Justice to Elia Kazan

City Journal ^ | Autumn 2005 | Harry Stein

[jennyp]

Ronald and Allis Radosh’s Red Star over Hollywood gives chapter and verse on the communists’ efforts to infiltrate the film industry. And Time movie critic Richard Schickel’s forthcoming biography of Kazan credits the director for his courage, even as it reveals many of his adversaries as the unapologetic Stalinist tools that they were.

Red Star over Hollywood is an excellent book. Not just a polemic, it goes into much detail about the communists' motives for joining the party and the internecine fights that caused many of them (but not all!) to become disillusioned or embittered towards the party.

I caught part of the panel discussion today on CSPAN, and I'm so glad to see such a mainstream film critic of Richard Schickel's stature to write something that, apparently, is rather balanced & honest about the fact that they really were Stalinists.

I'll never forgive my mid-'70s high school teachers & college professors for teaching me that the Hollywood Ten were just some hapless, idealistic liberals who were plucked off the streets of Hollywood & persecuted by a bunch of mean old witch hunters. >:-(

[jennyp]

Here's the CSPAN page for the recent roundtable discussion that was held last week at the Liberty Film Festival. Hmmm... apparently the video fo the program is not available on the web.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

...Elia Kazan, one of the twentieth century’s great American theater and movie directors. RIP.

[Waco]

It's always befuddled and amused that men with tallent and a good education, such as these leftists, can get thru life with their heads so far up their ass. It doesn't take a lot of brain power to stay away from communism.

[jennyp]

It doesn't take a lot of brain power to stay away from communism.

I could see a Jewish kid getting enamored of communism during the '30s. Especially a european Jewish immigrant. (The only major parties in Germany in the early '30s were the Nazis, the Communists, a socialist labor party or two, and IIRC some Christian-affiliated party.) But when Stalin & Hitler signed the non-agression pact, and the Party turned on a dime and embraced Hitler as an ally and declared that "fascism is a matter of taste," anybody with half a brain had to realize they were embracing the Devil. And many people did leave the Party then. But many didn't. Amazing, isn't it?

[inquest]

But when Stalin & Hitler signed the non-agression pact, and the Party turned on a dime and embraced Hitler as an ally and declared that "fascism is a matter of taste," anybody with half a brain had to realize they were embracing the Devil. And many people did leave the Party then. But many didn't. Amazing, isn't it?

I'm sure the ones that stayed thought that Stalin was issuing a masterstroke of "strategery", and rationalized it up and down with cliches like "keep your enemies closer" and similar such BS.

[Deb]

Thanks for the ping.

[miss marmelstein]

I, too, believe he did the right thing.

Unfortunately for Kazan, he made a lot of personal enemies in his lifetime. I have personal knowledge of this from years of sitting in on Actor Studio classes in the 70s & 80s. He was incredibly nasty to the vulnerable young talent who came before him. (Joe Mankewicz was no better). The only nice member of the Studio was Shelly Winters and those two guys spent plenty of time putting her down.

[Petronski]

A superb article, and an excellent find! Thank you very much.

[okie01]

Unfortunately for Kazan, he made a lot of personal enemies in his lifetime. I have personal knowledge of this from years of sitting in on Actor Studio classes in the 70s & 80s. He was incredibly nasty to the vulnerable young talent who came before him. (Joe Mankewicz was no better).

Interesting to hear from people who actually had first hand experience with such talent.

Perhaps Kazan (and Mankiewicz) went overboard in their dealings with young talent. But, then again, perhaps they didn't. Perhaps some of their students responded to such Aristotelean methods. I know, for example, that in my own working career, I probably learned the most from one of my bosses that I learned to hate.

Of course, some guys are just a**holes -- and Kazan and Mankiewicz could well fit in that category, as well.

I confess to never being much of a Shelly Winters fan. But my attitude toward her was so colored by her role as Alice Tripp, in A Place In The Sun. Like most everybody in the theater, I was tempted to cheer when Montgomery Clift drowned her.

In retrospect, though, I have to admit that -- because of this reaction -- it was an incredible performance.

Appreciate your recollections...

[miss marmelstein]

I know what you are saying but the critiques from Kazan were usually along the lines of: "You have utterly no talent" followed by Mankiewicz piping up with, "And I agree with Gage that you have absolutely no talent!" This was once after a scene with Shirley Knight! (Shirley's last laugh - she's still working in the theatre and they're both pushing up the daisies.)

Shelly Winters showed much more humanity to the students and would always try to soften the blow. She was told by the big guys: "Shut up, Shelly." Oh, it was dreadful!

Stella Adler was much, much better.