Tesiae

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200...D7TRNGPO0.html

Despite his actions, which ruined the lives of many people in his industry, he was one damned fine artist.

Partial List of Films:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
On the Waterfront (1954)
East of Eden (1955)
Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Elia Kazan (1909-2003)


So now the question is, who's next? First Donal O'Connor, now Elia.

Neeb

Shit. Well, at least Warner's will do a big roll-out of his films- they do so everytime a director dies with a lot of films in their catalogue. This means I'll get 'A Face in the Crowd' on DVD...

wm lopez

If one thing this year's going to do is dismiss is that CELEBRITY DEATHS COMES IN 3'S crap, because there's been way way too many to sort into 3's this year. Like when is the cuttoff point?

Seeker

Yet another one.

More like 30s instead of 3s.

Sunday Morning

rip rat fink. Made some great pictures, that one.

eedoon

Aw shoot.

Charlie Goose

Crocker Jarmen

I remember when he received his honarary Oscar. Presented by Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. I found it kinda funny, the way Scorsese kept scanning his glance back and forth at the crowd, as if to say, "I dare you to say something."

Giantrobo

I gotta read up on him. On the surface I don't have problem with exposing communists.


Sorry but that's how I feel.


At least he didn't **** a minor like Polanski....

Ninja Gaiden

On the surface? What does that mean? Anyone who doesn't have a problem with what happened back then is at least ignorant if not a monster.
As for Kazan, I don't know exactly what that whole situation was. Did he ever apologize? If he had a family to care for I could sympathize somewhat but he did ruin a lot of lives.

Groucho

I wonder if Nick Nolte will deliver the eulogy?

inri222

Not a minor but his friends and colleagues.

DonnachaOne

With this one, the Obituaries will now have its own seperate show before the Oscars start...

The Nature Boy

And herein lies the BS hypocracy rampant in Hollywood. There is NO director who was better with actors than Kazan, period, bottom line, end of story. You've got that scumbag Polanski getting standing ovations, everyone in town tripping over themselves to work with daughter F-er Woody Allen, Victor Silva is still working, but all these hypocrates sit on their hands when Kazan wins the Thalberg? Kazan did what he thought was right at the time, the same argument often used to defend these other cretins. This was, at the very least, a man of his convictions, and if you disagree with him, you disagree with him in regard to service of his country. It seems silly to look back on the red scare now, but I'd imagine it was a very real threat to those people living in the time and place. I don't know what I would have done in Kazan's shoes, but he's notable because he was willing to be on the record in outing supposed Hollywood communists. But he was far from alone, you don't think studios were giving up actors and writers left and right? Pat them with the left hand and point with the right. He was a man who did right by his country as he was told and as he believed, and why vilify him? Shouldn't the real outrage be reserved for McCarthy and the HOUAC? If it wasn't Kazan, it would have been someone else. He faced the music, he paid his pennance by basically never working after the 60's, when he still had more to offer us. The man did his time, and he basically gave up his career for doing the right thing, in his mind. Let him rest.

Giantrobo

Hey, forget you. Don't base all your opinions on what Hollywood puts in movies concerning the issue. Maybe there's more to it than you think.

I said I wanted to get more info on what happened. "On the surface", based on my admitted lack of knowledge on the issue, I think he did what he thought was right. I don't have problem with that.

Giantrobo

It's funny, a couple weeks ago "hitler's filmaker" was worshipped like a goddess here on dvdtalk just because she made great movies....but this man is the lowest of the low. Why can't you guys forgive him?

It's funny how many here will ignore some "sins" and go nuts over other "actions" just because someone makes movies.

Groucho

Allen never slept with his own daughter.

marty888

Let's hope! That is one of my all-time favorite films!

garolo

I suppose one reason that Kazan is so vilified is that he named names, betraying his own kind. Having not lived through it, I would never presume to understand how or even whether he was pressured to name names. BUT no American should have been put in that position in the first place.

I guess statutory rape (Polanski) is more forgivable (in Hollywood's eyes) than 'betraying' your community.

Regardless of witch (sic) side of the fence Kazan , Trumbo, Jaffe, the Holywood 10, et al were on, McCarthy and HUAC robbed us all.

The Nature Boy

Woody slept with his wife(or commonlaw wife's) adopted daughter, while still in a relationship with her. Perhaps not blood incest, but a hideous action in my book, and completely unrepentant on the matter, maintaing a relationship with her.

Groucho

Mia Farrow was never Allen's wife, common-law or otherwise. They weren't even engaged, nor did they live together.

I'm not defending Allen's actions, I'm just pointing out that he never slept with his own daughter.

HistoryProf

Both those vilifying and defending Kazan would do well to read a book or two on HUAC, as well as try and catch a fabulous documentary episode of American Masters titled "None Without Sin" that just recently aired on PBS (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmast...e/kazan_e.html) It's centered on Kazan and his best friend Arthur Miller - who subsequently split and didn't speak for decades after Kazan named names (when Miller had refused to). In many ways, he was motivated not by any obligation to HUAC or a hatred of commies, but by self-preservation. Is that terrible? I don't know....but don't go painting him a patriot....nor can you cast him as the evil villian. He was a person caught up in a supremely f'd up time - and was put in an impossible position. He made his choice, and he had to live with it.....

If ever there were a person or persons worth pointing fingers at, it was the soulless self-righteous hate-mongers who made up the HUAC....seriously...read up on those idiots. (worth noting that Nixon made a name for himself as the youngest member)......

R.I.P. Kazan

The Nature Boy

I was fairly certain that they lived together for years(which after 10 or so years in NY state can constitute a commonlaw marriage in NY), but I'm not certain enough to defend it. I'll take you at your work and admit to being wrong on this one, or at the very best, uninformed.

But when you get down to it, sleeping with your chicks 18 year old daughter is a shady propostion.

HistoryProf

Hypocrates? Is that Socrates infamous cousin?

Seriously though....no offense, but I don't think you really know much of what you are speaking about. He did right by his country? Please.....I might give you "he did right by himself" but even that is a stretch. I don't consider him a bad person, but he is far from the patriot you paint him as. He was not acting in 'service to his country' as you so generously claim....it was self-preservation, pure and simple. He wanted to direct in Hollywood, and the only way to do that was to name names. He tried to mitigate his testimony by naming only those who had already been named, but don't try to paint it or his testimony as anything other than it was....selfish. And again, i'm not saying that is a terrible thing, but he isn't a friggin patriot....that kind of agenda-laden Coulteresque rhetoric makes me want to puke.....

And please, it hardly "feels silly" looking back at the red scare. Given these days of Patriot Acts and the casting about of labels such as "traitor" by supposed "patriots," it's never been more apropos to look back at McCarthy and the lessons to be learned. HUAC is a damnable chapter in our history, and nothing, and I mean NOTHING, about it is or will ever be silly. Hypocrites indeed....

And finally, were on some sets with Kazan? Please tell us how you can claim so emphatically that no director ever worked better with actors? I know he was a tremendous director, but that kind of hyperbole smacks of apologetic claptrap....

eXcentris

Worshipped? You're joking right? People were crapping all over Riefenstahl in that thread as if she were Hitler himself. I had that thread closed for that very reason.