An ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate’s victims. I tell you what, we just don’t get the same cattiness from filmmakers like we did in the 50s and 60s. Elia Kazan made On the Waterfront as a direct response … Continue reading 19. On the Waterfront (1954)
A man rises to power by appealing to middle America only to become corrupt by corporations and politicians, and behind closed doors, badmouths all those that support him. Sound familiar? Surprisingly, no, this is not about our current political situation here in the United States. A Face in the Crowd is a film from 1957, written by Budd Schulberg and directed by Elia Kazan, and stars … Continue reading A Face in the Crowd (1957): Why This Film is Still Painfully Relevant 63 Years Later
Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her. If there’s one thing to know about me through all this, it’s that Elia Kazan is, hands down, one of my favorite directors of all time. From On The Waterfront to Baby Doll to A Face in the Crowd to this … Continue reading 47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Elia Kazan is, without a doubt in my mind, my favorite director of all time. He’s one that has influenced my own work in a vast amount of ways. So, let’s put aside for a moment the unfortunate fact that he is one of the few that named names as a witness for the House Committee on Un-American Activities, ending the careers of several people, … Continue reading A Brief Look: Elia Kazan
