Kazan - The Master Director Discusses His Films: Interviews with Elia Kazan

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Summary: Ted Kotcheff
Review: "Incredibly inspiring...an absolute for both professional filmmakers and laymen. It couldn't be recommended too highly."

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Summary: Arthur Penn
Review: "It should be required reading for anyone with an interest in the twentieth century. Kazan is certainly one of the most formative figures in both American theatre and film...I found this book fascinating."

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Summary: Bernard Weinraub, The New York Times
Review: "Remarkably candid and detailed...Jeff Young's book offers details about Elia Kazan's casting decisions, his directorial technique and his personal views on all of his films, including classics like Gentleman's Agreement and On the Waterfront, for which he won Oscars, as well as A Streetcar Named Desire, A Face in the Crowd and Viva Zapata! But what makes this book especially timely is Mr. Kazan's discussion of the link between some of his films and his Congressional testimony, and the fact that his decision to name names was never very far from his artistic consciousness."

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Summary: How he did it
Review: (and did not). This is unfortunately not a good book about Kazan's career as a filmmaker, not even about his films. It contains no real biographical material on his life (10 paltry pages: "he is born where, his father was, studied here", do not justice to the life of a first class director). The reason is that Kazan was writing his own biography (some 800 pages) and Jeff Young was not supposed to infringe on the master's territory. But the films suffer as well. We have no idea, while reading this book, on what was "East of Eden" at the time it came out, we only hear Kazan's voice and Young's persistent questions, most of them too technical to interest even a concerned reader. No general view on the subject, no cutaways (interviews or whatever) on people who have worked with Kazan, not a word from Brando, nor any writer or producer connected with his work, nor even the critics of that time. There are only the obsessive questions Young asks Kazan, going through every single scene of some of his films ("On the Waterfront" has some 80 pages of "why did you do this" and "how did you do that") because the interviewer (a would be director) hoped he could learn his craft from the Master. He was met with the sternest objections (Kazan repeatedly proclaimed "there are no rules") to no avail. The only way to publish a book like that would have been to accompany the printed edition with a CD containing the scenes to which the text refers. As such indeed it would have been "an invaluable addition to film scholarship" as Martin Scorsese is supposed to have said. Without a full library of Kazan's films, this book remains incomplete, but (for scholars) it is still a dignified contribution to the knowledge and remembrance of Elia Kazan's work. PS: By the way: Why does no studio release "Baby Doll" in video? This is one of his best films, and apparently the one Kazan preferred.

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Summary: Praise for Kazan - The Master Director Discusses His Films
Review: DIRTY REALISM

Los Angeles Times Book Review Sun July 18

by Peter Biskind

To a certain generation of a certain political stripe, Elia Kazan will always be the Whitaker Chambers of Hollywood-minus Alger Hiss of course, because the director never seemed to come up with the big score, never gave the House Committee on Un-American Activities the mole who fed Mosfilm, say, Daryl Zanuck's secret formula for box office success. That said, it is hard not to warm to Kazan, or at least to the Kazan presented in the pages of Jeff Young's book-length interview, which is to say, the version of himself that he has chosen to present because the author or editor or compiler- whatever-is frank about the collaborative enterprise that Kazan apparently reviewed and approved. The voice that was so beguiling in the director's extraordinary doorstop-sized 1988 autobiography is back again for an encore. He comes off like a character out of Damon Runyon. He is blunt and candid. His language is earthy. He is generous in his praise of others and cloaks his own contribution in a becoming garment of modesty, refusing, for example, credit for the legendary "I could'a been a contendah" scene in "On the Waterfront," which he attributes entirely to the genius of the actors, Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger. Young approached this project with a naiveté that is likewise appealing, hoping to extract from the master the secrets of the trade that would help him in his own infant directing career (the interviews were conducted in the early '70s), as if 50-odd years of experience could be reduced to a list of dos and don'ts. Still, the student was magnificently rewarded, probably well beyond his wildest expectations, because Kazan is a born teacher, articulate, even eloquent about the principles that animated his practice. It is not often that a director talking about the nuts and bolts of his craft rises to the level of wisdom about life. Young's book was a news story even before it hit the stores. It had the good fortune to coincide with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' controversial canonization of the director with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Summary: Good insight into Kazan's films.
Review: Elia Kazan was one of the most important film directors of the late forties to early fifties. Besides blazing a trail as one of Broadway's top theatre directors, Kazan also established himself as a top Hollywood director. His films helped blaze new ground covering social themes like anti-semitism (Gentleman's Agreement), racism (Pinky), corrupt unions (On the Waterfront), and the abuse of television (A Face in the Crowd). Films like "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Baby Doll" challenged the censorship of the day with their depiction of raw sexuality.

Kazan also pioneered the use of cinematic realism with his location shooting and the realistic performances of his cast through the use of "method" acting. Kazan would be responsible for launching the careers of Marlon Brando and James Dean.

However all these achievements have been overshadowed by Kazan's appearance before the House Un-American Activitees Committee in 1952. Unlike many other moviemakers and actors, Kazan cooperated with HUAC and named names. One of the most high profile entertainment figures to turn informer, Kazan helped to consolidate the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s. This has made Kazan arguably one of the most hated and controversial figures of the McCarthy era. As a result many people are uncertain of where to stand on Kazan.

In this book, reporter Jeff Young interviews Kazan extensively about each of his films. It's very interesting to hear a little about what it was like working with his actors and how he would coax great performances from them. Kazan was a very good actor's director in large part, I think, because he was good at empathizing with them and making them feel comfortable. Instead of telling them what to do as most directors would, he told them what to think and what to feel. It was touching hearing how when the neurotic James Dean came onto the "East of Eden" set, Kazan moved in to a trailer across from him to keep an eye on him.

It was also quite interesting hearing how Kazan got some of the ideas for his films. For instance, I didn't realize until I read it that much of the ideas for "On the Waterfront" were based on real cases and that the Terry Malloy character was based on a real person who worked on the docks. Nor did I realize that "East of Eden" was a semi-autobiographical film. "Wild River" (alas, to date never released on video), stemmed from some of Kazan's documentary work during the Depression, and "America, America" stemmed from the experiences of Kazan's Greek uncle's journey to the America.

People looking for insight into Kazan's decision to name names may be disapointed. This is not really an in depth discussion of those events, but a loving look at Kazan's films. However, in case you think that Jeff Young has fallen too in love with Kazan, there is a probing question that Young asks Kazan near the end of the book. Kazan has always claimed that he named names because he thought that Communism was a threat to America, not because he was interested in personal gain. However, Kazan doesn't seem to have been prepared for the specific question that Young has to ask him. Kazan's emotional response is quite revealing and manages to take some of the gloss off the way he portrays himself.

For anyone interested in Kazan, this is a good place to start.

Rating:
Summary: Good insight into Kazan's films.
Review: Elia Kazan was one of the most important film directors of the late forties to early fifties. Besides blazing a trail as one of Broadway's top theatre directors, Kazan also established himself as a top Hollywood director. His films helped blaze new ground covering social themes like anti-semitism (Gentleman's Agreement), racism (Pinky), corrupt unions (On the Waterfront), and the abuse of television (A Face in the Crowd). Films like "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Baby Doll" challenged the censorship of the day with their depiction of raw sexuality.

Kazan also pioneered the use of cinematic realism with his location shooting and the realistic performances of his cast through the use of "method" acting. Kazan would be responsible for launching the careers of Marlon Brando and James Dean.

However all these achievements have been overshadowed by Kazan's appearance before the House Un-American Activitees Committee in 1952. Unlike many other moviemakers and actors, Kazan cooperated with HUAC and named names. One of the most high profile entertainment figures to turn informer, Kazan helped to consolidate the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s. This has made Kazan arguably one of the most hated and controversial figures of the McCarthy era. As a result many people are uncertain of where to stand on Kazan.

In this book, reporter Jeff Young interviews Kazan extensively about each of his films. It's very interesting to hear a little about what it was like working with his actors and how he would coax great performances from them. Kazan was a very good actor's director in large part, I think, because he was good at empathizing with them and making them feel comfortable. Instead of telling them what to do as most directors would, he told them what to think and what to feel. It was touching hearing how when the neurotic James Dean came onto the "East of Eden" set, Kazan moved in to a trailer across from him to keep an eye on him.

It was also quite interesting hearing how Kazan got some of the ideas for his films. For instance, I didn't realize until I read it that much of the ideas for "On the Waterfront" were based on real cases and that the Terry Malloy character was based on a real person who worked on the docks. Nor did I realize that "East of Eden" was a semi-autobiographical film. "Wild River" (alas, to date never released on video), stemmed from some of Kazan's documentary work during the Depression, and "America, America" stemmed from the experiences of Kazan's Greek uncle's journey to the America.

People looking for insight into Kazan's decision to name names may be disapointed. This is not really an in depth discussion of those events, but a loving look at Kazan's films. However, in case you think that Jeff Young has fallen too in love with Kazan, there is a probing question that Young asks Kazan near the end of the book. Kazan has always claimed that he named names because he thought that Communism was a threat to America, not because he was interested in personal gain. However, Kazan doesn't seem to have been prepared for the specific question that Young has to ask him. Kazan's emotional response is quite revealing and manages to take some of the gloss off the way he portrays himself.

For anyone interested in Kazan, this is a good place to start.

Rating:
Summary: Guaranteed Great Read!
Review: Fantastic read for anyone who is either a Kazan fan or just plain fascinated by the medium of cinematic entertainment. Jeff Young has done a first class job of transporting this rather inaccesible figure into a very human but undeniably brilliant talent off the pages and into our hearts, minds and imaginations. A well earned 5 Stars!!

Rating:
Summary: Guaranteed Great Read!
Review: I was surprised and delighted to a find a galley copy of this soon-to-be released book at my local store, especially in light of the recent furor over Kazan's Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Done long before Kazan was awarded this Honorary Oscar, the book focuses, as it should, on Kazan's work in film and theatre. And in that regard, it is universally agreed that Kazan is one of a small handful of Pantheon directors of the 20th Century.

Mr. Young asks all the right questions, guiding Kazan into revealing the innermost workings of the creative process.. . . so much so, it should be required reading in film and theatre schools across the land. And if Kazan's answers to Young's subtle political probing don't satisfy everyone, they at least illuminate his view of a dark period in our nation's history - the era of the McCarthy / HUAC witch hunts and blacklistings. Mr. Young's objectivity in this regard is both refreshing and remarkable, given that Mr. Young's uncle was himself "blacklisted" during this wrenching period. It's an object lesson every media interviewer should heed.

But don't be deceived - this is not a book just for filmmakers, but for everyone. It is about Art and Life, with the emphasis on Life. And as a leader of the revolutionary "New" theatre of the `30s and 40s, Kazan was instrumental in bringing true realism - the elusive merger of Art and Life - to both stage and film.

As a journey through a tumultuous and significant life that both incorporates and encapsulates most of this last century, this book has everything a serious reader could ask for - it's both sensitive and smart. As such, it's one of the best, most revealing books I have read in years.

Rating:
Summary: The best book of its kind in many years.
Review: I was surprised and delighted to a find a galley copy of this soon-to-be released book at my local store, especially in light of the recent furor over Kazan's Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Done long before Kazan was awarded this Honorary Oscar, the book focuses, as it should, on Kazan's work in film and theatre. And in that regard, it is universally agreed that Kazan is one of a small handful of Pantheon directors of the 20th Century.

Mr. Young asks all the right questions, guiding Kazan into revealing the innermost workings of the creative process.. . . so much so, it should be required reading in film and theatre schools across the land. And if Kazan's answers to Young's subtle political probing don't satisfy everyone, they at least illuminate his view of a dark period in our nation's history - the era of the McCarthy / HUAC witch hunts and blacklistings. Mr. Young's objectivity in this regard is both refreshing and remarkable, given that Mr. Young's uncle was himself "blacklisted" during this wrenching period. It's an object lesson every media interviewer should heed.

But don't be deceived - this is not a book just for filmmakers, but for everyone. It is about Art and Life, with the emphasis on Life. And as a leader of the revolutionary "New" theatre of the '30s and 40s, Kazan was instrumental in bringing true realism - the elusive merger of Art and Life - to both stage and film.

As a journey through a tumultuous and significant life that both incorporates and encapsulates most of this last century, this book has everything a serious reader could ask for - it's both sensitive and smart. As such, it's one of the best, most revealing books I have read in years.