of the Stairs 1960: Best Direction of a PlaySweet Bird of Youth 1965: Best Producer of a PlayTartuffeCannes Film Festival Awards 1955: Best Dramatic FilmEast of EdenNominations 1952: Grand Prize of the FestivalViva Zapata! 1955:Palme d'Or(Golden Palm)East of Eden 1972: Palme d'OrThe VisitorsVenice Film Festival Awards 1950: International AwardPanic in the Streets 1951: Special Jury PrizeA Streetcar Named Desire 1954: Italian Film Critics AwardOn the Waterfront 1954:Leone dArgento(Silver Lion)On the Waterfront 1955: OCIC AwardOn the WaterfrontNominations 1948:Leone d'Oro(Golden Lion)Gentleman's Agreement 1950: Leone d'OroPanic in the Streets(1950) 1951: Leone d'OroA Streetcar Named Desire 1954: Leone d'OroOn the WaterfrontBritish Academy Film AwardsNominations 1953: Best Film from any SourceA Streetcar Named Desire 1953: Best Film from any SourceViva Zapata! 1955: Best Film from any SourceOn the Waterfront 1956: Best Film from any SourceEast of Eden 1957: Best Film from any SourceBaby DollBerlin Film Festival AwardsNominations 1953:Golden BearMan on a Tightrope[60] 1960: Golden BearWild River[61] 1996: Honorary Golden Bear[62]

In addition to these awards, Kazan has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame, which is located on 6800 Hollywood Boulevard.[63]He is also a member of theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[64]Filmography[edit]YearFilmOscar nominationsOscar winsVideosAudios

1937People of the Cumberland(as assistant director only)

1940City for Conquest(as actor only)scenes

1941Blues in the Night(as actor only)trailer

1945A Tree Grows in Brooklyn21scenes

Watchtower Over Tomorrow

1947The Sea of Grass

Boomerang!1

Gentleman's Agreement83trailer

1949Pinky3trailer

1950Panic in the Streets11scenes

1951A Streetcar Named Desire124trailer

1952Viva Zapata!51trailer

1953Man on a Tightropescene

1954On the Waterfront128trailer

1955East of Eden41trailer

1956Baby Doll4trailer

1957A Face in the Crowdtrailer

1960Wild Riverscene

1961Splendor in the Grass21trailer

1963America, America41scenes

1969The Arrangementtrailer

1972The Visitorsinterview

1976The Last Tycoon1scene

Bibliography[edit] Kazan, Elia (1962).America America. New York: Popular Library.OCLC21378773. Kazan, Elia (1967).The Arrangement: A Novel. New York: Stein and Day.OCLC36500300. Kazan, Elia (1972).The Assassins. London: Collins.ISBN0-00-221035-5. Ciment, Michel (1974).Kazan on Kazan. Viking.. Originally published 1973 by Secker and Warburg, London. Kazan, Elia (1975).The Understudy. New York: Stein and Day.OCLC9666336. Kazan, Elia (1977).A Kazan Reader. New York: Stein and Day.ISBN0-8128-2193-9. Kazan, Elia (1978).Acts of Love. New York: Warner.ISBN0-446-85553-7. Kazan, Elia (1982).The Anatolian. New York: Knopf.ISBN0-394-52560-4. Kazan, Elia (1988).Elia Kazan: A Life. New York: Knopf.ISBN0-394-55953-3. Kazan, Elia (1994).Beyond the Aegean. New York: Knopf.ISBN0-679-42565-9. Kazan, Elia; Young, Jeff (1999).The Master Director Discusses His Films. New York: Newmarket Press.ISBN1-55704-338-8. Schickel, Richard (2005).Elia Kazan. New York: Harper Collins.ISBN978-0-06-019579-3. Kazan, Elia (2009).Kazan on Directing. New York: Knopf.ISBN978-0-307-26477-0.See also[edit]Biography portal

References[edit]1. Jump up^"Elia Kazan.". www.britannica.com. Retrieved2010-09-10.Elia Kazan, original name Elia Kazanjoglous (b. September 7, 1909, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire d. September 28, 2003, New York, New York, U.S.).2. Jump up^Later in his life, he was known as (Greek pronunciation:[elia kazan]) in Greece.3. ^Jump up to:abcdefghijklRothstein, Mervyn (September 28, 2003)."Elia Kazan, Influential Director, Dies at 94".The New York Times. Retrieved2009-01-28.4. Jump up^"Scenes from "City for Conquest" with Elia Kazan"clips with Elia Kazan5. ^Jump up to:abcdefghStevens, George Jr.Conversations with the Great Moviemakers of Hollywood's Golden Age, Alfred A. Knopf (2006) pp. 3894086. ^Jump up to:abcdefghijklmKazan, Elia; Baer, William.Elia Kazan: Interviews, Univ. Press of Mississippi (2000) pp. viixi7. Jump up^"Scorsese gets personal in his A Letter to Elia"Gulf News, Sept. 6, 20108. Jump up^Ciment, Michel.Kubrick: The Definitive Edition, Faber and Faber, Inc. (1980; 1999)9. Jump up^International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers 2: Directors, St. James Press (1997) pp. 51952210. ^Jump up to:abcdefFreer, Ian.Movie Makers: 50 Iconic Directors, Quercus Publishing (London) (2009) pp. 848511. ^Jump up to:ab"Scorsese Film Defends Anti-Communist Informer Kazan"ABC News, Sept. 4, 201012. ^Jump up to:ab"A Letter to Elia"Variety, Sept. 4, 201013. Jump up^"Elia Kazan.". www.britannica.com. Retrieved2010-09-10.Elia Kazan, original name Elia Kazanjoglous (b. September 7, 1909, Istanbul, Ottoman Empired. September 28, 2003, New York, New York, U.S.), Turkish-born American director and author, noted for his successes on the stage, especially with plays by Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, and for his critically acclaimed films. At age four, Kazan was brought to the United States with his immigrant Greek family.14. Jump up^Young, Jeff (2001).Kazan: the master director discusses his films: interviews with Elia Kazan. Newmarket Press. p.9.ISBN978-1-55704-446-4.He was born on September 7, 1909 to Greek parents living in Istanbul. His father, Giorgos Kazantzoglou, had fled Kayseri, a small village in Anatolia where for five hundred years the Turks had oppressed and brutalized the Armenian and Greek minorities who had lived there even longer.15. Jump up^Sennett, Ted (1986).Great movie directors. Abrams. pp.128129.ISBN978-0-8109-0718-8.Elia Kazan (born 1909)... Born in Istanbul, Kazan immigrated to America with his Greek parents at the age of four16. ^Jump up to:abcdefghiKazan, Elia.Elia Kazan: A Life, Da Capo Press (1997)17. Jump up^"Noted Film and Theater Director Elia Kazan Dies".Voice of America News. 29 September 2003. Retrieved25 July2010.18. ^Jump up to:abcdefghijkRapf, Joanna E.On the Waterfront, Cambridge Univ. Press (2003)19. Jump up^"Elia Kazan Biography (1909)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved2010-03-07.20. ^Jump up to:abcdYoung, Jeff.Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films, Newmarket Press N.Y. (1999) pp. 27227321. ^Jump up to:abKazan, Elia.Kazan on Directing, Vintage Books (Jan. 2010) pp. 21821922. Jump up^Ciment 1974:15-1923. ^Jump up to:abLahr, John."Method Man",The New Yorker, Dec. 13, 201024. Jump up^Clifford Odets: American Playwright: The Years from 1906 to 1940, p. 41025. Jump up^Pinewood Lake website retrieved on 2010-09-1026. Jump up^Images of America, Trumbull Historical Society, 1997, p. 12327. Jump up^Lipton, James.Inside Inside, Dutton, (2007) p. 1428. Jump up^Bast, W.Surviving James Dean, Barricade Books (2006)29. Jump up^"Sidney Lumet".Encyclopedia of World Biography, (2004)30. Jump up^Jones, David Richard.Greate Directors at Work, Univ. of California Press (1986) p. 231. ^Jump up to:abBrando, Marlon; Lindsey, Robert.Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me, Random House (1994) pp. 16917632. ^Jump up to:abcd"Karl Malden dies at 97; Oscar-winning actor",Los Angeles Times, July 2, 200933. ^Jump up to:abSchickel, Richard.Elia Kazan: A Biography, HarperCollins (2005).34. Jump up^Lifemagazine, July 19, 1954 pp. 45-5035. Jump up^Springer, Claudia.James Dean Transfigured: The Many Faces of Rebel Iconography, Univ. of Texas Press (2007)36. ^Jump up to:abcRathgeb, Douglas L.The Making of Rebel Without a Cause, McFarland (2004) p. 2037. ^Jump up to:abcdeBiskind, Peter.Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America, Simon & Schuster (2010) pp. 243338. ^Jump up to:abcdFinstad, Suzanne.Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, Three Rivers Press (2001)39. Jump up^"Unproduced Tennessee Williams screenplay finally reaching movie theaters",Los Angeles Times, Nov. 25, 200940. Jump up^"Countdown to the Oscars: No Oscar love for casting directors"Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 201141. Jump up^Keyishian, Harry.Screening Politics: The Politician in American Movies, Rowman & Littlefield (2003) p. 6242. Jump up^Wallach, Eli.The Good, the Bad, and Me: In My Anecdotage, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2005) p. 17243. ^Jump up to:abcd"Elia Kazan, an actor's director",Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 201044. Jump up^Salvi, Delia.Friendly Enemies: Maximizing the Director-Actor Relationship, Watson-Guptill (2002) pp. 23924045. Jump up^Williamson, Jerry Wayne.Hillbillyland: What the Movies Did to the Mountains and What the Mountains Did to the Movies, Univ. of North Carolina Press Books (1995) p. 16846. Jump up^Brenner, Marie. "Tender is the Plight",Texas Monthly, January 1977.47. ^Jump up to:abcdMills, Michael."ModernTimes"48. Jump up^Associated Press (April 12, 1952)."Director Names Stage Reds".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p.2. Retrieved7 August2010.49. Jump up^Navasky, Victor(1980).Naming Names. New York:Viking Press. pp.199222.ISBN978-0-670-50393-3.50. Jump up^"Arthur Miller versus Elia Kazan, revisited",Los Angeles Times, Dec. 26, 200951. Jump up^Weinraub, Bernard (February 23, 1999)."Kazan Honor Stirs Protest By Blacklist Survivors".The New York Times. Retrieved2009-01-28.52. Jump up^Ciment 1974:2253. ^Jump up to:abCiment, Michel (ed.)Elia Kazan: An American Odyssey, Bloomsbury Publ. U.K. (1988) p. 23154. Jump up^http://www.wesleyan.edu/cinema/55. Jump up^Michael Cieply(2007-09-11)."A Voice From the Blacklist: Documentary Lets Dalton Trumbo Speak".The New York Times(New York). Retrieved2008-01-04.56. Jump up^"Elia Kazan receiving an Honorary Oscar". YouTube. 2008-04-24. Retrieved2010-03-07.57. Jump up^Weinraub, Bernard (1999-03-22)."Amid Protests, Elia Kazan Receives His Oscar". NYTimes.com. Retrieved2010-03-07.58. Jump up^Kazan, Elia.Receiving Honorary Academy Awardvideo59. Jump up^70th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2011.60. Jump up^"1st Berlin International Film Festival: In Competition".berlinale.de. Retrieved2009-12-22.61. Jump up^"IMDB.com: Awards for Wild River".imdb.com. Retrieved2010-01-18.62. Jump up^"Berlinale: 1996 Prize Winners".berlinale.de. Retrieved2012-01-01.63. Jump up^"Elia Kazan".64. Jump up^"Theater Hall of Fame members".Further reading[edit] Jones, David, Richard (1986).Great directors at work: Stanislavsky, Brecht, Kazan, Brook. Berkeley; London: University of California Press.ISBN0-520-04601-3. Ciment, Michel (1988).An American Odyssey. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd.ISBN0-7475-0241-2. Schickel, Richard (2005).Elia Kazan: A Biography. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.ISBN0-06-019579-7. Murphy, Brenda (2006).Tennessee Williams and Elia Kazan: a collaboration in the theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN0-521-03524-4.External links[edit]Wikiquote has quotations related to:Elia Kazan

Videos[edit] The Life, Works, and Impact of Elia Kazanvideo, 10 minutes Receiving an Honorary Oscarvideo, 3 minutes "The Films of Elia Kazan", movie clip compilation Christopher Plummer Working with Elia Kazanvideo, 5 minutesArticles[edit] Elia Kazanat theInternet Broadway Database Elia Kazanat theInternet Movie Database Works by or about Elia Kazanin libraries (WorldCatcatalog) Method Man: Elia Kazan's Singular Career by John Lahr in The New Yorker (A Critic at Large) Assessing Kazan: His Life and Choice (NYT Books of the Times) Some notes on Kazan, HUAC, and the aftermath of his testimony including his April 13, 1952 statement in the New York Times Elia KazanatFind a Grave Literature on Elia Kazan[show]Awards for Elia Kazan

[show] v t eFilms directed byElia Kazan

Authority control WorldCat VIAF:68930931 LCCN:n50046382 ISNI:0000 0001 2281 2702 GND:118776975 SUDOC:028947169 BNF:cb11909522q(data) NDL:00445322 NKC:jn20000700871

Categories: 1909 births 2003 deaths Academy Honorary Award recipients American anti-communists American film directors American film producers American male film actors American people of Greek descent American screenwriters American theatre directors American Theater Hall of Fame inductees American writers of Greek descent Best Director Academy Award winners Best Director Golden Globe winners Directors Guild of America Award winners Donaldson Award winners English-language film directors Golden Globe Award winning producers Kennedy Center honorees Ottoman emigrants to the United States People from Kayseri People from New Rochelle, New York Tony Award winners Williams College alumni Yale School of Drama alumni