Kazan, Elia (Vol. 16) | Introduction
Elia Kazan 1909–
(Born Elia Kazanjoglou) American theatrical director, film director, actor, and author.
Kazan is well-respected as a consistently competent director of actors. Such films as On the Waterfront also depict Kazan's interest in individual sagas of the American lifestyle, specifically, those which parallel his own.
Kazan's professional career began in 1932 when he joined Lee Strasberg's Group Theater. Starting out as an actor, he quickly rose to the position of director and his later films reflect this experience and Strasberg's influence. During the thirties, Kazan developed an interest in radical politics and joined the Communist Party. It was not until the 1940s that he finally realized his ambition to direct a film. A short subject, Pie in the Sky, was Kazan's first cinematic effort, to be followed by several documentaries.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Kazan's first feature film, received critical acclaim and provided him with a graceful transition from stage to screen. Kazan's first films generally reflect postwar discretion in their handling of controversial topics. Gentleman's Agreement and Pinky, in particular, were intended as indictments of anti-Semitism and racism, but emerge rather as sentimental and naïve, in the opinion of many critics.
In the late 1940s, Kazan instituted the Actor's Studio. In his work there, he developed the talents of young actors and actresses, most notably James Dean and Marlon Brando. Their respective roles in East of Eden and A Streetcar Named Desire exemplify Kazan's typical concentration on the characters in his films.
In 1952 Kazan testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming his ex-Party comrades, an action that upset many of his former companions when he signed a lucrative Hollywood contract soon afterwards. On the Waterfront is often viewed as Kazan's defense of his testimony.
Shortly after this, Kazan became introspective, and the films following are partially autobiographical. America, America and The Arrangement are both based on his own writings, and are more concerned with human motivations than with social injustice. Kazan went into semi-retirement in the 1970s. After this he directed only two films: The Visitors, a drama of disturbed Vietnam veterans written by his son Chris, and The Last Tycoon, a poorly received version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel. While Kazan's ability to direct actors is undisputed, debate still remains as to whether he is an equally significant talent as a filmmaker. (See also CLC, Vol. 6, and Contemporary Authors, Vols. 21-24, rev. ed.)
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