Elia Kazan

by Richard Schickel

From the late forties through the sixties, Elia Kazan was the most important and influential director in America, and the only one who managed simultaneously to dominate both theater and film. In that role he manifestly shaped the conception and writing, as well as the presentation, of many of the period's iconic works, reshaping the values of the stage and bringing a new realism and intensity of performance to the screen. His various achievements include the original Broadway productions of The Skin of Our Teeth, All My Sons, and Death of a Salesman and such Hollywood films as Gentleman's Agreement, Brando's Streetcar, and Splendor in the Grass. A non–traditional biography, this book combines social and political history with a sharp critical evaluation of Kazan's work. Schickel presents Kazan as a figure of his culture and time, much in the same way that David Remnick treated Muhammed Ali and the larger picture of American history in King of the World. History's view of Kazan is now colored by a single political act –– his naming names in testimony before the House Un–American Activities Committee. By putting the actions, work, and words of this towering figure in context, Schickel not only defends his hero and his hero's work; he also helps the reader move beyond Kazan's most infamous moment to appreciate the larger American story in which he played such a pivotal role. The result is an intelligent and lively biography and social history.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Film, Art

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Richard Schickel is an important American film historian, journalist, author, filmmaker, screenwriter, documentarian, and film and literary critic.

Mr.Schickel is featured in For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. In this 2009 documentary film he discusses early film critics in the 1960s, and how he and other young critics, rejected the moralizing opposition of Bosley Crowther of The New York Times who had railed against violent movies such as Bonnie and Clyde.
In addition to film, Schickel has also critiqued and documented cartoons, particularly Peanuts.

Schickel was a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964. He has also lectured at Yale University and University of Southern California's School of Film and Television.

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Schickel's Elia Kazan gives that towering, controversial director the biography he deserves. The son of Greek immigrants, Kazan came up through theater as an actor, befriending (and feuding with) Lee Strasberg, collaborating with leftist playwright Clifford Odets, cofounding the Actor's Studio and finally becoming a director in his own right. His mix of stage and screen triumphs through the '40s and '50s is astonishing: he directed the original productions of Arthur Miller's (Death of a Salesman) and Tennessee Williams' (A Streetcar Named Desire) most famous works, along with other hits like Tea and Sympathy and J.B. And his film career includes a jawdropping compilation of hits: the film of Streetcar, Gentleman's Agreement, On the Waterfront, A Face in the Crowd, East of Eden and Splendor in the Grass among them. Yet Kazan's reputation's always been clouded by his time as a friendly witness to HUAC, becoming a beneficiary of the blacklist for "naming names." Schickel's analysis of Kazan's productive life, prickly personality and the undoubted artistry of his work scores; he does agonize to make excuses for Kazan's selling out to HUAC, arguing that the rage he engendered for informing is wholly disproportionate, considering how many Hollywood figures did the same. Perhaps: but Kazan made a point of his defiant refusal to apologize, whether to interviewers or in his memoirs, while one of his masterworks (On the Waterfront) is generally perceived as an apologia for his actions. Nonetheless, Kazan's place in film and theater history can't be denied, even if it must be qualified with an asterisk.

[Danny Hensel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine. At times well described, but Schickel clearly has an agenda and runs defense for Kazan, which gets in the way of objectivity. He strains to defend Kazan, and his logic contains many fallacies.

[Garrett Rowlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful bio that I could hardly put down. I didn't see being too young his stage presentation but the background on movies like East of Eden and Waterfront was fascinating.

[Richard Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all you know about Elia Kazan is the brief dustup over his honorary Oscar near the end of his life, you don't know the whole story. The controversy over Kazan's testimony before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee was always presented to me as a black-and-white issue, with Kazan a villain for "naming names". It turns out the situation was far more nuanced, and while I don't pretend to totally understand Kazan's actions, I don't hold him in the low regard I think I did previously. Like one of the other reviewers, I found this book difficult to get through, and by that I mean that it was just a slow read. I previously knew author Richard Schickel from his reviews in Time magazine. Such limited exposure to his writing style left me quite unprepared for the intellectual challenge of this tome. I certainly don't mean to scare off potential readers to this book. It is well worth the effort, and a reader of this book will definitely come away with a more complete understanding of Kazan's life, start-to-finish.
"...Kazan, all of us, are capable only of those improvisations we make in response to our circumstances--some of which work out, some of which do not, most of which end in ambiguity, in, as we might say, mixed reviews, with ignorant strangers imputing false motives and meanings to our efforts."--Richard Schickel

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent bio of Kazan. The author's affection for Kazan is apparent, but it doesn't seem to get in the way of the facts.

A difficult but interesting person who created some great theater and movie moments. First Broadwya productions of Streetcar Named Desire and Death of Salesman, director of On the Waterfront, Streetcar Named Desire, Face in the Crowd, and some other well known films. Buddies included Arthur Miller, Budd Schulberg, Tennessee Williams. Founded Actor's Studio.

Writing and documentation are pretty clear.

[Romana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inciteful look into the life of an acclaimed Hollywood director. Watch On the Waterfront as a visual aide.

[Thomas Radigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

From all indications, the author knew his subject well enough, and wrote neither a hagiography nor a hatchet job. He also describes the political, economic, and cultural climate of the times that Kazan had lived through and described their influence on the man and why he did what he did.

Kazan was a leftist all his life, but broke from the Communist Party, he scoffed at Middle American conformity but despised the young 1960s leftists, was an artist, but for good reason was worried about having money even when he did, and knew human psychology so well he ended up becoming a great director rather than a mediocre actor. Read the book and watch the myths get knocked down left and right, such as the true reasons he testified before the HUAC.

[Allison]

On hold for a bit.

[Wes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was fascinating, but, the writing style was not for me. It seemed a harder read than it needed to be. Gave up half way through. Maybe I'm just not very bright.

[diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting. bit heady, but interesting.