A boy in despair slams his fists on the table and then throws his arms around his father. This startling scene of physical emotion is a hallmark of the work of director Elia Kazan, a master of capturing the struggles of the human condition on camera. Film Forum will showcase 16 films directed by Kazan between now and Oct. 29 in accordance with the date of his would-be 100th birthday.
Ranging from “On the Waterfront,” a study of one man’s fight against mob oppression, to “Splendor in the Grass,” a look at 1920s sexual repression, Kazan’s films are playgrounds for the mind. Rather than merely flashing images at an audience, Kazan uses the camera to examine the difficult relationships between people who hold opposing viewpoints.
Born in Istanbul as Elia Kazanjoglou, Kazan became aware of cultural differences after his family immigrated to New York at age four. He later joined the Group Theatre as a stage manager and actor after studying at Williams College and Yale University. Yet he is perhaps most heavily associated with his decision to name acquaintances to the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities.
Although audiences have often focused on Kazan’s character, it is his ability to build the characters of his films that made him a legend. As the ultimate puppet master, Kazan was arguably the strongest presence in his films—he pulled the strings of the plot, setting, and actors together to weave a living tapestry. Kazan notably manipulated his camera shots to match the explosive emotions on the screen.
In the 1955 film “East of Eden,” Kazan sways the camera to correlate James Dean’s movement on the swing with the rocking of his emotions. This visually disconcerting fun house effect fits with Dean’s line, “I don’t want any kind of love anymore,” as he reflects on the anguished relationship he shares with his father.
Kazan must have ordered extra props when he filmed 1951’s “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a movie in which the ideologies of the Old South and the new immigrant class in New Orleans collide. Instead of placing dishes into the sink, Stanley, played by Marlon Brando, clears the table by smashing his plate on the ground. Kazan encouraged such method acting to remove the audience from its comfort zone.
A steam whistle screams as a girl’s face becomes contorted in disbelief following a shocking revelation in the 1954 film “On the Waterfront.” Instead of filming a cliche screaming match, Kazan instead allows the external noise to speak for the characters. Unable to hear the conversation, the audience better understands the betrayal depicted through the shrill dialogue of tugboats.
Kazan is often credited with vividly portraying reality, but, in truth, he produced larger-than-life narratives, focusing more on the romantic than the real. At the end of “On the Waterfront,” Terry, played by Brando, sloshes around in two liquids: water and blood. Members of the mob have beaten him up, and he is struggling to remain conscious. “Get me on my feet,” says Terry, who ambles up to the docks. Kazan’s films often depict everyday superheroes who amplify, but do not necessarily exemplify, everyday struggles.
Using the camera as a window into the tortured psyche, Kazan pioneered the portrayal of intense character studies and the relationships of opposing parties. He employed his camera and characters to communicate universal sentiments of anguish and adoration. But his films do come with a warning—they may make audience members think and feel more deeply than they imagined.
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